While working on Capitol Hill is a source of pride for staffers, the job itself has no shortage of unexpected twists and turns. Congress can often feel like a jungle, overwhelming even the most experienced of staffers.

So, how does a new staffer become better acquainted with navigating the rugged terrain while anticipating traps ahead? Last month, the Congressional Management Foundation assembled staffers and experts alike to train first-term legislative staff on this very question.

The training began with Brooke Bennett and Brett Manley, Chiefs of Staff for Rep. French Hill and Rep. Rodney Davis, respectively. Their suggestions included:

• Set three to four priorities and focus on them: For example, begin every term with a large memo outlining what the Member wants to get done in the long term and how the office plans to get it done. House terms are short and spreading out resources over every issue a Member wants to cover usually results in the Member solving none of the issues.
• Remember that you staff your Member, not leadership: It is vital to choose the right issues for your district, and these won't always align with leadership expectations.

Second, Judy Schneider, CRS's Specialist on the Congress and the 2018 recipient of the Staff Lifetime Achievement Democracy Award, offered key takeaways that she called, "easy to remember, yet hard to master: policy, politics, and procedure."

• Know your policy: Most of the time, if you've been assigned an issue, you are the expert on that issue for a Member. Crafting policy requires this expertise, and the ability to legislate in the weeds is essential. However, being able to jump out of the weeds when talking to a non-expert is equally important.
• Be willing to engage in the daily politics of Congress: This involves knowing your environment, who is doing what on the floor, and how to navigate Congress the way your Member needs you to. Read the news every day. Remember people's names. Build strong relationships. These are the essentials of politicking.
• Engage with procedure: Judy has one question she always asks: "Can you draw the amendment tree?" Most staffers can't, and this points to a general lack of knowledge on procedure, despite it playing an essential role in every staffer's daily experience. Drawing the amendment tree is one hurdle worth jumping over, though diving into procedure on all levels can give a staffer a crucial advantage other staffers will lack.

Finally, Hope Goins, Staff Director for the House Committee on Homeland Security, advised:

• Build a relationship with committee staffers: Finding a pathway for your Member to influence legislation will almost always involve committee staff, and a bad relationship only serves to delay an already slow process.
• Get to know other Members' passions and who supports them: This knowledge will come in handy when the committee starts working together closely.

Like any jungle, finding your path through its ever-thickening foliage, growing trees, and uneven ground requires preparation and guidance. Following the advice of our panel on navigating Congress will similarly provide staffers with the tools they need to forge a path ahead.

Remember, behind every good Member is a team of good staffers.