How to Quit Quitting

Kerri Guyton

I have a secret; I’m a reformed quitter. 

Growing up, I was one of those kids who would quit the game once it was obvious I was going to lose. I quit taking piano lessons the minute my mom gave me permission. (After seven years of forced lessons and practices, she thought for sure that by the time I was old enough to make my own decision I would happily continue, but no, I had other things I wanted to try.) I would quit anything that appeared I wouldn’t be good at, like golf. The first time I ever played golf, I made it to Hole 9, and that was it for me. 

I even took this quitting methodology into my early adult years by quitting my first job to become a stay-at-home mom, only to quit that two years later and go back to my old job. A few other jobs in my resume show that, for a while, I was on a quitting spree – leaving one opportunity for another. 

Honestly, life’s circumstances often spurred these changes more than my desires did in those early years, but I’ve come to realize that I am prone to consider quitting when things aren’t working or are harder than expected. While this is embarrassing to confess, just making this admission has helped me on my journey to quit all this quitting.

Here are a few other tips I’m happy to share with others who may have the quitting bug:

Adopt a Mantra

Come up with a saying - or borrow a motivational quote or inspirational Bible verse – that you can use to keep yourself going when times get tough and you think you hear the fat lady singing. Personally, I use “God brought me to it, and He will bring me through it.” This helps me remember that whatever “it” is that I’ve got on my plate at the moment – my job duties, my family responsibilities, my personal commitments – I was brought to them for a reason, and I have the knowledge, skills and abilities to complete the mission, which brings me to my next point.

Set Your Sights on the Purpose 

Remember why you took that job, accepted that chairman position, joined that committee or volunteered to lead that event. No job, position or experience turns out exactly as we thought it would. Most of the time, we find out that a job is harder than expected or that others’ expectations are different than we thought. Regardless, keeping a mindset of accomplishing the purpose of the role will help you make it through to the finish line. At this stage of my life, an established, long-term career is what I want most for myself; that’s why I’m staying put at Obsidian. At the same time, I stay busy outside of the office volunteering at activities for my children because I’m committed to being an engaged mother.

Chart Goals and Milestones to Meet

By setting goals to accomplish and milestones to meet before calling it quits, you not only eliminate the spontaneity of being able to walk away, but you also help guide yourself toward achieving the purposes for each adventure. Make a vow to grow your organization’s membership to a certain number before stepping down as chairman, and leave a legacy. Resolve to put in a specific number of years with your company before looking elsewhere for better opportunities. During that time, you may be introduced to opportunities you couldn’t have predicted. 

Just DON’T Do It

I’m borrowing – and purposely altering – the famous Nike slogan here. But seriously, just as Nike encourages you to step out and “just do it,” I encourage you, with the same enthusiasm, to just don’t quit. Keep at it. Get through it. Grow. Mature. Learn. You may find that after passing that fleeting moment of throwing your hands up, you will experience an overwhelming high of determination and drive that’s so invigorating you just can’t help but keep going – and keep succeeding!

Cultural Considerations

Kelli Eason Brignac

America is a melting pot. Or is it? I’ve also heard it described as a salad bowl, because all of the unique things that make up this country still manage to retain a flavor of their own, much like nuts, cheese or fruit does on a salad. Think about it. If you’re looking for a restaurant, you can choose Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, Mexican, French, Italian, Ethiopian or Greek. You can even choose Cajun seafood, low country casseroles or Memphis barbecue. If you’ve narrowed it down to pizza, you’re only halfway there. Will you eat Chicago deep-dish or Brooklyn-style? And this is all just in your hometown. 

If you have all of these choices when deciding what to eat, think about all of the other businesses out there. Many businesses thrive by marketing to a specific cultural group. Truly successful businesses have figured out how to market to everyone. And, they don’t do it by treating all Hispanics or all Asians the same way, for example. While there are a number of things to consider when working with different cultures, here are a few key considerations:

Arabic/Middle Eastern Cultures

• In many Middle Eastern countries, shoes and the bottoms of feet are considered unclean, and showing them to someone can be very insulting. If you advertise in Saudi Arabia, it would be a bad idea to show an executive with his feet propped up on his desk! 

