During this morning’s monthly networking meeting at 5WPR, Laurence Haughton, a New York Times bestselling author, told an inspirational story that serves as a great lesson to entrepreneurs.

The story which captivated twenty of us:

In 1949, 13 firefighters lost their lives at Mann Gulch. In 1994, 14 more firefighters lost their lives under similar conditions at South Canyon. In both cases, these 23 men and four women were overrun by exploding fires when their retreat was slowed because they failed to drop the heavy tools they were carrying. By keeping their tools, they lost valuable distance that they could have covered more quickly if they had been lighter. All 27 perished within sight of safe areas. The question is, why did the firefighters keep their tools?

The imperative, “drop your tools or you will die,” is something businesses today should watch, and know.  “Dropping one’s tools is a proxy for unlearning, for adaptation, for flexibility, in short, for many of the dramas that engage organizational scholars,” according to Haughton.

Apparently, Karl E. Weich studied the conditions for smokejumpers during tragically difficult fires, and throughout interviews discovered that smokejumpers who survived very dangerous fires were those who dropped their equipment in the midst of the fire.  The smokejumpers who held onto their equipment were killed, and those who dropped their equipment survived.

Lesson for entrepreneurs:  Know when to drop heavy unnecessary baggage, and always be prepared to adapt to situations as they develop.

Interesting food for thought for this owner of a PR agency.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

This article ran in The New York Times over the weekend. It speaks about the MLB rookie camp, which brings together professional baseball’s brightest prospects for three days to prepare them for “life under the lights.” It is a must-read for all CEO’s and company leaders as there is also much non professional athletes can learn from this article – Success requires change and attention.

In today’s tech driven society, any speech or even off-handed discussion can be captured by a camera phone, or recording device, posted online, and then instantly registered on the Public Relations machine known as Google. These simple sound bites that may not have been intended for public viewing can easily be misinterpreted and distributed online where they will live for many years.

Among the lessons to be learned from this article — leaders across the board should be well-trained and prepared to speak publicly.  As a general rule, always ask if you are being recorded when making a public speech, and remember, in the world of PR, people who are paranoid will survive far longer.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

One of the most challenging parts of the Public Relations industry is validating experts.  In today’s Internet-driven society, anyone with a blog, or any form of social media can anoint themselves an “expert” in a particular field. It is difficult for the average consumer to distinguish between information on the Internet written by someone widely recognized as a reliable source by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, OR information by someone who is simply regurgitating the expertise of many others. Just because Google News aggregates a blog’s headline alongside one from The New York Times, doesn’t necessarily mean the author is an “expert.”

The work never stops in the demanding world of PR.  Since “work” ended Friday evening, I had dinner with a prospective client Friday night at his fabulous Central Park South home.

Then, I had lunch on Saturday at the home of one of the richest people in the world and a member of the Forbes 400. In attendance at the small intimate gathering was a Nobel Peace Prize winner who I greatly respect. I wish I could name names, but I can’t. Let’s just say it was definitely one of those weekends where I pinched myself and said “Wow. Is this real?”

Sunday, I spent a few hours on the phone with another member of the Forbes 400, who we represent, working on a vital press announcement.

Hard work, but is it really work if I love it?

I wanted to end with a quote I think any entrepreneur will enjoy. “Keep getting it wrong until you get it right.” Don’t be afraid to make mistakes…

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

We have a number of high-profile clients who pay us, and pay us well, to keep them out of the media – they simply don’t wish to appear in the media, and we are paid monthly retainers to ensure that happens. They are concerned about negative, harmful media coverage and a major part of crisis communications work is keeping stories out of the media. It’s often very far from easy, as a reporter’s job is to pursue stories and angles of interest.

This weekend, I, along with the rest of the world learned that I that David Rohde, a NY Times Reporter, had, thankfully, escaped from his kidnappers. I was amazed this story hadn’t run anywhere despite the fact that many in the media world knew about it.  Thank goodness he’s home safe, but I wonder why the media didn’t report this story. Would they have reported it had it been someone else’s child, say, a Republican politician, or a celebrity ?

I found this quote from today’s Huffington Post  quite interesting: I wonder now if a great debate will break out over media ethics in not reporting a story involving one of their own when they so eagerly rush out piece about nearly everything else. I imagine some may claim that the blackout would not have held if a smaller paper, not the mighty New York Times, had been involved.

As a student of the media, I look forward to reading more in the days and weeks to come.  Food for thought.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

I read this NY Times article this AM, and for me saw validation of last week’s post.  This quote for me summarized it: “The sizzling reception… shows how fast a mature corner of online media can change.”

