Why All Managers Are Alike

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Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

Why All Managers are Alike

Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences
whose behaviors help or hinder them in achieving their
organizational objectives.

But even in their own best interests, too few involve
themselves in their public relations effort to the degree
they should.

The result can be a PR program that overemphasizes things
like special events, media relations or communications
tactics, without a basic, realistic plan for delivering the
key audience behaviors they need to succeed.

I’m talking about behaviors that lead to strong community
support; increased repeat purchases; growing capital
contributions; positive consumer reaction; higher employee
retention rates; healthier relationships with bargaining units;
legislators viewing the organization as a key player in the
business or charitable communities; competitors with a
grudging but healthy respect for your operation, and
suppliers ever more anxious to keep your good will.

If this sounds like something you might like, make sure
your public relations team applies a fundamental premise
like this one to your unit’s operating priorities: People act
on their own perception of the facts before them, which
leads to predictable behaviors about which something can
be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion
by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the
very people whose behaviors affect the organization the
most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

The payoff for your department, division or subsidiary
will be a public relations effort pretty much in sync with
where you want to go.

For emphasis, I repeat – from the get-go, you need to aim
your effort squarely at those outside groups of people
whose behaviors really DO affect your organization. In short,
you need a blueprint that helps persuade those stakeholders to
your way of thinking, hopefully moving them to take actions
that lead both to your success and that of your organization.

Where does it all begin? With a careful, priority listing of
those key external audiences. Followed by interaction with
audience members, complete with questions designed to
ferret out perceptions of your organization. “Have you heard
of us? What do you think of our products, services and our
management? Have you had dealings with our people? Were
they satisfactory? The trick is to listen carefully for signs
of negativity. Are there false assumptions out there? How
about inaccuracies, misconceptions or rumors, each
potentially hurtful and requiring clarifying action.

That’s why the responses you gather are red-meat when you
begin to establish your corrective public relations goal. For
example, correct that inaccuracy, replace that false
assumption with the truth, or spike that unfair rumor as
soon as possible.

Are there strategies available to you designed to show you
how to achieve your new goal? Absolutely, but only three
when it comes to perceptions and opinions. You can create
perception/opinion where none exists, you can change
existing perception, or you can reinforce it. A caveat here:
be sure the strategy you choose flows naturally from your
brand new public relations goal.

Perhaps the most challenging step in our problem solving
sequence is preparing the actual corrective message you will
use to try and alter perception among members of the target
audience. Stay involved with your PR staff as they write the
message. Satisfy yourself that it is not only clear, but
persuasive and compelling as well.

This is not a simple task because, as you make the case for
your point of view, you should keep two considerations in
mind: one, above all, your message must be believable and,
two, seldom will you want to deliver it in the high-profile
manner of a news announcement, preferring instead to make
the message part of another general interest release,
presentation or address.

Speaking of communications tactics, here you must work
closely with your PR folks (and your budget) in reviewing the
broad array of such tactics available to you. Everything from
consumer meetings, media interviews, speeches and newsletters
to brochures, press releases, special events, letters-to-the-editor
and many others. But keep your eye on how each tactic stacks
up as to its efficiency in reaching folks like those in your
target audience.

Inevitably, you will question whether your effort is succeeding
in achieving your public relations goal. To satisfy yourself,
you and your PR staff must re-monitor perceptions among
members of that audience, and that means more questions.
Only this time, the big difference is, you are focused sharply
on signs of progress, i.e., indications that perceptions are clearly
moving in your direction.

But are things moving too slowly for you? Add more
communications tactics, and increase their frequencies, to
speed things up.

Yes, when it comes to the kind of crucially important outside
audience behaviors that help them reach their operating
objectives, I believe all managers are, indeed, alike in welcoming
such support.

end