To an extent, PR is an instinctual forte. You've either got the gift, or you don't. But what often separates an average counselor from a stellar one is a good coach.
Rich Sepe credits his mentor, Roberta Carlton, with helping him grasp the business and find his own voice. "She taught me to always focus on the measures that would have
maximum impact, and she helped me understand that PR is an absolutely vital function in any organization," he says. The two worked together at Sterling Hager in Boston before
Sepe ventured west to Seattle in the early '90s to become PR manager for Flow International Corp., a high-tech manufacturing company.
Although mentoring still plays a vital role in the career game, the rules have changed. Gone are the days of "just stick with me, kid" in which good old boys chose their
proteges like kickball captains handpicking scrubs on the playground. Today's approach is subtler, more democratic. Agencies such as The Headline Group, the Weber Group and
Manning, Selvage & Lee (there are dozens more) have woven in-house mentoring programs into their HR menus. And corporations such as Southwest Airlines routinely insert the
word into managerial job descriptions.
But in many cases, the onus today is on the mentee to make coaching relationships happen. "The word mentoring has a more formal ring to it than what I tend to see, which is
basically just buddying up or forming informal partnerships with people," says Carlton, now corporate relations manager for Cognos, a software developer in West Burlington, Mass.
"You have to build a program around yourself. I just invite people to lunch. If I don't know something, I'll ask someone who does to share their expertise with me. They don't
necessarily have to be in a higher position than mine."
Counselors Who Counsel
For those seeking formal mentoring relationships, there are options. PRSA runs a matchmaking service through its College of Fellows that pairs seasoned counselors with advice-
seeking practitioners. While most pairs end up consulting by phone, the society also coordinates face-time interviews with its fellows during its annual conference. Individuals
seeking advice aren't just recent college graduates, either, according to Rene Henry, one of 51 mentors currently registered with the program. "I've talked to people with 15 to
20 years of experience who are seeking a career change. Or they're young people who want to move to a new part of the country, or start their own businesses. Or they want to
shift from the agency side to the corporate side." There's always something to be said for a different perspective, no matter how experienced you are.
"It can also be advantageous to have a mentor outside your own company - and even outside your geographic area - so there are no political, friendship or relationship issues
that might color the advice," adds David Meeker, senior counselor with Edward Howard & Co. and chairman of the College of Fellows.
On the flip side, there are perks to having in-house "sounding board" pals who understand the particulars of the company and its players. "People who are smart will ask more
than one person for advice, and simply include the mentor in the mix," Meeker says.
Motives and Pay-Backs
If you want to be a mentor, you can't go into the deal expecting to profit from your donation of time. "That can't be your motive," says Henry, whose own career coaches have
included legendary figures such as Dan Edelman and Harold Burson. (In his spare time, Henry is now director of communications and government relations for the mid-Atlantic state
region for the Environmental Protection Agency.) "We have an obligation as professionals to keep growing our business," he says.
But it's funny how, in a Chicken-Soup-for-the-Career kind of way, those selfless donations of wisdom and time tend to come full circle. Carlton and Sepe stayed in touch over
the years. And when Carlton found herself looking to hire someone amidst of the country's worst labor shortage this century, she called Sepe. Ten years later, he's back on the
East Coast, working as PR manager of North American operations for Cognos.
"I will not deny that I had an absolute self-interest in [being a mentor]," Carlton says. "It's called hiring. If you want to get the best people, you build those kinds of
relationships."
Meet Your Match
To find a mentor through PRSA's College of Fellows, visit http://www.prsa.org
or call 212/995-2230. The Web site's online registration form allows advice-seekers
to specify areas of interest by discipline (such as I/R) and by industry (such
as high- tech).
(Carlton, 781/229-6600; Sepe, 781/313-2039; Henry, 215/814-5560; Meeker, 330/376-6500)