  

  Courtesy of Flickr

• Historically, it is only appropriate to use your right hand to shake in many Middle Eastern countries. This is because the left hand is reserved for wiping your bottom, cleaning your feet and other tasks considered unclean. Meeting with an Arabic client in the U.S.? Extend your right hand. Whether your client follows the custom or not, you can’t go wrong when you go right!

Hispanic/Latino Cultures

• Families are very important in most Hispanic cultures, and most Hispanic families are larger than the average family in the U.S. According to a 2008 survey, the average Hispanic household has 3.47 people, compared with 2.62 people on average in the U.S. 
• On that note, children are very important in this culture. According to the U.S. Census, 62 percent of Hispanic households in the U.S. have at least one child younger than 18. 
• Traditionally, Hispanic cultures follow a patriarchal structure, in which the father or oldest male relative holds the most authority. 

Asian Cultures

• Many Asian cultures find it offensive to touch someone on the head. Although it’s unlikely you’ll be touching your clients’ heads, it’s important to note when marketing to these cultures. 
• “Yes” does not always mean yes. Many Asian cultures are very polite and strive to honor and respect their colleagues. To avoid conflict, some Asian cultures may use yes to avoid saying “no.” Yes can mean “I’ll consider it,” but no is often communicated through hints that your request is unlikely to be fulfilled. It is a good idea to treat your Asian clients and colleagues with the same respect they show you.

In General

• Take note of personal space. In some cultures, gestures like hugging are considered too intimate for casual or non-family relationships. 
• Understand that language barriers will always exist. Sometimes words do not translate, and it’s important to find a way around that before just going with whatever seems closest to the right one. That goes for other English-speaking countries, too! It wouldn’t make much sense to you if a British company advertised reliable lorries for sale, would it? 
• Do your research! There are hundreds of cultures out there. You may want to market to “Asians,” but you should really know whether you’re trying to reach Koreans, Japanese, Thai, Chinese or persons of another specific nationality.  And if you’re trying to reach Chinese consumers, do they speak Cantonese or Mandarin? 

Did I miss any important considerations? List them in the comments below. Meanwhile, I’ll be driving my Japanese-made car, eating my Chinese lunch and maybe capping off the day with a German beer or a French wine at my favorite Irish pub, where I play trivia on Tuesdays. 

Adios, amigos!

Balancing Act

Kerri Guyton

I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen this headline used in news stories promoting fabulous circus shows, like Cirque du Soleil, referring to the seemingly impossible feats some of the performers are able to do – be it the balancing of an amazing number of people in a human pyramid, an individual contortionist balancing on one hand while twisted into a backward pretzel-shape or a plate-spinner keeping a dozen plates spinning simultaneously on stilts across a stage. As a working mom, I feel like I can relate a little to all of these acts.

From the many responsibilities I keep “spinning” each day, in both my home and work roles, to the number of people I sometimes feel are resting on my shoulders, being a working mom is definitely a balancing act. But, I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. 

I am blessed to have both a successful career and a healthy family, and I’ve learned that in order to keep them that way, I have to work at it. As any circus performer – or any successful professional – will tell you, focus is the key to making magic happen, and I’ve adapted this philosophy to my work-life balance. When I’m at work, I focus on work, so that when I’m at home, I can focus on my family.

I have a list of responsibilities for both roles, and I have specific times to get them done. If I don’t get my laundry, grocery shopping and house cleaning done on the weekend, my family will run out of clean clothes to wear by Wednesday; we’ll start running through unhealthy drive-thrus by Thursday; and by Friday, I won’t even want to come home to my house! 

On the reverse, if I don’t stay ahead of my deadlines at work, I have to take it home and try to find time to finish it up between cooking dinner, soccer practices, homework and bath/bedtime routines. That usually means getting in bed with my laptop and ignoring my husband. I really don’t want to do that.  

For me, focus comes from advance planning, making lists and attacking the to-dos under the time clock for each role. My friends and family members often say to me “I don’t know how you do it all,” and I often say “I just do.” That’s what it takes to keep my balancing act going, my career advancing and my family growing together.

