By Mary Beth West, APR
As we wind down 2009 and look back at where our global economy has ventured since this time last year – as well as how the public relations profession has evolved in that short duration – a quick summation comes to mind: “Get real.”
Only in this context, I think past tense may be more apropos – “Gotten real” – because that’s exactly what organizational cultures in all sectors of business, government and industry have found they’ve had to do to course-correct and survive. And it’s a trend that’s not going away; it’s only going to intensify.
For all the “Wizard of Oz” fans out there, this year – and, essentially this decade – has been all about finally paying attention to that man behind the curtain, so to speak. Starting with Enron, the terms “transparency” and “authenticity” emerged as rallying cries for the public relations profession as well as throughout all C-suite disciplines. Today, media and communications technology have consistently made anything less than a management modus operandi of full-disclosure outrageously high-risk to corporate reputation and an ability to do business.
In effect, there are a buhjillion little Totos out there – from YouTube videos to blogs to employee Facebook posts to you name it – pulling the curtains away from the misguided Professor Marvels. No more busy-at-the-switch with public manipulation or distracting showmanship. It’s time to come clean and balance public interests in the larger equation of achieving profitability.
And that situation gives those of us in the public relations profession a fresh and rewarding shot in the arm. I think we’re coming to a time when fewer of us are called upon to help employers or clients corporate-speak their way out of bad decision-making. The media and the public just have zero tolerance for it, and the impacts have become too financially harsh and legacy-making for companies simply to ride out.
Instead, our profession is finally emerging as one that serves as the barometer for public expectations and serves as that internal voice, advocating for our clients and employers to meet those expectations, and contributing to substantive business decision-making that delivers. There’s nothing more transparent and authentic than that. And it’s what makes this profession a great one, especially now.
Tags: authenticity, communications, corporate reputation, Mary Beth, Mary Beth West, Public Relations, transparency
