How To Let Your Time Work For You.

Is your time working for you or against you? This is a serious question. Many times we sit back and fritter our time away doing nothing. We fail to schedule our tasks, we fail to make up our minds on what we ought to do and worst still expect the cosmic forces to set things in place for miracles to happen. We fail to do what we set out to do and rush to meet deadlines. In the process, we end up starting all over again or lose out completely on achieving our goals. This is not how we are wired to operate.

Just as you can make your money work for you so also can you make your time work for you. There is a Roman saying that preparation meets opportunities to turn to luck or success. This means for you to be successful, you need to prepare and lay in wait in the corridor of opportunities. Wow. That's all about making your time work for you. Time used positively will likely bring about productive outcomes. Once again, if you prepare and station yourself in the right places you are closer to hitting it big with your time. Let me take it a notch higher: it took you some effort to get to my blog. It was either I directly or indirectly invited you via facebook, friends, acquaintances or through your personal discovery. All I am saying is that it took some actions on your part to explore these contents. Don’t sit back, take action. Make your time work for you.

Learn how to focus on tasks that give your time value. Focus on your major activities and keep track of minor activities that might slow you down towards getting to your goals. Achieving goals set for yourself is a pointer that you are investing your time wisely. If you are the type of person that always wait for the final nod before you move ahead doing your tasks chances are that your are selling yourself short. Guys that get promoted are those that make their time work for them. They take charge of their time.The are always proactive. Always learn how to add value to processes in your organization or in anything you do. It saves everybody a lot of time. Here are three tips to keep your ahead of making your time work for you:

1. Know your direction: Do not rush into anything without giving it a thought. You don’t need to say "yes" to that task if it’s going to affect on your own work. Any activity that will impact negatively on your overall goals and objectives should be totally discarded. Why pile added work that will not take you any where? I can’t imagine you working on any other person's desk when you have files to treat and calls to atted to. It is not just fair on yourself. Learn how to politely say "no". A lot of us keep our goals in the cooler while we are busy helping other people achieve their goals. What an irony. This takes me in to the second tip to making your time work for you.

2. Focus on your goals: Whether your goals are personal or collective just get focused on them. For somebody working in a corporate organization, your major goal is adding value to that organization. Any other contrary goal will lead you nowhere and will make your time work against you. You don’t need to do everything that needs to be done in your office yourself but you need to do what you ought to do while you are focused on your goals. Once again, you need to focus on your goal. You need to mind your own business. Successful people don’t do everything they need to do themselves, they do want needs to be done and get the remaining done through other people. This is a profound statement and interestingly takes me to the third tip.

3. Learn how to delegate: There is great power in delegation. From a company's organograms, it is very clear for an observer to know who does what and who reports to whom they are expected to. This saves unnecessary disruption of the flow of operation. It is impossible to achieve your goals alone, so you have to develop the skills of selecting your team. You don’t need to be a boss to learn the importance of delegating tasks. You can delegate even in your house or among your activities. You can delegate tasks and also responsibilities. You cannot put your clothes in the washing machine in the morning when you are supposed to be at work because it is normal that you do your laundry. Everybody expects you to be clean and presentable, but that does not mean you should do your laundry while you ought to be at work. Why not try the laundry man or schedule the task till later in the day? You need to do what you ought to do when you ought to do it.

Making your time work for you in all you do is a lot of job but it is a job worth doing. I see you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com. You can also call him on 2348097705804 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management, leadership and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

Gratitude: A Must Have Social and Business Skill

What are you grateful for? Why do you have to be grateful? Gratitude simply means being thankful. Gratitude is important in business and in everyday living. The fact that you simply said “thank you” can open doors for you most times. It shows that you appreciate a gesture or favor done to you. Let us reason together. Can you remember how many times this has happened to you? For me it is quite uncountable and in most cases it was accompanied with a smile and the phrase “you are welcome”. There is power in the phrase thank you.

Be grateful when you wake up in the morning. When a favor is being extended to you just show that you are thankful. When you are offered a seat in a crowded lobby please say thank you and be grateful;l and when you are been offered an opportunity to serve say thank you. A grateful heart is a rich heart. There are so many things to be grateful for. You have eyes that see, you are reading this article and it just a brand new day. This is a lot to be grateful for. There are so many gratitude killers; envy, greed, malice, selfishness, covetousness etc. even if you don’t drive a fancy car be grateful that you can move around and still meet your appointments. Even if your rent is about due and your boss is breathing down your neck, just be grateful. At least you have a job.