To me, my life is a full life, and that’s what I’ve always wanted. While most of the time, applause doesn’t come at the end of my balancing act, I’m confident that I’m doing the best that I can in the many roles I play in life. And, that’s unbelievably satisfying.

Habits of Strategic Thinkers

Liz Hutton

Recently, I had a conversation with a coworker about my personal business goals and what comes next after “intern life.” As I am extremely new to the PR world, this discussion got me thinking about not only what I want for myself in the industry, but also about the skills I need to get to the next level in my career. 

Following this conversation, I took time alone to consider these personal goals. One specific topic that came into mind was how to become a strategic thinker and the importance of strategic planning for a PR professional. This is one skill I definitely need to work on. 

From a fishbowl perspective, I am the person looking in, absorbing every email, brainstorm, meeting and new opportunity to learn about the PR world and the skills my coworkers have mastered. From time to time, we receive requests from our team members looking for insight on specific client needs, such as ideas for a new campaign. Everyone participates as emails begin shooting back and forth between coworkers sharing thoughts, stirring up ideas and backing up their reasons why certain ideas would work best for the client. This is what we call a team brainstorm. In the midst of the chaos of every brainstorm, I find myself wondering how to respond. Where do I even start? How did my coworkers master this skill to be able to spout out incredible, innovative and thoughtful ideas that work so perfectly for our clients? After a few more brainstorms, I realized that my strategic thinking needed a bit of a tune-up.  

I have come up with a guide of questions to hang on my desk and ask myself from now on before every brainstorm: 

• What is the client’s current situation?
• What is the client’s overall business goal?
• How can you generate new ideas? (Insight)
• How can you separate the client from the marketplace “noise”? (Competitive advantage)
• What are the benefits/costs of the offerings? (Value)
• Where should you focus capital, talent and time? (Target audience)
• Are you able to visually capture the essence of the business issues?
• How can you create new value for customers? (Innovation)
• Does the client have a well-developed mission, vision and values? (Main purpose/key message)
• What is the strategy?

Once those questions are answered, it will be much easier to put down into writing how and why the client should move forward. It’s not always easy to transition back and forth from right-brain thinking (creative, intuitive and subjective) to left-brain thinking (logical, analytical and objective), but for a PR professional it is a necessary skill.

Social Media: What’s your Game Plan?

Ali Glemser

Recently, an employee for the Lacoste clothing company posted a picture of his paycheck on his private Instagram account and wrote, “Paycheck. Still silly to me. Ever since I was a kid I've thought it was completely insane that we have to work all our lives. I still feel that way. Especially when it's only enough to live in a third world apartment….which for some reason in NYC is ok…I'm done with it.”

The employee was terminated after a “friend” of his showed a copy of the post to Lacoste. The company stated he violated confidentiality terms of his employment.  

Sure, the employee’s comments were negative and, by the transitive property, were associated with the Lacoste brand. But let’s consider the bigger picture, and perhaps, choose our battles more wisely. 

One, the employee had a private account, meaning he must choose who can view his pictures. Lacoste never would have never seen this comment without his "friend" bringing it to their attention. Two, the National Labor Relations Act protects wage discussions by employees. It doesn’t appear that Lacoste consulted the NLRA’s provisions before taking action. Three, the public might not know exact figures for job salaries, but most of us can guess the tax brackets certain jobs are in. I think I can speak for most people when I say that I wasn’t surprised to see the employee wished he’d earn a larger paycheck. 

Courtesy of Flickr

Considering these notes, who really caused the negative press for Lacoste? The employee letting off some steam to a small group of hand-selected friends? Or, the company that fired its employee after seeing information from an employee’s private social media account that they didn’t have access to?

Companies must be aware of their perceived image from other businesses, their consumers and their employees. Although companies should monitor these perceptions, they should be proactive in educating employees about social media usage as well. You can’t expect employees to be effective ambassadors of your brand image if you don’t give them the tools to do so. 

