I have a list of favorite and must read blogs I usually check out and read on a regular basis. Some are social media related, but there are others that are focused on PR, crisis communications, and even sports and social media. One in particular I really have enjoyed reading since last year has been Stephen Waddington’s blog.
Stephen wrote a recent post talking about being the change you want to see in public relations. First, I absolutely agree with Stephen on all of these points he made in his post and not only did it resonate with me as someone who teaches and researches in PR, but it also spoke to me as a professor. As professors, we have the opportunity to share our insights, experiences, and knowledge with the future professionals of our industry.
Second, I also agree with the 15 points of reinventing what we do as well as a profession. I especially liked #15 focusing on continuing education – this is SO crucial especially with the rise and evolution of technology. This is one of the biggest challenges I have seen both on my side as a professor teaching new media courses as well as talking with my fellow colleagues about this who also are in the same boat.
If I were to add any more suggestions to what Stephen has shared with this list, I would add these three:
Building bridges to make PR even stronger as a field
What I mean here is, practitioners and academics need more than ever to work together. Fellowships, collaborative books and research projects, and sharing insights that help bridge what is happening in the field. We are working on this and every year it seems to improve. We need more people to help build and sustain these bridges in the field.
Networking with fellow professionals OUTSIDE of PR
I remember as a doctoral student, I was told that I should only go to “PR” related conferences and only do projects with those in my field. Well, I said no to that immediately. In PR, we have to realize that other disciplines are looking at similar situations, questions, and challenges as well – so why can we collaborate and work together more? We can all bring forth new perspectives to help the field grow and evolve. If we stay in our own comfort zones, the field will not evolve.
Investing in your future by working hard to win easy
One of my mottos as a student-athlete was “Work Hard, Win Easy” to teach myself I had to be dedicated and committed to investing in the time and energy to be the best I could be in my sport. That has translated into what I am doing now in my research, teaching, and consulting. The same goes within the field. So many times I have seen people not realizing if they just work on their skills a little bit each day and invest this time, they will have great results from it. Even Gary Vaynerchuk even focused on the effort and time you need to invest in to be successful in the field with this video.
In summary, we all have to evaluate where we are and where the PR profession is going. What are your own goals for your work in the field? I have been asked this by students, fellow colleagues, and even my family. My answer – I want to make a difference. I want to work as hard as I can to make a difference with my research, my classes, and insights in the field. Why settle to being just “okay” when you can work hard to be extraordinary? The difference between the two lies in persistence, dedication, and motivation to invest the time and energy.
Being a professor has allowed me to do this and each day is another day where I can do what I love to do, and that is to educate, learn, and grow as a person and professional so I can mentor and help others in the field.
Thanks Stephen for the inspiration for writing this post – keep up the great work! If you are not following Stephen on Twitter, you should (@wadds).
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