As I read about the protesters of Occupy Wall Street something really deep dropped in my mind. I still have a job and I have a lot of clients that are happy to see me. You see, life is viewed by most people as being half full or half empty. Viewing life as half full can be a more appealing perspective and I suggest you see life as half full. It grows your enthusiasm and willingness to aspire for more. It opens your mind to a whole new world of possibilities. I will not dwell on the protesters but between you and I there is something to be grateful. For the fact that protesters were given the opportunity to show their displeasure is a lot to be grateful for. Look at lives that have been lost in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Tunisia. The fact that things are not going as you planned doesn’t mean that you should lose hope on life. Whenever I look back and reflect how much I have been blessed I give so much thanks. Gratitude in business goes beyond saying thank you. It involves serving courteously, serving with a large heart and with all sense of enthusiasm.

Be grateful that you have a life; be grateful that you have a job even if the rate of unemployment is rising. In Nigeria, where I live the rate of youth unemployment is a staggering 40%. This is quite high if you ask me, but those who do not find themselves in this bracket are sure damn grateful. To serve is a privilege and a call of duty. Even if you are not yet gainfully employed be grateful that you are employable. In my few years of social interactions I have never seen a person with a great smile being turned down. A smile expressed opens the heart. A smile opens the door. If you are not a grateful person it will be difficult to move far in life. Look at all you have and have become and dwell less on what you don’t have. It pays to be grateful. I see you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

You Can Project...But Propel Too

We are all master strategists…at least in our minds. The minds of men have conceived great dreams, ideas, projects, schemes and action plans, even some documented but sadly not implemented. Various management books emphasize on the importance of planning as crucial and as a matter of fact the first function of any credible endeavor. This is quite true because who is the person that wants to build a house and would not sit down to count the cost before he start lest he abandons it in the middle of the project. In as much as planning is good, a plan which has not been executed is just a mere dream, a wish at best. In my few years of working with various bosses, I have come to realize that it is not most of those that have great plans that succeed but those who work on what they have i.e. the plans they have made for a project or exercise to take place.

I have so many plans of the things I really want to do, some even lying in my folder for years that have not seen the light of the day. I am sure you do too. We can never accomplish everything we have set our minds to and that should not dampen our spirits. In fact it should be what to spur you to start working on the things that are most important and which will really impact positively in your life. You need to constantly ask yourself questions. What do I want to be in life? What are my plans to getting there? What are the foundation steps I need to take? I have always wanted to write to inspire, educate and motivate people and organizations. It has always been something that I have always wanted. I wanted to be a political scientist but my grades wouldn’t let me. I wanted to add value to the system. I was initially studying business administration because of my flair for commerce as well as interacting with people. I just wanted to work where I could impact people. After so many obstacles I settled in for Educational Management and got a certification in marketing. What I am saying in essence is that there were a lot of things that I wanted to do but it was while I got into the implementation process that I discovered that things are not always as they seem on paper. If I had not ventured, I would not have known. The most important thing now is that I am still inspiring, educating and motivating people. I am a banker now and trainer and a strategist. That’s awesome.

The will to execute your plan is the major propellant you need to succeed in life. The will to succeed drives you towards the big picture. No matter how perfect your plans are they can never be flawless. And that is the beauty of life. Most people get stuck not because their plans are not great. They get stuck because they lack the will and gut to move on. If you don’t ask you can’t receive. If you don’t knock on the door the door will not be opened and if you don’t seek you can’t find. Desire is good but perseverance and doggedness will make things better. If Asa Sandler did not buy the magic portion and as well start selling there would not have been Coca Cola today. Same applies to my man Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and a host of others. Just give it a shot. Project and propel into the world. The world is waiting for your help. It is your turn to help make the world a better place to live in.

Even when we have planned and while implementing we are faced with obstacles and setbacks like me just remember that the goal is the ultimate. It is not our plans that keep us moving on but it is our will power, our gut level that moves us onward. For most people it is the strength of will, the decision to take the step of faith, to explore, to conquer that we need to take us to our paradise. We all have our purposes and we must strive to achieve them. History and time are there to judge us. One of my goals is to let you know that you can achieve a lot only if you want to. It is not about me, it’s about you. It is your will that will create a way out for you. To plan is wonderful and I sincerely encourage it but to actualize your plan is what sets you apart to becoming an achiever. No matter how enormous your plans are just start moving towards your goal. A step taken today will lead you to your world. See you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

Is Your Mind Closed To New Ideas?