A social media plan for employees is important for informing them about your brand and what is unacceptable information to share with people outside of your office. The NLRA protects speech about wages, working conditions and other types of employee information. The NLRA's policies should be the foundation for a social media plan for employees that companies tailor to fit their business. 

Companies may form their own guidelines however they’d like, as long as their policies don’t infringe upon employee rights protected by state and federal governments.  The most important part of the plan is to make sure your employees know about it and that it is enforced fairly. 

Although, the Lacoste employee was unhappy with the amount of money in his paycheck, I’m sure he is worse off with no job at all. Chances are, he would not have risked his employment if he had known about his protected speech rights under the NLRA, and I’m sure Lacoste would have chosen to take action differently if there was already a social media plan in place.

Moral of the story: It is always best to be on the offense, rather than the defense, when handling social media.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short, Literally

Kim Morrison

I recently posed the question to the Obsidian team about what exactly I can and can’t do when it comes to offering help and advice to friends, small business owners and organizations I’m involved in personally, in regards to my noncompete agreement with our firm. Like most people in the PR industry, I’m usually full of ideas and helpful advice, and when it comes to those I know personally, of course I want to do what I can to help them succeed in their dreams and aspirations. At the same time, though, I don’t want to create any conflicts of interest that might hurt my career.

The general consensus from our veteran team members was that talking, providing ideas, giving feedback, etc. was all kosher, up to the point of actually creating, drafting or doing something, which is where the line is drawn. Talk is fine, but doing something is a whole other ball game.

Then, Thomas came back with some even better advice. True, these are people and causes that I’m invested in and want to help, but we’re also talking about giving away my skills, my work, my knowledge and what I get paid to do -- for free. I went to school, worked hard, pushed for experience and built my network to get the job, degree and pile of student loans I can now call my own. Do I really want to give it all away for free?

Courtesy of Flickr

The takeaways I got from this discussion, which can apply to most any field of business, is (1) don’t sell yourself short, and (2) know your limits. 

Yes, I might be new to the PR industry, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know anything. Between my time in school and my growth here at Obsidian, my skills have grown substantially, and while I’m certainly not at the level of a five-year vet in the industry, I’m slowly getting there. My skills may be new and developing, but they’re still valuable; otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing the work I’m doing. If I’m managing social media for established companies at work, why should I handle social media for the next door neighbor’s landscaping business just because they’ve known me since I was in diapers? 

As for the second point, yes, I want to help my friends, but everyone has to have their limits. A friend who does home repairs may happily paint a small room or fix your sink for free, but are they going to reroof your whole house free of charge? A friend who practices law may give you some advice, but are they going to represent you in court without reimbursement? Most likely not. It’s all a matter of knowing what your limits are and sticking to them. So, give your support, give your advice, give your help to a point, but ultimately, be scrupulous with your skills.

Apps for PR pros on the go

Lauren Hannaford

I’m sure we all have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of our local media’s smartphone apps downloaded and saved to our home screens, but what apps are other PR pros using? I’ve been using a few different productivity and news apps for a while, but recently I’ve been scrolling through the app store for new ideas. Many of my favorites actually apply to more than just PR pros. Here are a few:

• Pulse News- Pulse is the only Android-only app I use, and I use it on my Kindle. So far, it’s my favorite newsreader, and I roll sources like BBC News, FOX News, USATODAY.com, NBC News headlines, CNN.com, Washington Post, Associated Press top news, etc. into my feed so I can read through headlines quickly. 
• Dropbox- I use Dropbox on my laptop for several projects. The app is great when I’m away from my computer and I need to reference a document quickly. 
• Evernote- This is seriously the best app for note-taking, organizing web clips and photos, adding reminders to note and sharing notes. You can also sync from phone to tablet to desktop. 
• GoToMeeting- If you are a PR pro on the go, this is a given. 
• AP Stylebook- OK, so the app is $24.99, but it makes finding AP style answers a breeze. You can just as easily log into your account via your phone or tablet’s browser and save it to your bookmarks. 
• Compete Site Analytics- Have you ever been talking with someone about what local news outlet site has more visitors? This app ranks sites and gives you  a look at basic analytics. 