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Before I get lost in the battles of the week, I want to take the time to share a few weekend joys that really resonated for me…

With the first hints of spring arriving in NYC, I allowed myself to take some time to clear my head.  As I’ve said before, a good run (and lots of sweat) is always a physical and mental release.  (Vigorous exercise is necessary in any economy to help maintain balance.)  After, I spent hours in Barnes & Noble reading book after book after book to gain perspective and do some mental calisthenics.  Really relaxing and invigorating.

I was also able to spend some time this weekend praying and learning.  One story I heard from my Rabbi had a great impact on me:

“When people are born, they are their purest as babies and purity is, of course, good and they should try and revert back to pure basic behavior as often as possible.  Babies cry about 300 times a day and man laughs only about 15 times a day (in good and normal times, and less in times like these).  If people can laugh a lot more, everything in their lives will be better – business, financial, personal.  Everything.”

Optimism breeds success. 

And lastly, I read a very interesting story in the New York Times about one of NYC’s most successful real estate brokers.  The closing quote held special implications for me, as she said about her work, “It’s challenging; it’s interesting. It’s just not as fun.”

Ronn Torossian
5WPR

Yesterday, I spoke with a group of 40 MBA students visiting from France who came to my office.  As we spoke about job opportunities in the new market, the similarities between the new financial realities of the U.S. and the socialist system of France became readily apparent, as Newsweek in fact recently noted.  While I don’t usually blog on politics, I can’t resist the opportunity to refer to this brilliant letter on how the current political system is adversely affecting entrepreneurs, which has been making the rounds on the Internet and which a number of entrepreneur clients have forwarded to me.  I absolutely agree with the sentiments of it, and I think we are living in tremendously unique financial times. 

As I remarked a few months ago in The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the era of trust in the U.S. simply doesn’t exist these days.  As the era of lies and liars emerges – Bernie Madoff, Bear Sterns, A-Rod – brands that can manage to communicate authentically can win in a major way.  I believe marketing in the short term is best done on a personal basis with niche marketing or hand-to-hand combat. Targeted strategic communications and PR plans will win a lot better in the short term.  It’s a sniper rather than a machine gun (and yes, this economy remains a war). 
 

It’s remarkable that things are so bad these days in the newspaper business that shares in the New York Times Co. on Friday slumped to a low of $3.99, less than the price of the Sunday paper. 
 

While many people often speak about the value of social media, there are also dangers that we must be aware of.  A competitor recently “friended” me on facebook, and then contacted nearly all of my friends in an attempt to send them information on his agency.  Similarly, LinkedIn and other networks are dreams come true for recruiters, competitors and the like.  So be careful with your public contacts.  Risks and reward should both be considered when participating in new social media platforms.
 

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Sunday’s article in The New York Times addresses a relevant concern for not only lawyers, but many of us in the professional service industry, such as myself who owns a PR agency.  Whether during good times or bad, pricing by the hour has never been a favorite practice of mine as a general rule.  (There are exceptions, primarily when it comes to crisis communications work). 

For example, does a client who prioritizes media relations care if we secure Fox News or CNN in 10 minutes rather than in 3 hours?  Should that client be billed for the time or should they only be billed for the results?

The NY Times is accurate when it states that “firms that charge by the hour can suffer if they are too successful.”  And it’s one of the reasons 5WPR primarily charges a flat retainer, which is “estimated” against time spent.

I welcome your feedback privately.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Read an interesting article in The New York Times regarding the positioning of major banks’ public statements during this tremendously difficult time. Anyone who doubts that spin exists at all levels should clearly read this. The conclusion of the article from a PR viewpoint is also noteworthy:

“If there are ways people in this room go to jail, it’s probably through crimes of upholstery — the cover-up will kill you,” Joseph A. Grundfest, a professor of law at Stanford University who is a former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said at a class for directors of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies which I attended in 2002 in the aftermath of Enron’s collapse.

Oftentimes, I see very public people in very senior financial positions at my gym, restaurants, and at events. You can see on their faces how incredibly difficult it is to be in the public arena and suddenly have the world watching your every move. I expect to see more analysis of how the banks are handling crisis communication in the coming weeks. Either way, this is certainly an interesting read in these very difficult financial times.

Ronn Torossian

5W PR

For as long as I can remember, first thing every morning, I always looked forward to opening the door, grabbing the newspapers and reading  them.  On this fall Sunday, I have spent the early morning thoroughly enjoying the Sunday New York Times.  Every week there is nothing that beats the Sunday Times.  From a story analyzing former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s day-to-day life to a Russian oligarch challenging the Kremlin, nearly every aspect of the paper is special and amazing.

As I have often said, to be successful in PR one must read — and read often – but I can’t see being anywhere in life and not reading regularly.

Ronn Torossian
5W PR