Although the comprehensive patterns of our famous corporations are studied and emulated, PR practitioners in search of themes need look no further than the products represented in their own neighborhood's competing automobile showrooms. Representing the consumer's biggest repeating investment, these products, designed as prestige symbols, are truly refinements of a multitude of highly complex leadership goals. It is a highly contagious mixture, operating by levels: products, dealerships; and behind them divisions and suppliers each in its own fight for leadership.
And, in a personal incarnation, division managers and supplier company heads, as well as your main street dealers, are all striving to be at the top. Leadership is the magic word in American business.
Leadership hopes and intentions can be empty dreams when they lack clarity of objectives. As a universal aim candidates for the top in the business world are seldom without company, and as they say at the race track, the winner can come from no place. PR's great contribution is its basic technique. It starts by identifying objectives and goals. It sets the theme, and it selects and prepares the tools.
It is not uncommon for executives and their companies to do very well in their chosen fields without self awareness, not to mention operating without product market position awareness, or awareness of a need for magnetism as an employer or as an organization attractive to management. However, with professional PR blossoming in the smaller organizations, the prospect of administering to vital reputation building can be rewarding spiritually and monetarily as the results reflect its value.
Clear Cut Objectives Basic to Leadership Programs
To set up some examples, we assume that our concern is well managed and known as the purveyor of quality products or reliable services, or it is known for another business motivator such as low costs, or extensive and diversified lines with wide choices. It also can be assumed to have attributes to attract employees, and good management candidates. In spite of the considerable planning behind good company and good product reputations among smaller organizations, relatively few of these plan leadership reputation programs for their top management. Actually, it is easier, and more welcomed by the publics affected, to develop the management leadership image than it is to achieve equal results for company and product images.
To build up leadership it is essential to establish clear cut objectives. When a company head in an industry is recognized as its spokesman, his area of influence stems from his background: he came up through marketing, engineering, finance or another vocation. That is one yardstick; another is appraising the realm: it may be the community, the urban area, industry or a specialized vocational field such as education, youth guidance and development, or any field where business leadership is welcomed. Let us list the categories available:
These categories of PR publics, or areas responsive to the techniques of PR, would be the guidelines for the meeting between the top officer and the practitioner. It is necessary for the manager to welcome the idea of devoting some of his time to developing the leadership image, starting at one of the three public interest areas. That is where we take up the discussion. The manager has come up through marketing and he is interested in education in two ways: 1) work/ study programs; and 2) expansion of the schools to include two year colleges. Those fit into the community climate of good suburbs and towns, and into good big city neighborhoods.
Finding Time for PR
While there are leaders who seem to have time for everything, that is rare among professional businessmen. Yet, if they sit down with PR to analyze how best they can participate in non business leadership activities, even the busiest find that they can devote an hour daily, if it is flexibly programmed on a month to month review basis. Example: if his commitment was to head an education activity that lent itself to an "Education for Economics" week, he would plan it so that lie saved up 15 or 20 hours for activities during that one week.
Every industry has its spokesmen and that applies equally to communities and to vocational fields such as education or health. Obviously, when a company head agrees to devote time, effort and perhaps some money to developing a reputation for leadership that will help the company, it is ideal if it is a subject in which he has an established interest, vocational or circumstantial. Once the program is afoot he becomes the program: as it progresses to some degree he becomes Mr. Cause (or Industry). That is not an objective, but there are benefits that should be pinpointed.
At the outset, if the executive is a citizen of average civic interests but none that are compulsive, a glance over the categories will suggest a subject in which he feels at home. Once that is settled, and in our example we are using Education at the community level, you should go back to your office and start setting up a program. If the officer is more than fifty years old it is suggested that either the industry or the corporate sphere be named as the target area. Community public service requires dealing extensively with vocational volunteers: older persons may not have the patience to be effective. If the officer's age is forty or under you may wish to plan a community role and a parallel one in the industry, both related to education in their respective veins.
Know Your Constituency
In a decision to inject a company head into a role for the advancement of an industry in health, education or another community oriented cause the practitioner's first step is to identify all of the possible constituent entities. If his role is to champion educational advancement, his sphere of interest should be defined, then you should identify individuals, usually professionals, in that field. Along the way he becomes their champion, but he must have a clearly marked area of interest to signal their attention. Here are some categories in which constituents and professionals will appear:
Specific Objectives:
Through community and industry promotion of broader higher education interest among youth, and opportunity stirred by advocating "stay in school" higher education demand, the spokesman would be attractive as a speaker in community and industry; and as a source for writers and media, and a possible trustee for colleges, etc. Techniques and Communications modes:
Community
PR would arrange for executives to speak to logical community organizations on subjects such as "Industry's Need for College Graduates in Management." There is a steady interest in almost all bigger suburbs and city neighborhoods in the link between the economic world and education. PR should shape up the theme and outline the executive's interest in promoting education before he presents a program to his executive, and before he discusses it outside.
Formulate a Company Position
Adopting a theme: Industry's Need for College Trained Management, the PR practitioner must do all of the original research for a 25 minute speech before a date is established. You should bear in mind that for years industry and community program leaders have assigned such subject matter to speakers who developed a speech after accepting the date.
