Do As I Do, Not As I Say!

Yet again corporate America comes ashore with another stark example of why "behavior is all that matters."  Hat tip to Shel Holtz for the "ship to shore" inspiration and reminder that solid moorings are required for a stellar reputation. 

Not to single out Wells Fargo, with whom I have had a 40 year relationship, it's behavior where the reputation rubber meets the road. It is how you act and not what you say that drives image and brand. The Wells Fargo Board's tardy response to its latest crisis is or should be a a wake up call to the enterprise that behavior not platitudes is all that matters to reputation. 

True North navigation should have signaled the following response:

• The board and its chair and CEO should have led the fiasco's aftermath with an honest and straightforward response to the disclosure. 
• The CEO should have been out there and the spokesperson. He should have been on the bow of the ship speaking the company's apologies and strategy to make things right. 
• The Board should have been visible from the dock, assuring stakeholders swift action and answers. 

• Supporting staff should echo the leader's apologies and action moving forward. And employee should be informed in real time, all the time.
• Management leaders should not have accepted bonuses and remuneration until the board completed its investigation and due diligence. 
• Had the response been swift and thorough, Congress would not have needed to hold hearings. The information would have been out there for all to see, hear and react.

Abject lesson: "Do as I do, not as I say." Behavior in the C Suite needs to change. Ego must go. Agendas must focus on customers and employees first. The public must have respect, truth and light. Right the ship!



The Indispensable Role of Today's Public Relations Pro

As we enter 2015, the importance of public relations today can not be underestimated. And for aspiring PR pros this is especially relevant to keep in mind.   Public relations is essential to a functioning of society and its enterprises. Public relations is crucial in building trust with people who have a vital stake in an organization’s operations and success. And public relations is an important mechanism in helping organizations, including governments, effectively carry out their missions and responsibilities.

Fasten your seatbelts. As the next generation of public relations professionals proceed with their academic studies in public relations, it is useful to consider these facts about the role of today’s practitioners.

• PR practitioners are no longer gatekeepers between their companies and the media. PR professionals are activists seeking to engage, enlighten, and energize an organization’s many stakeholders.

• PR professionals advocate not just for their organizations but also for their organization’s constituents and stakeholders, which adds the important role of presenting the stakeholders interests and views to management.

• PR practitioners also serve as strategic content developers and storytellers, helping their organizations formulate key messages that are resonant with the corporate culture and nature of the organization.

• PR practitioners help an organization build mutual trust by encouraging transparency and integrity throughout the organization.

• PR practitioners are counselors who actively advise and guide organizations in honestly communicating and behaving in the best interests of society and constituents such as customers, employees, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate.

• PR professionals are enablers and connectors, helping organizations stay grounded, stay human, and stay sensitive to the needs and desires of their communities. In essence, the role of today’s public relations practitioner is akin to being the conscience of the organization, being ever vigilant to ensuring that the organization is “doing the right thing.”

Should We Take the "Internal" out of Internal Communications?

This post originally appeared in Spin Sucks. It is reprinted here to stimulate thought among those in the hunt for a PR post.

“Internal communications” is an anachronism. 

Born from the recognition that employees were becoming a critical constituency, companies at the turn of the century began establishing internal communications departments to develop employee morale.

According to one historical source, internal communications was a mechanism to help employees understand a company’s mission and instill a sense of pride in the organization.

The method of implementation varied, of course, depending upon politics and the persuasion of the CEO in command.

Sometimes it resided with “human resources,” or more affectionately, “employee relations,” and often it was located in legal or corporate communications.

In this pro’s experience, corporate communications was always the best department for handling specialized employee or internal communications, because nothing succeeds like consistency.

Should We Let Go Of Internal Communications?

These days, however, it seems to be a hodgepodge of organizational dysfunction and redundancy.

How well the function operates depends on which way the winds are blowing, who’s in charge, and what are the priorities and politics of the boss.