It’s funny but even the brightest minds grow dull if they do not remain active. If you want to be on top always keep climbing. I went out with my boss over the week to meet with a client. He was a former executive director in one of the commercial banks in Nigeria. The meeting was to facilitate some business transactions; however the meeting turned out to be a coaching session. While we were discussing about the reason for our visit, the client told us that we needed to start thinking about our lives outside our work. Interestingly most of us wake up in the morning every day to think about the wrong things. We major on the less important things in life. If you work in the corporate world, most especially in the finance industry in Nigeria the pressure to meet up with our targets and keep our jobs actually make us forget about our own lives, health and family.

Thinking about new ideas for survival might pose to be a suicide mission. What if I failed? What if I lost my steady income? Why should I jump in the murky waters of entrepreneurship when I can receive a regular pay check? While this could be assumed to be valid reasons, the truth of the matter is that if we do not expand our minds we might even lose the jobs we are fooled to have.  The world is becoming more demanding and so also are the bosses. It is only if you stayed renewed that you have the chance of surviving corporate shake up and besides making extra bucks even if you are fully employed will be an icing on the cake. The job you hold today won’t be forever so do something that will outlive your existence.

The thought of survival is mostly predatory and rudimentary. In fact it is the second need in the hierarchy of need as postulated by Abraham Maslow. When we base our thought process on safety and security alone, it closes our minds to the other hierarchy of needs, (self esteem, self actualization etc). We need to open our minds to new opportunities and ideas. Our minds are where the battle of life begins. Expand your mind.

The daily pressures of life can force you to want to recoil into your shell but do not give up. When paying bills become more important than thinking about making money then you need to wake up. Yes we need to pay bills, but that should not be our only reason for existence. Think outside the box. Stand tall and move forward. A new idea you have could change the world. Be a world changer. Make your ideas count. Do not get into a rut. Move on with your dreams and goals. Take a step of faith and take charge of your life once again. Remember, you determine what happens to you good or bad. What opportunities do you think you have in your current situation? Please explore them. Follow your instincts and act on that hunch. Most of us are so scared to fail. We get scared that people are going to laugh at us if we fail. The truth of the matter is that they would even laugh at you if you were successful. People are always in the habit of laughing so why bother? Trust me they would. We let people set our life agendas for us. If you refuse to think, chances are that people would think for you.

 The client looked at me and asked me one big question.  He said “apart from your work, what do you think about?” That was a big question. Really it’s sad these days but a lot us have stopped thinking. We have dropped our dreams because of the everyday pressure of living. We have failed to move on with our dreams. We think about our depleting bank accounts, our receding hair line and so many other things.  I had closed my mind and that is the truth. A lot of us have closed our minds to new ideas. We are scared to try out new things. I have a completed book, a detailed business plan for my training and management consulting firm but have been stalled because I have not been man enough to go beyond boundaries.  How would I feel if in ten years from now if I still feel like the time is not right to take a leap? Life is fuelled by risk and only risk takers can overcome. Take the extra push. Nothing comes easy. You just have to take that effort and hope everything turns out well. It is a privilege to live in our time. It is a time where we are opened to so many possibilities. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. I see you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

THE IDEA EMBASSY “LITTLE LEADERS”MOTIVATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME:

"Ye are little gods".

The All Year Round Leadership and Motivational Sessions:

Idea Embassy proposes to you to be a part of the "Little Leaders" motivational and leadership development programme, designed to awaken and prepare you for leadership in the new world order. This is designed out of the dire need to start preparing “little leaders” who are in their most critical and formative years of leadership on how to become responsible and productive citizens of our nation and the world at large.

The programme is proposed on the main thrust that educational development is incomplete if it does not develop the leadership traits in human beings who in turn develop their society.



