Career Management Insights for Students
FPRA State Conference 2004
Roy Reid, APR
Consensus Communications

(Download the Powerpoint presentation)

Good Books
• Clients for Life
• Andrew Sobel
• What Clients Love
• Henry Beckwith
• How to Become the CEO
• Jeffrey Fox
• Good to Great
• Jim Collins
• The Tipping Point
• Malcolm Gladwell
• Beware the Naked Man Who Offers you His Shirt
• Harvey MacKay

All levels of our career…

The Trusted Advisor
• The “expert for hire” moves to a “steady supplier” of service and then becomes a “trusted advisor.”
• Andrew Sobel, Clients for Life
• Trusted advisors do not chose the role, they are chosen.
• Irving H. Buchen, “The Power of Influence”

Non-Financial Indicators
• Pat Jackson
• Enhance Brand Awareness
• Foster Employee Engagement
• Enhance Management Connection
• Build Customer Loyalty
• Build Community Loyalty

ATTRIBUTES
• 15 Pillars to Build Upon

Performance
• At the end of the day, what really matters is your performance
• Performance is consistent delivery of quality service
• You must work to be the most competent professional…build from the basics

Problem-solver
• Come to the meeting with solutions
• Everyone has problems, but few come with the solutions
• Strategic “action” planning

Predict
• Know the landscape internally and externally
• Research: knowing today’s issues and tomorrow’s concerns
• Rely on and share research on important issues

Perceptive
• Understand the CEO’s / Board’s (and, therefore the organization’s) priorities and concerns
• Motivation
• Know your role and the company’s expectations of you
• Be quick to listen and slow to speak

Political / Peacemaker
• Help leadership understand that “being right” is not always enough to win
• Be cognizant of the forces working for and against you…internally and externally
• Understand how external forces exert power on the organization

Process-oriented / Planner
• Be results-oriented
• Be able to convey the process and outcomes of good public relations
• Staff “behavioral scientist”

Partner / Participant
• Add value and be able to speak the language of ROI and other finance “dialects”
• Take prudent risks on behalf of the organization
• Take the ball when it is handed off to you
• Get involved whenever possible

Patient
• Relationships take time to fully develop
• Internally
• Externally
• Plan the work and work the plan
• Stick to it

Probing
• Cultivate a “challenging” relationship
• Dig
• “The forgotten or ignored executive”

Positive & Pragmatic
• Aggressively pursue positive relationships with “problematic” audiences for the company
• Take these on with enthusiasm
• Be realistic in the engagement (see patient)
• Come with realistic expectations and never oversell ideas

Prepared
• Be able to get to the point
• Prioritize
• Understand and be able to articulate the impact of external forces
• Community
• Media
• Government
• Regulatory
• Special interest / activists

People-focused
• Help management understand “why” people do what they do
• Push them to the right people
• May not be a natural act for them
• Know how “things really get done”
• Inside
• Outside
• Be the recognized change agent

Passionate
• Advocate ethics
• Now more than ever a voice is needed to stand up with the other corporate expectations (financial, legal, etc.)
• Take external viewpoints for playing devil’s advocate regarding company or organizational issues:
• Employees
• Media
• Regulators
• Activists

Persistent
• Do not wait for an invitation to the dance
• Advocate an “inside/out” approach to communication
• Internal audiences first…closest to the organization

Professional
• Be quick fluid and flexible
• Build relationships in all areas of the company leadership
• Be the “calm” in the storm

BATMAN
• A unique analogy for moving into the role of trusted advisor
• Batman is a superhero, called into action when someone is threatening Gotham City
• We are often brought in for the first time in the midst of a crisis
• Batman has no special powers, and must rely on his determination to fine tune his skills
• We must never forget to work on our professional and career development
• Batman stalks the city looking for opportunities to serve justice
• We must work proactively to really add value
• Batman operates by day as an upstanding citizen of Gotham City
• We must work within the company’s expectations and culture
• Batman has a purpose, vision, and mission that completely defines his actions
• We must be focused to deliver the best service to the organization
• Batman has become a trusted ally to people in Gotham and he surrounds himself with others that help him
• Surround yourself with the RIGHT people to build your success