Taking a page from Richard Edelman’s manifesto that “Communications Marketing” is the next wave, maybe it’s time to let go of “internal” and “employee” as modifiers of communications to employees and simply designate the umbrella term of “communications.”

Here are some reasons why.

Information in this Century is Realtime, Ubiquitous, and Instantaneous

There is no need to isolate and insulate.

Because of the speed of information, people have many channels and avenues to get information when it transpires.

It is best given directly from the source to those for which it is most critical when it happens.

Employees are Stakeholders

Employees can influence the movement of shares as much as they can sway the effect on customers.

They are the front line and should be treated and honored as other constituents.

Employees are Adults

Employees are educated, intelligent, and decision makers.

They are not to be coddled, cuddled, or conscripted.

Employees are Equal

They are as significant as stockholders, media, analysts, government officials, and executives, to name a few.

Their stature is no less than any other constituent.

They have a stake and can use it responsibly.

Employees are No Longer Mushrooms

No doubt you understand the comparison.

That said, the sunlight of full disclosure is the best disinfectant.

If the employee is trustworthy enough to hire, treat them as you would other favored constituents.

Employees Know More than You Think

Even without your formal communications strategy.

Given all the facts, employees will surprise you every time with their information, insight, innovation, and intuition.

This is even more evident in many of the start-ups emanating from the innovation capitals around the globe.

Many times the front line is where the magic happens, so open the floodgates and convey ownership and dialogue equally to all constituents.

So, is it really about “internal” communications anymore?

Looking for your dream PR job? Five ways to become the right candidate today.

Everyone dreams of that PR job - The One. Just imagine taking an elevator to your office where you fully immerse yourself in the brands, products or services you personally believe in. It doesn’t get any better than that.  But how do you work on getting there? Not only will the right preparation help you land the right job, you’ll also discover what that dream job truly is. 

After I finished my BA in Public Relations, I was sure I would work at a public relations agency.  That’s exactly what I did, but I soon realized that agency life just wasn’t for me. There were many other opportunities I hadn’t even considered because I was set on agency from the start. I finally found my fit as manager of the University Program at Cision, where I now help students uncover what they love most about PR.

Here are five ways you can start to prepare for your dream PR job:

1. Create an ePortfolio. 

Scrambling to assemble a perfect portfolio the night before an interview is the last thing you’ll want to do, not to mention juggling the demands of your current job.  Make sure your best work is within arm’s reach, so you can focus your pre-interview prep on learning more about the industry, the organization and the interviewer you will need to know about tomorrow.  

About.me is a non-traditional take on a bio. Platforms like Wordpress and Wix (which I use personally) also provide turnkey site templates where you can share portfolio items.

2. Update your LinkedIn profile - often.  

A burst of activity on your LinkedIn page shouldn’t send your current colleagues into a tailspin wondering why you’re suddenly “linking in” so much. Maintain a consistent presence on the site; doing so will not only increase the likelihood of showing up in the right person’s feed, but also shows how much you’re continuing to develop yourself professionally. And especially if you’re in – or think you’ll be in – the job market soon, don’t forget to ensure your profile is accessible.


3. Keep up with your network. 

Engaging with others in the industry is the best way to stay on top of trends. This isn’t about having three references “on request,” but about knowing what skills you’ll need to add value years from now.  

If creating a network from scratch is intimidating, start small. Attend alumni events where you can connect with peers, as well as more seasoned alums. Industry organizations like PRSA regularly host events where you can meet peers, potential mentors and future employers.

Many professionals forget that networking is about maintaining the relationships you already have. You wouldn’t want someone to reach out to you only on occasions when they need a favor, so don’t be that person yourself. Remember to drop a note to say hello, ask about their current work or find opportunities to simply shoot the breeze. If you stay plugged in to your network, when an opportunity comes up, you will be top-of-mind.

