People often look at the current presidential election and marvel at the groundswell of Gen Y support for Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Those attempting to understand his support and this new generation entering today’s workforce do not need to look any further than the three simple words he began with: “Yes We Can.”
Those words resonate so deeply with me and those I know that it is almost as if it is our generation’s rallying cry, especially in the workplace.
During the spring of my senior year, I interned at a company that I loved, and after three months had been offered a full-time position. Over the span of two weeks, I went from being solely on the receiving end of projects to being the one assigning them, and when the new group of interns arrived, I had one overarching goal: Do it better than those who came before me. Remembering what it was like on the other side, I set out to:
* give realistic deadlines
* minimize stress levels
* be firm, yet understanding
* be an unofficial advocate for the interns with senior staff
* teach them something that I wish I knew when I was in their shoes.
With all this in mind, I gladly jumped at the opportunity to join the team of intern coordinators that fall. At the first coordinators meeting, I was tasked with developing a final project for the incoming group. At that moment, I don’t think anyone, including myself, could have guessed that I would have come back to the table with the program I did.
I sat and thought about how we could really improve the internship experience. What I came up with was a professional development series that would help the interns get closer to mastering public relations basics, encourage them to start a dialogue about industry innovation and really prepare them for their first full-time position.
Gen Y’ers are often viewed as this overly idealistic group of people who think that we can and will change it all and we receive lots of criticism from those more senior than us because of it.
Honestly, I believe that there is a part of our rallying cry which goes unspoken. When we confidently go after that new position, that raise or the opportunity to manage the difficult account, we say “yes we can” and in our hearts, we follow that up with “at least we can try.”
I truly am glad that I was able to experiment in the workplace; I’m glad that I tried. My program was adopted and went so well that I was even approached by a senior VP interested in making the program company-wide.
I have since transitioned from that company to my second job, but I was pleased to learn that the program is still being carried on. Though it won’t be called the “James S. Walker Public Relations Professional Development Series” (it was company branded), I am very proud that at 21, I was able to conceive, successfully lobby for and spearhead a great program that will help other Gen Y’ers enter the industry, and ultimately, demonstrate to others the intelligence, insight and capabilities that our generation has to offer.
Three days into my new role and I’m glad to say the transition is going well…thus far. I am really comfortable with the process. So, you’re probably thinking what’s the problem?
Here’s the thing: I expected the transition to be rough. I left behind some good friends, went to a company much larger than what I was used to and switched career focus a bit. In describing my new post to friends and former co-workers, I got everything from “That sounds great” to “You know how those big firms are; I hope they don’t treat you like an underling.” Great words of encouragement, right?
Anyway, the journey’s just begun and it’s off to such a good start that it had me thinking all day: “Why am I so comfortable?” I think I’ve figured it out. It’s my network.
Lately, I’ve been feeling like the Verizon guy, with a great network of people nearby if I need them.
My college network led to several great internships, including the one that led to my first job after college, and when the time came to move on the next chapter of my career, I had several people to call on for references, advice and perspective on the company I considered moving to.
The most surprising thing and the most comforting was the fact that when I arrived, I discovered that I already knew two people here. One from GW days (someone who lived across the hall from me freshman year) and another I met through blogging and the Brazen Network. Like the Cheers song, sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. I know its not a lot of people, but when you’re new, two is enough to get you going.
My network, from freshman year straight through, has been a tremendous help. How’s your network these days?
For quite some time now, I have been deep in thought. I’ve pondered my goals, passions, principles… where I am, where I intend to go and where I’ve been.
Whenever I’m mulling something over, you usually can tell. I am extremely quiet, my preferred playlists include a WHOLE LOT of gospel and smooth jazz, and I write blog posts with a tiny hint of that which is to come. I’m glad to say that I have come out of that period of deep thought with some clarity and a new direction.
So here’s the official announcement: In a few short weeks, I’ll be transitioning from my current post and joining the Online team at APCO Worldwide!
I’m a little sad to be leaving some awesome co-workers, wondering how the transition from job 1 to 2 will go and extremely excited about working with a great team of people on some amazing online projects!
For anyone currently lost in thought, here are a few quotes that may help you find some direction:
“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight”
- Jim Rohn
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
- Lao Tzu
“If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
- Henry David Thoreau
“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”
- Winston Churchill
“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.”