Our main thrust is helping participants develop

· Speaking skills via speeches and personal aspiration sessions

· Perfecting their writing and communication skills

· Inspiring participants through documentary of achievers

· Free one on one counseling sessions

· Career counseling and lots more

What skills do you plan to target? (the following is not all-inclusive)

· Making Friends (eye contact, conversational skills, sharing, taking turns)

· Perspective Reasoning: Taking another person’s point of view, Predicting Feelings

· Communicating Feelings

· Recognizing Impulses

· Problem Solving

· Giving/Receiving Compliments

· Dealing with Putdowns/Teasing

· Identifying Anger Triggers

· Learning to Calm Down & Manage Anger

· Keeping out of Fights

· Anticipating Consequences of one’s actions

· Telephone Conversation Skills

· Critical Thinking, Abstract Reasoning, & Inferential Thinking

What else should you learn?

· How to interact appropriately with others in a variety of situations

· Understand the importance of expectations and rules

· How to better comply with limits set

· How to follow rules for groups, classroom activities, sports, and other social situations

· Basic sports skills, good sportsmanship, cooperation, teamwork

· Ways to better tolerate and handle frustration

· Making and answering telephone calls

· Self-control in conflict situations

ABOUT THE CONSULTANT.



Mr Kolawole Kehinde is a Masters degree Holder in Educational Policy and Planning from the University of Ibadan and a chartered marketer of the National Institute of Marketing Of Nigeria. He is also a seasoned banker and has written various articles on time management. He is the principal consultant at The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc.

He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.comand kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^stcentury.

The IPad Legacy of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is gone but his legacy lives forever. For those of us who had personally not owned one of his products before but had encountered their experiences will say that Steve Jobs actually touched our lives too. The Apple Company provides mobile and electronic ways of  staying ahead socially and professionally. The Apple Company is really a service centric company. To serve is the greatest job on earth but most people will prefer to be served. We feel that serving makes us lose our self worth. We believe that we lose our self esteem if we serve others, but the truth remains that serving makes people dependent on us. Wow, what a perspective. Yes, serving keeps us on top of our situations.


A banker is a servant, a doctor is a servant and even the president is a servant. Steve Jobs was a servant but he controlled so much of our lives even in death. Even those who did not have a personal experience with him have continued to speak glowing about him. It’s been long since someone’s death caused this much attention in a good way. If you start to view your business as an avenue to serve you create a sense of purpose and urgency in your employees to give their best. It also gives you the opportunity to show how much you care about them handling your business.


The whole business world feel that to serve is noble and a privilege. However a lot of people misconstrue this as an avenue to con people. Why do you think there is a world economic depression? When you look at life as how much you receive or the wealth you amass, it sets in a feeling of deprivation and anxiety. That is when unhealthy competition sets in, but when you see life as how much you can give, it gives you a new sense of peace and understanding. It’s a greedy world no doubt, but it all depends on how you see it. We are what we think we are most of the times. I am constantly working on myself about changing my mindset and I tell you its not been an easy ride. If you live in a deprived society, the quest for survival will only be the thing to do. What about my next meal? What if I lost the sale? What if I helped him and he moved up the ladder ahead of me. People want to have more. Husbands hide their money from their wives and the wives are always looking for ways to draining them. Everybody wants to take and yet hold back too. This is not a sustainable lifestyle. Employers exploit their workers while employees are no more committed to the good of the company except the next paycheck. Almost everybody gets scared to be used but will be eager to use somebody at the slightest opportunity. People no longer think it’s cool to serve but to be served. Thankfully we live in a more enlightened society.


Many people made Steve Jobs rich because he was willing to be used and to serve. The service industry is the richest industry. It really pays to serve. Google has just clocked a little above 12 years. No doubt it has been 12 years of excellent service. Really we should be glad and happy if somebody needs our services. It is a call to duty a call to help sustain humanity. I see you on top of your riches.



Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348055159014 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

The Impeccable Service Provider

The Impeccable  Service Provider.

I just  developed a training slide for a partner on time management as it relates to personal and organizational effectiveness. The training slide is a 4- module time management training session and I included service delivery as a whole module for the programme. I defined what service was as I perceived service delivery. I decided to include "impeccable service delivery" as one of the sub topics but I got stuck along the line. I asked myself this important question "At what point does a service becomes impeccable?". I could have “googled” it up (Google is an impeccable service provider trust me and is synonymous to finding any information you need) but decided to do a little thinking and research on my own. I stumbled on one article “Why Did Big Ideas Die” on Forbes magazine by Steve Denning and thanked my goodness, because this was just what I needed to put me back on track.