The public library is the PR man's friend. A talk with a reference librarian will usually bring out half a dozen works on this and similar subjects. After assembling some basic data, reviewing the direction with the executive, and perhaps talking to a local college or high school vocational guidance director, the talk should begin to take shape.
The value of writing a speech as a start when delving into any complex subject is that the research will provide the materials to justify the speaker's advocacy position.
When the speech begins to shape up, thought should be given to an invitation for the executive to discuss the subject. If the community has a club that conducts periodic round table discussions and civic industry events, that may be the place to try out the speech first. Service clubs, churchmen's clubs and chambers of commerce are all good sounding boards.
Meanwhile, some business and finance departments of state colleges should hear from you. Such a letter might read:
Dean John J. Jackson Graduate Business Studies Division State University Science Hill Dear Dr. Jackson:
Our president, Edwin Jason, has been on our industry's Education Committee for several years for studies related to industry wide objectives. Now he has been invited to discuss "Industry's Need for Business School Trained Management Candidates" at a meeting in our community here next month. Could your office recommend an up to date work on that subject whose theme is in keeping with the university's practices with industry here in the state?
I am assigned the task of pulling together the materials to gear his talk to the patterns current between the University and the state's business community. If there is an authority with which I should discuss the subject I will gladly drive over at his convenience. Thank you for your consideration.
Yours truly,
The first step in forming a body of constituents, or interested observers, is the most difficult. In the listing of related interests the practitioner should have one or more possibilities for a mutual or parallel interest. Often the best starting point is an officer in the state university business school whose objectives may include broadening his own community relations with business leaders. In writing to such high officers, it is best to suggest that he name a member of the faculty or administration.
To establish an industry relation with the leading association in the industry of which your company is a member, a letter to the professional director often uncovers standing invitations for business meeting speech dates. The letter might follow the suggestion here (use first name if he is a professional):
Mr. William Johnson, Executive Director Industrial Fastener Association 1423 Connecticut Avenue Washington, D.C. Dear Bill:
As you may recall, Edwin Jason, our president, has a longstanding interest in the industry's broadening its encouragement and support of higher education for upgrading our engineering and management standards. A result of such past advocacy here in Capitol City has brought an invitation for him to head an industry education planning meeting here in April. He may accept, but in considering it he mentioned that his interest in industry education standards had priority to community interests here.
I am writing to ask if your office has an educational project planned for the spring management/engineering conference. Should such an activity be on your agenda there may be a mutual interest. I am aware that several other company heads would like to develop some type of industry education plan to give us greater appeal in organization upgrading. It might fit into the association's agenda. I would appreciate hearing from you soon. Best regards.
Yours truly,
Where an industry's association does not have an activity to encourage member organization upgrading, most professional directors will jump at a chance to scout the idea with a member company. In turn, if your speaker is given a star slot and comes up with some up to date proposals, he would be named to head the education committee to pursue it. Such committees are generally staffed by the PR directors of their members.
Spotting the Attractive Leader
After a major speech before a local group or industry wide gathering is reported in the home town media and the industry's trade and technical press, supporters of the project come forward from unexpected places. Education is good business leadership because it has so many facets, mostly in problem form that needs all the help possible.
For such programs an aggressive publicity effort is out of place. When the speaker is going out of the city the talk is handed to city editors and radio news heads, with the release date. When it is given locally the PR for the organization handles it. After the talk has been made, if the company offers to pay the cost of putting it into booklet form for wider distribution, the sponsoring association will usually offer to circulate it to colleges, editors and others on their lists.
Upon occasion an issue looming on the horizon can be added to the executive's concerns: it may be the adjustments to defense work cut backs; the industry's need for more aggressive marketing; its need for stronger quality standards, etc. If the speech research and outlines are staff PR assignments, it is best to confine the executive to one or two subjects. That gives the busy executive time to become deeply familiar with the subject, and he will be ready for appearances on business or topical radio or TV interview shows.
Professionalism in Speech Preparation
Many of the nation's well established speakers assign their subjects to PR, designate the research wanted, and ask for a finished speech. They will go over it with the writer, changing and editing to meet their style and views. When finished copies are ready they carry one and give the others to PR for promotional uses. On the platform they are fairly familiar with the text, but they add and delete as the audience responds.
By Products of Leadership Are Worthwhile
Once a leader is established, and he has made occasional appearances at a business department of a university he often is invited to membership on its Board of Trustees, or the advisory committee of its graduate business school; or he is awarded an honorary degree. If he is located where there are civically active suburbs he will be sought for talks to its business groups, and to men's clubs of its churches.
Of all by products of having a leadership name, perhaps the most valuable can be seen when the company is introducing a new product or service. The fact that the executive heads the press and dealer's meetings assures a full attendance of first stringers.
SUMMARY
PR should discover community interests; find one that matches history of executive and his actual involvement, then set up a program for him.
Confine issues to one or two subjects. A busy executive will then have time to become deeply familiar with subject, in event of being asked to participate in round table discussions, radio or TV shows.
QUESTIONS
What are the advantages of establishing management as a leader in civic project?
What publics do you aim to reach on a project to establish your manager in a vocational field?