1 year 2 months, the amount of time my LinkedIn profile says I’ve spent as a full-time professional in the Public Relations industry. Not a great deal of time, but I’ve seen, heard, said and learned a lot. There will be more posts in the coming weeks which relate more closely to my daily dealings, but for now, I’d like to weigh my professional experience against something else, my social media experience.
1 year 2 months, the time I’ve spent working as a Public Relations professional
vs
2 years 3 months, the amount of time I’ve spent experiencing social media
I am not an expert and don’t claim to be. (The first point in Dave Knox’s post on the Cult of the Amateur definitely made me think about that for a bit.) However, I’ve experienced enough to know a little about social media’s reach and power. When thinking about it, a few words and phrases come to mind: crazy, interesting, shocking, massive.
I won’t be so bold to say that everyone participates in social media, but I believe that a good percentage of the people who do participate or benefit from it don’t even realize. David Meerman Scott’s post Why “do you use social media?” is the wrong question for marketers to ask really led me to think about that.
I really think Scott is right when he says:
“Practically everyone uses Google and other search engines regularly and the search results frequently include blog posts or YouTube videos or other social media content high in the search results. So even though people may report ‘no’ when asked if they use social media, nearly everyone has been to a blog or other social media content through search.”
Scott’s final point in the post was that we should “use social media data with caution” and not let our bosses diminish the hidden value of social media. I can recall several arguments discussions at work when the power/weight/reach of social media has come into question, and it’s not always the bosses either. There are a few naysayers in the younger ranks as well. The battle conversation normally is focused on one thing:
blog audience vs. media impression/circulation
If we just look at the base data, we are missing the point. People who read blogs are generally very engaged and want to know more about the topic they’re checking out. They may blog, have facebook accounts, network on LinkedIn, read wikis, and share content through email too. They’re engaged. Many of them do it without even thinking about it.
I’ve heard the phrase “Each One Reach One, Each One Teach One” used at several workshops and conferences. When I think about the power of social media, I think about the power it gives each one to reach five or ten or fifteen really engaged people who share what they’ve learned with 15 or 20 more really engaged people and on and on. In the end, isn’t that we want? Just a thought…
The debate about banning or blocking social sites has been going on for some time. Listening to the conversation, it seems like the most heated debates surround the topic of banning facebook, with some making the argument that it hampers productivity and others claiming that it can help the employee get work done.
I have blogged about my productivity before. Truth be told, finding a balance or system for getting work done while being engaged in social sites wasn’t easy, but I did. It is my responsibility to get the work done, and at times, social sites like Twitter have helped tremendously. I am a firm believer in the idea that all that matters is that the work gets done on time and done well. Outside of that, what else matters?
Initially, I felt the urge to join the conversation Matt Elliott started, but I wanted to come up with something different from the majority of the comments already posted at Brazen Careerist. I wanted to find a way to articulate to employers what social media means to most people in my generation, and it hit me last week on the metro as I was reading Geoff Livingston’s white paper The Socialprise.
Geoff’s paper includes some nice insights, and I definitely encourage you to check it out. The thing that led to my great metro moment was actually a quote he provided from Charlene Li. Promoting Groundswell, the book she co-authored with Josh Bernoff, Li said:
“Social Networks will be like air. They will be anywhere and everywhere we need and want them to be. And also, without that social context in our connected lives, we won’t really feel like we are truly living and alive, just as without sufficient air, we won’t really be able to breathe deeply.”
EXACTLY! That is it right there! It’s like air! If you take social sites away, it would be like trying to breath with no air! If you’ve been following PR Prescriptions at all, you know I like to make musical references. Here’s one for today’s post:
Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown - “No Air”
But how do you expect me to work all day and NOT Tweet?!
My world revolves around it, it’s so hard for me to breathe.
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air? No Air… No Air…
Common Craft is a great company I learned about in early 2008. In their own words: “We are two passionate people and Common Craft is our company. Our product is explanation.”
They may want to add the line “Smart PR pros love us.” I know I do. Common Craft has been extremely helpful in explaining social media and networking tools to co-workers. Normally, I give my two cents on a given tool/application/site and follow up with: “Check out the Common Craft video.”
As Zoe Siskos, author of medium & the message, says in one of her recent posts, most people don’t know what Common Craft is. Zoe brilliantly developed a short video called Common Craft in Plain English, and while they don’t detail all the possibilities (and they shouldn’t), the Common Craft creators Sachi and Lee LeFever do a great job of answering not only “What is this?” but also “How and Why would I use this?”