Working in a financial institution where providing excellent services have become a top priority no doubt has shifted my paradigm as regards service delivery. In fact life is all about either giving or receiving services one way or the other. From the laundry man that comes to pick your clothes, to the restaurant where you have your lunch break you are constantly besieged by service. What this means in essence is that service takes place when a need or specific want is being provided for or rendered. But then the truth of the matter is not whether the service has been provided or not but that if such provision was satisfactory and appreciated. That is what I term Impeccable Service Delivery. For a service to become impeccable, it has to be able to reach a higher level of satisfaction and appreciation. For the purpose of this article an impeccable service provider is one that: Determines the kind of feeling and experience you want your customer to achieve and live it. This means that you need to set your expectations. I believe that’s where the word standard came from. An impeccable service provider creates a fool proof process to achieving that desire. An impeccable service provider creates a desire to want to give more.

My customer gave me a FlyTouch tablet PC as my wedding gift and I am forever grateful for that. I drove down to my telecoms service provider to find out the best internet plan for my new toy. I already have a laptop, a CDMA phone that has internet compatibility with my laptop as well as a black berry phone. I wanted to have a cost effective and seamless internet access on all these devices as against having separate internet plans for all my devices. I was not using a single telecoms provider and the cost of entry for personal internet users is still way high in this side of the world. The interesting thing is that these telecoms provider have not been proactive enough or at best just don’t want to do anything about it. The customer service officer I met for enquiries referred me to a product officer who happened to have his plate full as he was besieged by a series of complaints and requests from customers. I obviously joined to queue hoping to get my problem solved. The product officer from mere observation was not in the best of moods because there were two ladies practically on his head who needed answers no matter what. I watched with some keen interest. I wanted to weigh the service standard with what obtained in my organization. The product officer had a straight face and determined not to laugh or make some joke with anybody or anything that passed. He was just trying to scare his customers away with his attitude. I honestly feel that HR officers must really screen customer service and sales officers before recruiting them. You cannot make friends if you are not friendly so as you cannot solve problems if you don’t listen. Most of the time front line officers are the ones that kill an organization not the products. Anyway I am not writing as a consumer rights protection advocate but really who shouldn’t? Customers are the reason businesses exist. No customer no business, no profits and business folds up. Delivering impeccable service is a choice. It can either be delivered by the employer or the employee. Here are tips to move you closer to becoming an impeccable service provider.

Desire to envision success: Success is not only attained in the effective completion of a process but also the reaction you have received from such process. When you think about the end result i.e. picturing the smiles on the face of your customers, it will push you to move towards that goal.

Treat rejections and attitudes as catalysts for customer satisfaction: You are what you accept. We all have our issues and it will interest you to know that everyday will bring up new issues, so learn how to deal with that fact. When your customers give you an attitude just look beyond them. Most times it’s the product and not the person that the customers attack. The truth is that the customer either needs a service or has just come to complain about a service failure. You have to be humble enough to understand that as a service provider. I believe that is why we have the R&D department. Products are not perfect and so also are people. The people in the R&D department know that there are better ways of doing things. So when a customer comes with a complaint, just know that your R&D crew has to start working again.
Think outside the box: This is an overused cliché. Learn how to do give more than you have promised. There is power in brainstorming. We get stuck most of the times and that is quite natural. When we come to this state, then it is time to think outside the box. Creativity and innovation are critical drivers of the human race.

Plan your work and work your plan: There will always be competition, roadblocks and setbacks on your journey to success. Learn how to go on without necessarily bowing to distractions. Persistence pays and persistence brings perfection. Practice what you want to achieve all of the time. People would always analyze you, but it depends on you to either let that weigh you down or affect you. Keep moving on. Seek to know more: The truth of the matter is that there is no end to learning. We learn every day. Don’t be too proud to want to know or say you do not know. Someone once mentioned that wisdom is  knowing that you know nothing. It saves you a whole lot of trouble and thinking.

As I got back to my car, shaking my head I wondered how many people this good looking but bad natured product officer would have torn into pieces with his service style. I am sure most of the people he has had encounter with will not love come to his table anymore for enquiries and other issues. In the short run he would be glad customers are not bothering him but on the long term he might just end up being laid off or kill the business. It all depends on you to determine if he is an impeccable service provider or not. See you on top of your riches.

Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348097705804 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21^st century.

