Let's Do Lunch

This was written weeks ago, but it’s still relevant. Enjoy!

I listen to music while writing. This post is proof that perhaps I should stop. John Mayer’s “No Such Thing” played on my iTunes and my writing for work train was derailed. John (first name, like I know him) sings….

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something’s better
On the other side

One of the biggest decisions I ever had to make presented itself when I got tired of being a professional intern and started job hunting. Most of my internships were in Atlanta and I wanted my next move to be PR Coordinator in Atlanta or a larger city…the usual New York, D.C., etc. I ended up in Birmingham, Ala. It’s home, but it’s not the city that gets thrown out by industry professionals at the “Where to Job Hunt” brainstorm and it’s never highlighted as one of The Huffington Post’s “Best Cities for Young Professionals”. I’ll admit, I’m still adjusting, but hearing this song sparked many thoughts.

During the first job, it’s all about fundamentals and using what you’ve learn to get comfortable in your own skin. It’s the time to find your style, be it pitching or managing an intern Everyone wants to work for a big company after graduation. We want big name clients, big name agencies, glitz, glamour. But the truth is, the fundamentals must be learned first. I always thought I’d have to start in New York to be successful and if I didn’t I wouldn’t make it. (Clearly, I sat in too many of those brainstorming sessions and read too many of those lists). I no longer think like that. In fact, I’m pleased with my decision to work in Birmingham. It allows me to market myself in a different way. After doing PR in this city, I understand audiences that lots of big city PR folks (I’ve been here too long re:folks) don’t understand. Think NASCAR…think FAMILIES….think TRUE CONSERVATIVES…think RELIGIOUS…yeah, I could go on and on. Sure, it’s not ideal for talking about college experiences over drinks (apparently the city is lagging in college degrees), but I know the habits of the people and can sell that to anyone. I’m not saying take any job. It’s important that you’re learning and growing as a professional. (TIP: Make sure you’re doing a lot of writing

So here’s to all the interns, both new and seasoned. Don’t stress! A lot of people will tell you to “stay inside the lines”, but I’ll repeat “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” and there’s certainly more than one way to the top! Our field is competitive, even when the economy is great. Think outside the box. Look for jobs that will allow you to become more marketable, that’ll make you different from the millions of other 20-something PR professionals.

I think you’ll learn, like I did…”something’s better on the other side”.

It’s true. Responsibility without authority is an #epicfail

I am the oldest of five girls. During summer breaks, when I was younger, my mother asked me to babysit my sister Tiffany. The request went something like this…”I’m going to work, you watch after Tiffany..BEHAVE”. Suuuuurrrrreee! I was tasked with the responsibility of taking care of Tiffany and had no authority over her whatsoever. Talk about potential defeat, but Tiffany was a great kid! She never did anything wrong. So it was a win for me. But, I wonder what would’ve happened had the responsibility of babysitting me been given to Tiffany. I, unlike Tiffany, wouldn’t have listened and would have spent most of the day doing exactly what I wanted to do. All Tiffany would’ve been able to do is say to me is, “But mama said….”. And would I have listened? HECK NO! At the end of the day, when my mom came home, all Tiffany would’ve been able to say is, “…but I tried to tell her not to”. This is simply because, while
Tiffany would’ve been given the responsibility to look after me, she would not have had any authority over me.

Being given responsibility without authority can breed a sense of helplessness, frustration, humiliation and despair, but never a sense empowerment. I’ve learned throughout my time in the workforce that PR pros (especially at agencies) often feel like this. We are given  the responsibility to create a successful PR campaign for a client, but we don’t have authority over the people in the client’s office. We spend time researching, making suggestions, pitching ideas and praying the client trusts us enough to do the job. We work only to stumble upon the block that is the lack of authority. Sure, we think our ideas are golden. Who knows branding, message tailoring and target audiences better than we do? But, the client doesn’t always see it from our point of view. In those cases, we sometimes are left out of the loop, vital information is withheld and we find ourselves working in circles. Sometimes finding ourselves back at square one months into the project.  So what do you do?…

Normally this blog is used to showcase my knowledge of public relations, but my quarter life crisis has required so much of my attention that I find it necessary to share my experience with those who frequent this blog. I can’t imagine that it’s anyone other than my close friends and colleagues, but whatever I need to vent….publicly.

Recently, a “friend” told me he’ll be accepting a new job and moving to another state soon. The news crippled me. I learned about this move and then attempted to have dinner with myself like every other woman who’s trying to find herself does. I couldn’t sit in the restaurant to eat, nor could I sit and wait for take out to be prepared. Yep! I admit, I lost it. Completely. I sat at the bar in P.F. Changs and cried. Completely embarrassed and feeling like I had taken a million steps backwards, away from becoming the stronger, emotionally self sufficient woman I’d like to be, I reached out to my boss(because we’re cool like that).