THANK YOU

Objectives
• Define and understand the concepts of networking
• Provide analysis and anecdotes of networking ideas
• Develop a strategic approach to networking
• Provide your career with a sharpened tool

The Concept
• Like many other ideas, networking is defined differently by each person – however it comes with the same objectives in mind
• This is one person’s opinion built on career/life experiences
• My first internship experience at AT&T

What is Networking
• Perceptions and misperceptions
• “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”
• Half truth
• Six degrees of separation
• Be Kevin Bacon
• Networking is the act of meeting people and giving them your business card (attending events, etc.)
• Missing the mark
• It is an option if I have time
• If you want to do half the job
• It is an ongoing and integral part of each day
• On target

Let’s Define Networking
• Your definitions…
• Networking is the strategic effort to build and cultivate relationships that provide you with a system to advance issues and meet specific needs
• Meaningful relationships that matter
• Managed with care and focus
• Always with a long term vision…not the “quick score”
• The two-way proposition

Relevance to Public Relations
• Public Relations is the management function of communication, which builds relationships and influences behavior
• Strategic networking is at the core of the definition of our industry/profession
• Networking should be an underlying principle of your personal development
• It is an essential value proposition you will bring to an employer, a client, or a friend

The Value Proposition
• To your career
• To your employer / clients
• To the community
• To your family / friends
• Other

Your Career
• Building a solid foundation for your career
• Finding and cultivating mentor relationships
• Networking from top to bottom
• Associates
• Employers
• Employees
• Prospects
• Referrals
• Never brush off an engagement as unimportant
• Keep track of people as you move on/up
• Anecdotes in my career…at every turn

Your Employer / Clients
• Create opportunities for those who hire you as a bridge builder and honest broker
• Community Relations
• Media Relations
• Marketing and Business Development
• Crisis Communications
• People are the avenue for solving problems and achieving business objectives
• You are the point of contact for the marketplace
• Understand the value of your network to them and find the best options to apply to their situations
• The “fire me” principle

Your Community
• Community involvement is a tremendous two-way street of building and utilizing your network
• Serving to help others and develop connections
• Finding solutions that help through the network – connecting people and thereby adding value to your relationships
• Community service
• Political activity

Your Family/Friends
• The network is a valuable tool in all types of personal situations
• Be available to share your contacts
• Do not underestimate the contribution that family and friends make to your network

The Strategic Approach
• Develop a plan and work the plan
• Networking is a strategic effort just like any plan we submit to our employer / clients
• Examples to follow
• You cannot “do or have it all”
• Prioritize
• Focus
• Listen more than you talk…
• Examples and advice
• Give before you get…if at all possible
• The Strategic Approach
• Listen more than you talk…a timeless principle for building relationships
• Steven Covey: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People –
• “Seek first to understand, then be understood”
• Andrew Sobel: Clients for Life
• “Be an empathetic listener”
• The Bible / James 1:19
• “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger…”

Ongoing Management
• Continually evaluate what you are doing to build and facilitate your network
• Never go to an event or function without considering how it may contribute to your network (personal or business)
• Constantly seek opportunities to help others
• Keep your database updated and relevant
• It moves with you
• Engage others in keeping it up to date
• Create opportunities to build the network
• Plan each engagement with people
• Find a way to help others regularly..without a hook
• Empower Others Around You
• Encourage your colleagues to be strategic
• Get employees and friends involved

My Challenge to You
• Find someone here today you do not know and introduce yourself
• Ask questions and listen
• Expand your knowledge of someone you already know
• Take the information back and incorporate it into your database
• Never miss an opportunity to strengthen and build your network