Since founding my PR firm nearly 20 years ago, it's been an ongoing challenge to find and nurture employees who have the potential to develop the skill set to grow with our
organization. One must consider that a PR pro must excel at strategy, writing, media pitching, time management and account administration as well as be outgoing, poised,
intelligent and creative.
It's no wonder that once you've hired an employee who "has it all," or whom you believe will one day be able to "have it all," you do everything in your power to make sure he
or she doesn't jump to the competition.
Once you've found an emerging PR star, it's critical for the firm's managers to help that gifted employee develop professionally, stay challenged on the job and climb the rungs
on the corporate/agency ladder.
But how can a corporation or smaller PR agency provide the time and resources needed to train and develop its staff? The most important part of ensuring a happy, challenged
staff is the individual relationships among staff and managers, recognition, feedback--via both informal and regular reviews--and drive to new challenges.
Taking it a step further, we have implemented several programs aimed specifically at supporting this approach with each member of our 20-person team. Through this program, our
team is evolving into more seasoned practitioners who are not only able to tackle the next professional challenge on an existing account or new business opportunity, but who also
will win the trust of our clients and the confidence of the firm's senior management.
Lunch And Learn: Internal monthly seminars held over a company lunch are an excellent way for people to learn new skills. Seminars can be presented by a team of staff
members who collaborate to develop an interesting and informative session on such topics as writing tips, effective media pitching, program development and budgeting.
Approach The Coach: Requiring managers to pay special attention to skill development with their direct reports clearly is necessary, but it's also worthwhile to assign
an internal coach to all account executive staff. The coach -- most often at the senior account executive level or higher -- provides junior staff members with an additional
training resource. Whether in need of help with writing or media-pitching strategy, newbies can benefit from the knowledge of another professional besides the boss. As the coach
is not the junior account person's manager, he or she can serve as a safe sounding board to vent any frustrations or problems.
Dollars Toward Development: Depending on the size of the agency and its volume of business, a fund may be established for outside educational courses or seminars. At
Stern + Associates, we provide each account professional with the opportunity to take a one-day course each year. The subject matter of the course, which must relate to an area
earmarked for further professional development during the employee's semi-annual written performance review, is first discussed with and approved by one's supervisor. In our firm,
people have attended classes to improve their time-management, media-relations and supervisory skills.
Variety Is The Spice Of PR Life: Another way to keep staff motivated and interested in staying with your organization is to periodically assign them new and different
projects to handle. It's more exciting for junior staff to be exposed to different clients' programs than to do the same routine set of tasks each day. This concept also allows
junior staffers to expand their experiences within your firm rather than getting that one-to-two-year itch, which may only be satisfied by seeking more creative, challenging PR
pastures.
All of these methods may help you retain your prized personnel longer, but there's no guarantee that the less experienced PR executive won't jump ship after a few years.
However, the role a junior executive can play in the agency world is an important one - bringing an added dose of fresh, positive energy and can-do attitude to the office. In
addition, certain tasks required to serve a client, such as media list compilation, basic writing assignments and media research, are well-handled by junior-level professionals.
While it's frustrating to put company resources into training junior people who ultimately leave the nest, it is possible to find highly talented college graduates who join
your company and stay with you as they grow or who become an important client in the future. Two fresh-out-of-school communications majors who joined my firm more than six years
ago now are successful account supervisors here.
Their ability to meet our performance standards is a direct result of the training they received in their early days at the agency.
Interestingly, one junior staffer who left our organization to move into corporate PR has been one of our most important clients for the past five years. I've discovered that
the training and career path you offer your staff is appreciated, and it can be a big benefit to your firm's ultimate success.
Contacts: Susan Stern is founder and president of Cranford, N.J.-based PR firm Stern + Associates (http://www.sternassociates.com). She can be reached at 908.276.4344, [email protected].