In last week's issue, we unveiled our annual "15-to-Watch" list, our picks for the future leaders in the public relations industry. This week, PR NEWS examines what veteran
communicators can do to ensure that the budding leaders within their own organizations get the guidance, encouragement and - most importantly - experience they need to succeed.
Senior PR practitioners are charged with a difficult task when mentoring their most talented junior colleagues: relinquishing their own control over communications activities,
which often means risking the outcome of a project in order to allow younger communicators to learn from their mistakes.
Tom Joyce faced this risk head-on in his former role as a VP of public affairs for American Express. "As you're climbing the ladder, it's so important not to pull it up behind
you," Joyce says. "As you gain responsibility, it's crucial to lower the rungs for people you identify with real talent."
But "lowering the rungs" sometimes means lowering expectations as well. "When the assignment hits your desk, you know you could do an A+ job, and the person reporting to you
could do a B+ job. But the only way they'll ever be able to do that job at an A+ level is to get the B+."
When Joyce left AmEx recently to join Carmichael Lynch Spong as a partner, he was gratified to see that by allowing one of his own junior colleagues to actively participate in
high-level communications activities (and do a few B+ jobs), he had helped to create the best PR practitioner to succeed him. Although American Express conducted an interview
process that included external candidates, Joyce's own personal choice for the job eventually was selected to fill his shoes.
Check Your Ego at the Door
Loosening your own grip on campaigns or accounts can be slightly deflating for PR leaders. "How do you step aside and give someone the opportunity to hone their skills at a
much younger tenure than someone like me who's been doing this for 30 years?" asks John Radewagen, VP with The Hoffman Agency. "You can't just tell them how to do it, you have to
let them do it. You need to check your ego at the door and give them the opportunity to go in your stead."
Letting junior colleagues go in your stead does not mean having them tag along to meetings with senior management or clients. Having a younger employee "shadow" you is an ego
trip for you that wastes the employee's time and talent and creates potentially uncomfortable situations. "It's awkward to have 'Harry' sit in on the meeting if he's just
shadowing you," Joyce says. "That's why you have to make sure he's in on the strategic thinking and that you carve out a role for him."
Mack Bradley, VP for The Vandiver Group in St. Louis, says too often young talent gets caught up in the "hows" of PR when they really need an understanding of the "whys" -
which can only be achieved through direct interaction with the most senior team members. "Real intuition comes from understanding complex relationships and situations. That can
only be nurtured through experience. Younger employees must have access to our thinking on why things are happening and what we are doing on behalf of clients. That's why I like
to bring all levels of my teams into the broadest discussions of strategy."
Balancing Mentoring with the Bottom Line
Bringing tomorrow's leaders into today's strategy sessions is important. But checking your ego doesn't mean abandoning all involvement in the PR process. "It takes courage and
insight to decide if this is a time when I want to let someone in," Joyce says. Likening the process to casting a film, Joyce thinks it's incumbent upon veteran PR practitioners
to take the time to think about "how the film would look if I made 'Mary' part of the cast." By taking the time to consider how other members of the team can play a role in a
given project, leaders allow younger practitioners an opportunity to be active players - without endangering the outcome of a campaign.
Once you decide to let that junior colleague in and what role he or she will play, it takes more courage and insight to guide the employee to success without losing trust from
clients or senior management. "I don't want my clients to think I'm baiting and switching when they hire me and then see junior employees," Radewagen notes.
"There's a balance to be struck in working together with the right employees. I wouldn't jeopardize an account by putting someone who doesn't have the wheels to do it on that
account. I provide the safety net, and though the net may be hard for [my employees] to see, it's always there. They're just accomplishing the goals and getting the opportunity to
be the problem solvers."
The best mentors are also proficient at recognizing what responsibilities their future successors are capable of handling and which require more coaching. Dushka Zapata, SVP
for Edelman's Silicon Valley office, says every employee has potential - and likewise every employee has a few weak spots. "Certain people provide really good account service, are
responsible, are great at media relations, but are very shy or not good at presenting. We try to make sure that person learns to project better during new business pitches,
because when you have a person who is not doing a good job presenting to the client, you can't tell the client, 'Trust me.'"
(Contacts: Tom Joyce, 612/375-8514, [email protected]; John Radewagen, 408/975-3005, [email protected]; Mack Bradley, 314/991-4641, [email protected]; Dushka
Zapata, 650/968-4033, [email protected])
Uncovering Future Leaders
Finding the right person to mentor can often be a challenge. "When hiring, I see a lot of people with the talent perfect for the job but want a different career path - or who
want my job but don't have the skills set," says Radewagen.
Ironically, mentoring can often be the key to finding that "special someone" you want to coach further.
Eric Yaverbaum, president and co-founder of Jericho Communications, conducts what employees have dubbed "Eric School," a structured mentoring program that any employee, from
entry-level to SVP, can attend - or choose not to attend. During the program, each attendee identifies goals for the upcoming year and works to reach those goals through
prioritized tactics. "I can tell you very quickly as a result of this process who's staying, who's going, and who are my future leaders," Yaverbaum says.
Structure vs. Informality
Sources disagree on whether a structured program or informal mentoring is the best way to bring out the talent in your organization's future comms leaders.
- "I don't mean to denigrate structured programs that separate mentoring from work, but no matter how many surveys you read in the HR journals, people learn by doing. A
mentoring program that is separate from your daily work has some benefit, but I don't think it has the lasting benefit of being involved in the work," Joyce says. - On the other hand, one advantage of a structured program is the ability to consistently track and monitor progress toward reaching goals, as in the case of "Eric School."
- Structured programs also separate the mentor from the manager. "A mentor is someone who takes a personal interest in your growth in your career," Zapata says. A manager may be
inclined to prioritize the project over the person. - In the end, it's the employee who must choose the mentor, says Radewagen, who favors a less structured approach. "You have to find the person who has the right skills, who
wants to do the job, and who comes to you and wants to be mentored. When you find that person, it' s really satisfying."