4. Challenge yourself to develop expertise. 

Ongoing professional development is vital to excelling in the field.  Look for avenues to enhance your expertise.  For example, Cision offers free CisionPoint access to universities. As a result, grads say their employers are impressed when they hit the ground running. But this isn’t so much about learning to use a tool of the trade – which is always good – but the demonstrated interest and commitment to PR as a practice. 

This applies no matter where you are in your career. You could be getting your accreditation (APR,) launching your organization’s first measurement dashboard or live-tweeting every free webinar you come across. There’s got to be something about your current job that you absolutely love, so dive right into it. 

Dedication to being personally exceptional in the industry makes a difference to future employers. 

5. Test the waters


If you’re looking for another job while employed, take advantage of your situation to develop new skills. If your current role is too prescriptive, branch out of your comfort zone and simply ask for different tasks. It’s the best way to enhance your skills and open new doors.

If you’re not given new or exciting projects, create something for yourself that will impress. That’s how Cision’s University Program came to be.  Hard work and extra hours created a brand new program that now introduces newcomers to public relations to one of the industry’s most widely-used and popular platforms (granted, I’m biased!), and an essential skillset. 

Taking the initiative on new projects proves to a future employer that you’re innovative and, most importantly, that you’re a self-starter. 

Even if you love your job, it’s worth starting to develop these habits. Consider what you hear again and again when you ask someone how they landed their current job – it happened before they knew it, when they weren’t even looking, when they least expected it. (And that’s no surprise - no one wants to leave a position after it has been “a long time coming!”)

If you love what you do, success and opportunities will follow. And, if you keep acquiring more and more experience along the way, before you know it, your dream job will have found you.

By Sonal Moraes, Product Specialist at Cision and manager of Cision’s University Program

Basic Training - Preparing for the Road to a Public Relations Career

I love it when I receive questions from young inquiring minds. And normally it is folks just getting started in the public relations field. Never did I expect to see a question from an energetic person in high school who is anxious for success in our industry.

The inquiry from the high schooler went something like this. I am in high school want to pursue a career as a celebrity publicist. But I always wondered how would i get to such a big step like this. So what steps should I take to become BIG, starting at high school and through my college life?

Every one has the opportunity to create their own road to success as a public relations professional. My take is that your need to get a good dose of the fundamentals and then some added ingredients. Here are several ideas of actions that those very early in their training can take now to prep for a career in public relations and in particular "celebrity PR."

1. Learn to write well. This means being able to string together ideas in simple declarative sentences, including knowing and using proper grammar and spelling.

2. Read as much as you can in terms of literature, both fiction and non fiction. A person who is well grounded in the arts and intellect can go far in the public relations field. To be well spoken and written requires being well read.


3. Start building your "social and professional" network now. As you meet people and make friends add them to your network using today's social media tools such as Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo, Ning, etc. And part of good networking is to also help people. (See next.)

4. Volunteer. Volunteer in your community, at the community theater, in school, at your place of worship, or simply help family and friends. Develop a charitable outlook on life. The old adage "It is better to give than receive" works. And you can't expect people to do things for you unless you do things for others.


5. Consider writing a blog about what is your passion. If you like to write (and good writing is a building block of success in PR,) write about things that hold great or intense interest for you. If you are an expert on something, write about it. And learn more about it.

6. Be active and engaged in school. Join the theater club, write for the school paper, be engaged in student government and even tutor your classmates.

7. Study the field. Go to your local library and even the web sites of organizations that focus on the the public relations and communications fields - like PRSA, IABC, NIRI, WIC, Arthur Page Society, and Social Media Club, etc. Look up books and white papers about the field. Start reading about the industry.

8. Learn the tools.  Besides being a great writer, insure that you know what are the tools and how to acquire and use them to sustain a competitive edge.  You will learn many tools when you embark on your college pursuits.  But there are others like social media tools and platforms that help you optimize the reach to the people with whom you want to build a relationship.

These are but the tip of the iceberg of things you can do now to pave a solid road for yourself in your journey to a successful career in the public relations field.