The majority of chief public relations officers report to their CEO or COO and are more often than not in the position of executive advisor and boardroom strategist. That's the
good news.
But for the 100 chief PR officers (CPROs) gathered at the spring meeting of the Arthur Page Society in New York, the fresh findings of a Page membership survey laid the
groundwork for nearly two days of intensive questions and sometimes elusive answers:
- How do I get buy-in from my CEO?
- How can I spend more time on strategy and less on tactical?
- How can old-economy companies lure talent - better yet, why would someone even want to work for a traditional bricks-and-mortar company?
- How can I operate at Internet speed?
In this two-part series on leadership, culled from the dialogue of the APS spring meeting, we'll explore the new role of the PR executive and the expanding influence of the
communications department; the elements of leadership at the PR and CEO levels; and managing change using an integrated, non-hierarchical approach.
The topic of the APS meeting was leadership - specifically, "Moving Mountains: Exerting Executive Influence 'at the table.'" The tenor of the meeting was reflective of an
industry-wide mood - now that PR has gained respect from the highest levels, what next? How to keep the momentum? How to lead? How to effect significant change? The Page meeting
organizers, while taking this issue very seriously, were surely creative in driving home its point. To wit:
- One session centered on the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, renowned for its conductor-less structure - a non-hierarchical organization that could teach corporations a
thing or two about the perils of command and control. PR listened in as this 26-member orchestra rehearsed Beethoven's Symphony 1 for 105 minutes, amid constructive, open dialogue
among the musicians. - A keynote speech by Arlene Blum, who led the first successful American ascent of Nepal's Annapurna, one of the world's highest mountain ranges, offered a taste of what it's
like to take chances and to lead under the most extreme conditions. - John Horne, chairman, president and CEO of trucking conglomerate Navistar, spent an hour extolling the importance of PR and the constant need for open communication at all
ranks. A charming speaker who noted that he never takes his job for granted, Horne provided PR executives with a to-do list heavy on the obvious ("bring solutions to the table,"
"understand your business and business needs"), but nevertheless a reinforcement of his belief in the power of PR. - Polly LaBarre, senior editor at Fast Company magazine, shared the ingredients of a successful company - or "fast company" - confirming what others before her have said
- "no company is better than the people in it." Fast and pointed, LaBarre offered excellent advice on hiring the best and "firing up" employees once they come on board.
The role of the CPRO has never been more influential, yet never more challenged. When Kurt Stocker, associate professor at Northwestern University, and Donald Wright, professor
at the University of South Alabama, polled APS members in February, the results from the 63 respondents (81% of whom hold a title of SVP or VP) crystallized the movement of PR
from skill-based to strategy-based to policy-based.
When asked where most of their time is spent, 43% said managing communications (editing, writing, research, media relations); 27% said communications planning, or strategy
(problem-solving, mediating, prescribing solutions); and 30% said policy (financial planning, global modeling, consulting). Policy-based PR "is the future," noted Wright, while
also observing that many PR executives are still forced to remain focused on media relations.
Most CPROs said that their reporting relationship has changed over the past decade, and the results run the gamut:
- 63% report to the CEO
- 12% to the COO
- 6% to the general counsel
- 6% to the CFO
- 4% to SVP of human resources
- 6% to managing partners or SVPs of marketing or IR
But, as Wright noted, "it's not only who you report to, but how you report to that person."
As reporting relationships advanced in many cases to the highest levels, CPROs are handling more responsibilities outside the traditional communications function. More than 80%
are involved in marketing PR; 27% in consumer affairs; 23% in advertising, 22% in marketing, and 18% in "visitor centers."
The "greatest professional challenges" of CPROs include globalization, e-communications, finding and developing professional staff and justifying the value of PR. Asked how
they think their job will change over the next five years, CPROs see themselves as having the same accountability as other senior managers - managing more diverse and
decentralized staff; being more strategic and less tactical; and creating policy instead of executing orders.
Clearly the CPRO can play - and in many cases already is playing - a significant role in a company's key strategies at the local, national and global levels. But with
accountability even more stringent for CEOs and the tenure of a CEO at its lowest (in some cases 2 years or less), how can the PR executive serve as both strategic counsel to the
organizational leader while also maintaining a leading and growing position within the organization?
Next week, we'll explore this issue and reveal the findings of an Andersen Consulting study of CEOs and change management.
(Kurt Stocker, 773/871-1228; Polly LaBarre, [email protected];
Donald Wright, 334/380- 0850)
Important Skills CPROs Should Possess
1. Problem-solving/opportunity-seizing skills.
2. Judgment about issues/sense of proportion.
3. Truthfulness and ability to convey it.
4. Persuasive skills/selling strategies.
5. Partnering/collaboration/mediation/listening.
Source: APS membership survey, Feb. 2000
Does Your Company Have What It Takes?
Finding talented in-dividuals to join your organization - whether in your PR department or at the customer service center - is by far the most important challenge facing
corporate America. Polly LaBarre, senior editor at Fast Company who spends her days interviewing creative people at progressive companies, encourages PR executives to ask a
few seemingly basic (but hard to answer) questions:
- Why would a smart person choose to work at my company?
- And what kind of smart people do I want at my company?
Credentials, notes LaBarre, are not as important as "what makes them tick." Hire for attitude, train for skill, she advises.
Create a list of attributes essential to success and survival in your corporate culture. LaBarre pointed to Yahoo as an example. The Yahoo employee must be a "talent magnet" -
someone with broad spheres of influence hired in part for his/her Rolodex; a "people person," since within six months that person will probably be managing other people; a person
with a "zoom-in, zoom-out" ability, to be tactical, but also to get "big-blue-sky strategic when needed."
And lastly, the ideal Yahoo employee has a passion for life, and can sustain energetic commitment, whether at work or play.