A Toolkit To Survive: Leadership Lessons from Institute
February 2026
For much of the U.S., recent weeks have delivered brutal winter weather—cities frozen under “snowcrete,” schools closed for days, neighbors ice‑skating down streets impassable for cars. And yet, in the chaos, communities rallied.
It’s a fitting metaphor for what public affairs teams have faced this past year: lowering the temperature on heated policy debates, resetting corporate responsibility priorities, identifying new risks, and guiding critical conversations across business and government.
The digging out continues.
In January—just before the storms hit—senior public affairs executives gathered in Southern California for the Public Affairs Institute, the field’s most advanced, multi‑year leadership program. With faculty spanning policy, business, technology, journalism, and academia, the Institute is designed for layered learning: faculty to peer, peer to peer, and peer back to faculty.
The setting may have been sunny, but attendees arrived after a year of volatility. What they gained was clarity on global pressures, organizational realities, and the decisions leaders must make to thrive. Ultimately, they left with a toolkit to survive across three essential realms: society, other, and self.
Below are key learnings from the Institute’s esteemed faculty across those realms.
Participants from the first-year class get the lay of the land during the Institute Orientation.
Council President & CEO Nneka Chiazor celebrates with members of the third-year class after their commencement. The Institute is a three-year course of study for executives where participants commit to attending a four-day session every year for three consecutive years.
The First Realm: Society
This realm focuses on understanding the broader forces shaping the world—economically, politically, and geopolitically. Several faculty members explored these dynamics.
Elliott Harris, former Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist at the United Nations, explained that even as nationalism, fragmentation, and reputational concerns rise, the United States remains the world’s economic reference point. With growing economic fragmentation reshaping growth patterns, policy alignment, and global stability, public affairs leaders must anticipate—not merely react to—these shifts.
Ricardo Castro Deborges, senior advisor at the European Policy Centre, discussed the “securitization” of nearly everything—from trade to technology—and the rise of Euroskepticism that has fueled an ongoing “permacrisis” across Europe. These trends illustrate how geopolitical risk and economic policymaking are now deeply intertwined, requiring leaders to navigate uncertainty across borders and systems.
Together, these insights reinforce a critical truth: context matters. Leaders who fail to understand the systems shaping their environment risk being overtaken by them.
Elliott Harris on the impacts of policy shifts: “Short-term budget decisions on education and research could have long-term impacts.”
Sally Susman on one of the traits that helps define great leaders: “Pitch is an awareness of others – how you show up for others matters.”
The Second Realm: Other
This realm focuses on people, power, and institutions—how influence is built, exercised, and sustained.
From Kelly Monahan, managing director of the Future of Work Research Institute at Upwork, attendees learned that organizational volatility is no longer an anomaly; it’s the norm. Today, companies average 15-year lifespans, leadership turnover is accelerating, and performance expectations continue rising. These realities change how individuals relate to their organizations and demand new approaches to motivating, retaining, and engaging talent.
Brody Mullins, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter, explored where power truly resides in today’s governance landscape. He highlighted the growing centralization of authority at the White House, the greater durability of laws compared to executive orders, and the expanding influence of state attorneys general and antitrust enforcement. His insights reminded attendees that effective public affairs leadership depends on knowing whom to engage, where pressure points exist, and how durable influence is built.
Peer exchanges—breakout sessions, candid conversations, and informal discussions—brought this realm to life. The major takeaway: success in public affairs is relational, not individual. Credibility compounds, and trust travels faster than formal authority. Professional relationships aren’t merely assets—they are force multipliers.
Kelly Monahan on the threats that come with how work is changing: “Protecting our human capacity for focus is critical: We’re going too wide and not deep enough. “
Brody Mullins on why you can’t remove humans from reporting: “AI can’t touch the human ability to know what’s a good story.”
The Third Realm: Self
This realm is about how leaders choose to show up—internally and externally.
Sally Susman, recently retired executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer at Pfizer, reminded attendees that no one else gets to define them. Each of us defines success on our own terms. Authenticity is earned—not traded—and one of the most powerful tools a leader has is themselves.
Dr. Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, focused on shedding disempowering narratives and understanding power as something to be built and used intentionally—not avoided.
Ricardo Castro Deborges on geopolitical upheaval: “The rules of the EU chessboard are eroding. Now is a time of protectionism rather than multilateralism.”
Jeffrey Pfeffer on the shared rules of power for individuals and organizations: “Smart organizations tell you the objectives, not ‘how’ to work.”
Mary Moore Hamrick, CEO of Political Quotient Advisors, reminded attendees that imagination is often more important than knowledge. She encouraged leaders to be mindful about where they invest time and energy—because leadership is shaped as much by what you choose not to pursue as by what you do.
Together, these lessons reinforced a final truth: leadership is not accidental. It’s a series of deliberate choices about presence, priorities, and purpose.
All of us get to decide what success looks like. There are many paths—but all begin with one essential step: investing in yourself today. It’s also the best way to prepare for volatility. After all, you’re better prepared to dig out of a winter storm if you bought your shovel on a sunny day.
Learn more about the Public Affairs Institute.
Mary Moore Hamrick on being an intentional and generous leader: “You can’t build your posse, if there’s not reciprocity”
Institute is a unique experience where participants and faculty share and learn during plenaries, small group breakouts, networking events and group dinners.
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