Play to Work & Work to Win – How To Succeed in PR

September 5, 2006

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So, summer’s officially over and wow are people coming out of the woodwork even today the 1st day back. Heard back from people I haven’t heard from since July … Of course we were working (I was here all day Monday to get prepared for the onslaught of work that I knew would come today)…

Had a very important meeting today with someone who handed me a great book of quotes, so wanted to share some today in my brief respite from a day that started here at 7 AM and won’t end before 11 PM with what is a crazy week…

A few post summer thoughts:

1: I love that so many people take off so much time in the summer. It allows work-aholics like me to get ahead. Have heard people comment that success is about luck – I think that’s a crock of bull. I am stealing the quote someone famous (although I can’t remember who said): “I am very lucky in business, and the more hours I work, the luckier I become.”

2: Had a meeting today with a leading recruitment/headhunter firm today in the PR industry. I had just reviewed the INC 500 List and commented to her how few of those companies compared to what I am constantly reading in the media allow “flex-time”. Note to potential employees – Flex-time doesn’t work for me… There is work time and non-work time (and often in the PR industry those worlds are one). If you love your job, you don’t want flex-time… and if you work at your job 2 years and haven’t been promoted/given a raise/had a change in responsibilities it’s time to move on… You aren’t growing and they don’t appreciate you… so if you want “flex-time”, your employer will often think whether you are necessary for the company… at least for a small business like us.

3 – Attitude counts – Play to win. This summer we pitched a lot of big brands… and while I expect to win some I think many CMO’s don’t have the courage to win -To take the chances necessary to succeed, think out of the box, be receptive to change. They can’t play not to lose, they need to play to win. (which means no 4 corners for those of you who are basketball fans)…

… and along these lines, recently read a profile on Roger Ailes in U.S. News & World Report and loved this quote from him: “If you run into people who are negative, and always telling you that the cat got ran over, and you couldn’t get the car started and you’ve got a cold, the suits are idiots and life isn’t fair, you know, you need to get away from those people because they will suck you under and hold you down and drown you.”

Play to win… Now I am going back to work – Ronn Torossian