At lunch she said this…(in a nutshell)

As a kid, when my mom would take me shoe shopping I would always want to get the first pair I tried on because at some point in life, my mom said “If you can’t pick one, you won’t get any”…so I was afraid that if I didn’t choose the first ones I tried on, I wouldn’t get a pair at all. For some reason, that’s how many women view men. We’re often afraid to let one go because we think, if we do, we won’t have the opportunity to have one again. But you have to remember that there’s a perfect pair of shoes for everyone, but sometimes you have to try on several pair before you find the one pair that fits perfectly! And also remember that your mom never took you to get a new pair of shoes until you outgrew the ones you had.

Mind you, I am super emotional at this point in my life so after hearing this my tear ducts were on overload and I was literally about to have another P.F. Changs moment. She’s absolutely right.

Finding the perfect shoe takes time and experience. I gained experience from buying a few pairs that caused a tremendous amount of pain (Nine West…but that’s another blog post for another day). Now, I never leave the store without trying on a few pairs to see how they fit, to see which ones are the most comfortable, which pair is the best. Sometimes I buy a pair and wear them until the taps fall off or wear them so much, they stretch and don’t fit as well as they did when I bought them. I’ve even wanted a shoe so bad that I’ve gotten blisters from purchasing and wearing an 8.5 because there weren’t anymore size 9s in the back.

So yeah, when I think about it, I’ve tried on lots of shoes and dated a few guys. I’ve always tried to make things work because I was afraid that if I didn’t, I’d end up with nothing. I can count my experience with this guy as another experience learned from trying to squeeze my foot into a shoe that’s too small. Because of this, my feet (I) have blisters, calluses and corns (not really), but I’m headed to the spa for a pedicure. After that, I’m headed to the mall. But this time I’m looking for THE pair… they’ll  be cute, they’ll fit and they’ll last forever. Let’s face it…I’m looking for Jimmy Choos

Thanks Brad! I’m dusting myself off. He won’t knock me out of the shoe store that easily.

I just finished reading Helena Andrew’s Bitch is the New Black! As I suspected, it was the ultimate read for where I am right now.

Recently, I was asked to suggest a book for the July 2010 issue of Birmingham Magazine’s “What You’re Reading” column. Pleased that I had been asked and also assuming it was because there is clearly a lack of ethnic presence in the publication, I decided to share BITNB with its readers. Having a 50 word minimum, I said this:

I picked this one up for fun, to use as a get away from my quarter life crisis. Once I began reading, I realized I am not alone. The author truly captures the peculiar traits of any young, single Black woman who’s trying to mature, succeed professionally and date. This book is witty, real and encouraging! A must read.

To expand upon my 50 words (which actually turned out to be 59)…

This book gave me life! My quarter life crisis started early. I’ll be 24 in two weeks, but recently I’ve been faced with the loss of my first “real job” (budget cuts), loss of my first true love (four year relationship turned “we can still be friends”) and a plethora of family issues (ongoing sense I can remember). To say the least, I’ve been going through. But hey, it happens.  This book has literally been my companion over the last few weeks. If reading it did nothing else but allow me to see that I wasn’t the only person in the world going through this and assure me that it’s OK to not think of the issues in a “world is ending” way, it did enough. It’s definitely not the usual “I’m So Sad, I Lost My Love, My Family Is Crazy and Everything In My Life Sucks” sappy novel. Which I’m completely thankful for. Andrews examines all of her issues using wit and sarcasm. I enjoyed it! It inspired me to see my glass half full. 

I suggest EVERY woman pick up a copy of this book and immediately read Helena Andrews memoir. Or as she calls it, “a memoir of my 20s”.

It seems like there has been an increase in the number of corporate crises recently. In the past few weeks, the media has focused heavily on Toyota, SeaWorld and Nissan. All are now working to protect their brand. When I heard the news about Citibank today, I almost hit the floor. I admit, I get excited about crisis. I like to image what it would be like on the corporate communications team and work through steps to try to fix the problem. I’m a PR nerd.

Apparently, Citibank has exposed 600,00 of its customer’s Social Security numbers. WHOA! With the state of the economy and people losing jobs, theft is definitely on the rise and I’d be terrified if I were one of the 600,000.

Citibank did a great job remaining transparent by sending letter to all who were effected offering them a free 180-day credit monitoring service and providing a toll free number for each person to call should they have questions. However, the letter reads in a way that offers no comfort to the people who could be at risk for identity theft. In fact, Citibank officials said they believe there is “little to no risk” to customers. HUH? WOW!

Here’s what I would’ve done.

Like Citibank, I would alert those effected immediately via e-mail, letter and phone (yes, even after providing a toll-free number in the letter). From personal experience that is one of Toyota’s biggest hurdles. The company isn’t contacting owners of the recalled vehicles fast enough. In the mean time, they remain a moving target for more crisis. Customer care representatives would’ve been trained to handle all calls concerning the matter. I would’ve also offered the credit protection, but for an entire year. No real reason why. To me, it sounds better. I would NEVER say that there is “little to no risk” to anyone who’s Social Security number has been released. Everyone in this business knows that issuing a statement like that, especially in print, could come back to haunt the company. I hope no one experiences having their identity stolen. If they do, that could mean back peddling for Citibank and that’s never good.