Here are some of videos I normally tell people to check out:
Social Media in Plain English
Twitter in Plain English
Social Bookmarking in Plain English
If you liked these videos, check out www.commoncraft.com and spread the word!
I’m not sure if MTV’s ever done a True Life episode on procrastination, but if they did, I would have been the perfect candidate about a year ago.
In high school, I was a model student, but the minute I set foot on the streets of Foggy Bottom, I got the itch, the procrastination itch. If you’re like me, you know this itch well. You feel it every time you have to take something to the post office, have to do laundry or something as simple as emptying the dishwasher.
In college, I made it my unofficial mission to master the art of procrastination, and my biggest triumph came during my sophomore year at GW. I was taking English 10, the GCR that changed my life (really, it did… because of it I love reading biographies), and I was working on my final paper. It was an unholy 15pgs double-spaced and I did everything under the sun but sit down and right that paper. It was the night before the paper was due and I was on page one. No problem, right?
BIG PROBLEM.
Black Eyed Peas came to campus that night… I think we can guess what I did. I went to the concert, had an amazing time, got back to my room around 1am, pumped out 15pgs of one of the best papers I ever wrote, collapsed at 630am, jumped up with just enough time to sprint through the streets of Foggy Bottom, drop off the paper and go back to sleep.
There were many more stories like this, but all (well…most) of my procrastinating days ended when I entered the world of PR full time. People say Content is King. If content is King, then deadlines are Aces. Damned is the PR pro who misses deadlines. For this reason, I’ve learned to control my procrastination…by scheduling time for it.
Sitting at a desk for 8 to 9 to 10 hrs a day can make the day hard to get through, and with all the distractions of the internet (right now twitter is my main addiction), it’s hard to stay focused. In order to pump out the press releases, pitch, monitor blogs, edit podcasts and stay sane, I declare HPHs or High Productivity Hours. For example, if I need to get a report out by 4, I’ll declare 2 to 4 high productivity hours. That means no gchat, limited email responses, and only 2 or 3 glances at twitter (This is case by case though…there may be some good tweets…). When its not a high productivity hour, I am open to anything. So far, this system works for me. If you’ve got a system that works for you, let me know.
Though it normally involves endless hours of preparation and tons of recovery time when you return to office, I really enjoy going on business trips.
My latest work project led me to San Francisco, allowing me to miss the metro issues and the unbearable heat that held the east coast hostage. Definitely two positives, but my trip had its negatives. The first being the fact that I had to fly United.
Now, prior to my trip, I had no issue with United. In fact, I’ve always liked their animated commercials with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Besides being stuck in a tiny middle seat, I couldn’t really complain about my flights to California and back to DC. There was very little turbulence and I did actually get some sleep. It was the actions and comments of the United employees that really annoyed me and got me thinking.
The first occurrence took place just as we were gliding over the San Francisco bay. The flight attendant decided that this would be the perfect time to tell everyone that “in the case of emergency landing, please leave all carry-on luggage behind and exit the aircraft.”
I hope that you are now in as much disbelief as I and the other 100 people on the plane were. I gave the wings a nice once over (you know, making sure the flaps are in order, no smoke, etc.), and then I tried to understand why this flight attendant felt that it was absolutely necessary to tell us this, particularly at this moment.
I couldn’t come up with anything and after a few minutes, we were safely on the ground, so I let it go…until my flight back to DC.
The main door was closed, all electronic devices were powered down, and we pushed back from the gate. AFTER the safety video was over and we were heading towards the runway, the flight attendant thought she should share some evacuation statistics: “It took 30 minutes to board this aircraft, but in an in emergency, it can be evacuated in 9 seconds.”
My Reaction: Wait…What? Why are you telling me this?
First, I highly doubted that the 100+ people on board that flight could evacuate in 9 seconds, but that’s another conversation altogether. There I was again on the receiving end of a completely crazy (b/c of the timing) statement.
The only thing that made sense was the fact that the flight attendants felt the need to Ring the Alarm. I’m sure we’ve all come across people who have ringing the alarm down to a science. Even though things are going well, they just have to unnecessarily remind everyone about the potential dangers that we have worked so hard to pack away in the back of our minds.
Have you ever encountered people who like to Ring the Alarm at work?
Posted by jaywalk1
Posted by jaywalk1
Posted by jaywalk1
