In the years that I led a corporate grassroots program, I was privileged to have a high degree of senior management endorsement of our efforts. Even so, I was always surprised that this didn’t automatically translate to the company’s middle management. Many legislative issues directly impacted their operations, and there was a vibrant, visible and active group of employees promoting the program in their departments. Rather than being grassroots evangelists, they were the weak link in the grassroots chain.

To prevent this situation from happening to you, here’s a few of the expectations many middle managers have of a grassroots program, and how you can manage them.

1. “A cost benefit of the grassroots activity will be conducted.”

Expectation #1 – Why should the grassroots program get a free ride relative to accountability? Resentment in the ranks is not uncommon when the CEO and senior leaders give the government relations department kudos without accountability. You’ll increase goodwill if you build accountability and evaluation measures into your work.

2. “I will be recognized by my VP for encouraging my department employees to participate in calls to action.”

Expectation #2 – If business unit leaders helped you on a critical issue, make every effort to recognize them in a way they value. This usually, but not always, means asking their department VP to recognize them in a public setting.

3. “My employees’ allegiance to the company will supersede their allegiance to the grassroots program. Work comes first.”

Expectation #3 – You live grassroots every day, but most of the people in your company don’t know what you do and don’t care. Advise your active grassroots members to ask their supervisor what level of grassroots involvement is prudent. You have to live with the decision and then thoughtfully recruit leaders who have the job flexibility to help lead your program.