I’m still waiting for Vocus PR to come out with an app. For now, the mobile version is pretty good.  What’s the best app you’ve downloaded that you use for your job? Let us know! 

White Noises

Thomas Whitehead

When we do media and ambassador training for clients and organizations, there is one area that I discuss with them as more important than all others when trying to communicate a message to a listener – noise. 

And, there are two types of noise to be mindful of when speaking (or listening) to someone. The first is physical noise. We are all familiar with this. If you are speaking in a public space, you can have street noises, other conversations, store buzzers, store cashiers and tons of other noises that could impact how well someone can really hear your message. 

However, there is also a second type of noise that no one else can hear, but can be twice as loud and distracting as physical noise. And that is mental noise. 

Think about the last time you were at a speaking engagement listening to a presenter. It could be a sermon, a speech, whatever. Now, raise your hand if, for the full length of the speech, you did nothing but think ONLY about what the presenter was discussing. You didn’t think about what you would have for dinner that night, what time your kid’s soccer game is, if your mom is going to need to move into a nursing facility, what you did that day, what you have to do the rest of the day or any other thoughts. 

Courtesy of Flickr

Well, come on, we all do it. It is human nature. We tend to tune in and out when we are listening. And there is nothing wrong with this. However, when you are communicating to someone, you need to be mindful of this possibility, especially in very tense environments. Hospitals and their staff serve as an immediate example, as staff speaks with people who might have a lot of fears, worries, anxieties, sleeplessness and other barriers to hearing your message. 

So what can you do about this? The first step is to be mindful of it. Be aware when someone may not be fully attentive, either by physical or mental noise. 

Secondly, repeat yourself several times, if need be, for important key messages to ensure that they were delivered. 

And thirdly, if you really want to ensure message delivery, don’t feel bad asking the listener to relay back what you said to them. The accuracy of the message delivered is more important than the possible embarrassment of suggesting the person wasn’t listening. 

The silent noises are not quite visible, but know that they are there, ready to hinder your ability to deliver your message. 

Help Us Help You

Liz Hutton

As PR people, we want to help our clients. Our job depends on it. If we do not make our clients happy, then it is simple -- we lose those clients. This is great motivation in itself for a PR rep. We think about what we can do to make our clients happy all the time. But what makes a good client? How can clients effectively work with PR agencies to make the most out of their time with us? Here are a few tips on how you can help us help you to make the best out of your PR investment:

1) Provide information overload. As a client, it is important to make sure to give more than enough information. Don’t be afraid to tell a PR agency everything and anything they need to know, even some things you think may be irrelevant. More often than not, we can make useful connections with information that a client might not see at first. Being open and upfront with the information you CAN share (news, events, challenges, etc.) helps us to do our best job for you and your company. 

2) Be responsive. Many clients ask their PR reps for lots of coverage, but when the curtains rise, they are not available to give them any information. If you hire a PR agency, it is necessary to recognize that many times, PR reps have to turn things around within the hour at the mercy of the news reporters. Journalists are frequently under immense pressure to report a breaking story (or four). If a journalist has a question, responding quickly not only makes your company look good, but it also gives us credibility as a PR agency. Your responsiveness and accessibility help us build better relationships with the reporters, which ultimately leads to more stories and media coverage for your company. 

3) Realize we are on your side.  We want the best and most media coverage for our clients just as much as they do, but there is only so much we can do as far as timing and placement. For example, we can have the most amazing event with all of the information sent in to the media, but where, when, how and if the story gets placed is ultimately up to the news outlet. This amazing event could be set to appear on the front page one day, and the next day before it goes to print, a breaking news story on the other side of town occurs. Your event is no longer relevant. It is not anything we did or didn’t do; simply, what the news outlet wants to cover that day has changed. It is important to be understanding about the type of coverage we are able to garner. Trust us that when all is said and done, our goal is to achieve your overall marketing and communication goals.  

Successful PR goes hand-in-hand with the relationships we build, but relationships are certainly not a one-way street. This list is obviously a small start, but it gives you a good idea on ways to make the most out of your PR investment. Instead of making this a business transaction, make it a real relationship; you will be sure to find your perfect PR match.