The Role of Public Relations in Today's Business Climate

Getting a public relations team can help boost your business. I stumbled on this wonderful piece of work by Gwinavere Johnston and I taught to share it with you. Your time is optimized if you get help on what you can't do and focus on what you can do yourself. The Role of Public Relations in Today's Business Climate Editor's note: In the world of integrated marketing, the lines between advertising, communications and public relations have become almost non-existent. Just what role does Public Relations play in the today's mix? To find the answer, we called on experts in the field. In order to get a good cross section of opinions, we asked both PR agency and corporate people to respond. Representing the PR agencies are Gwinavere Johnston from JohnstonWells Public Relations and Leanna Clark and Christin Crampton Day from Schenkein. From the corporate side is Glenn Morey, Morey Evans Advertising, for Business to Consumer and Jerry Donovan, Public Relations Consultant for Gates Rubber Company for the Business to Business opinion. The responses that follow leave no doubt why these people are experts in their field. Today's Business Climate and the Role of Public Relations By Gwinavere Johnston - JohnstonWells Public Relations As the corporate scandals of 2002 made abundantly clear, a company's reputation is paramount to its success, if not its survival. The fallout of corporate greed has broad implications, including some that hit home for average Americans in the form of unemployment and depleted retirement savings. As a result, corporate credibility is at an all-time low, and public mistrust has spilled over into investment markets. This creates a considerable need to restore public faith, and public relations professionals will play a vital role in leading the charge. Reputation and Why it Matters Reputation can account for a large portion of a company's market capitalization, and can be its most important long-term asset. It impacts an organization in a myriad of ways, including stock price, and the ability to attract and retain customers and employees. Corporate reputation is based on factors such as Quality of products or services, Earnings and business performance, Stability and fairness as an employer, Level of integrity in business practices, Degree of honesty and openness, and Involvement in local communities. Today, with distrust of the corporate world at an all-time high, corporate credibility is an over-riding factor. Whether they like it or not, companies today are at the mercy of public constituencies. That means there is growing recognition of the need to foster a good reputation by developing positive relationships with various publics. How Corporate America Got Into Trouble Each of the companies caught up in scandal made the same mistake: failing to focus on the concerns of their publics. If publics are the groups a company relies on for success, it is dangerous to neglect them by Focusing on share price to the detriment of quality and integrity, Forming boards that are not designed for strong corporate governance, Misleading shareholders, employees and others by not sharing the full story, Emphasizing what is legal, rather than what is ethical, and/or Jeopardizing employee jobs and savings through business misconduct. How Companies Can Restore Trust There are formal definitions of the term "public relations," yet its meaning is self-evident; it is the management of relationships between an organization and the constituencies upon which it depends. Quite literally, public relations is managing relations with various publics, a role that grows in importance as reputation becomes ever more critical to business success. Companies can restore trust in a number of ways, many involving traditional PR strategies, such as: Using integrity and fairness as criteria for all business decisions; Maintaining an emphasis on quality of products or services; Openly sharing truthful information with all publics; Actively seeking input from publics and being responsive to concerns; Renewing a commitment to local communities; and Creating forums to encourage dialogue with constituencies. The bottom line is that companies must make it a priority to value the needs of all publics, and to forge good relationships with them. The cornerstone of a good relationship is trust, and trust is based on open and honest communication. Effective public relations tells a company's story in a way that is accurate, honest, and easy to understand, helping to establish a reputation for credibility. A good relationship also requires a willingness to listen, and true public relations is a two-way process. PR professionals recognize that to manage relationships, they must understand and respect public concerns and viewpoints. They must also go a step further, to serve as the public's advocate within an organization. In effect, corporate public relations professionals frequently play the role of an outsider. By questioning decisions and their impact on customers, the community, employees, and others, public relation professionals bring the public perspective to an organization, fostering its ability to be responsive to public concerns. In Summary A company's reputation, or the essence of how it is viewed by all of its publics, is the leading factor in its ability to achieve success. With this in mind, the battered image of the corporate world is no small matter. Restoring trust and helping companies to earn a reputation for credibility will require sound public relations leadership. Indeed, with corporate integrity central on the minds of average Americans, the role of public relations today is more critical than ever before. About Gwinavere Johnston As founder and CEO of JohnstonWells Public Relations, Johnston is nationally known as a pacesetter in public relations counseling. Since founding JohnstonWells more than 30 years ago, Johnston has played a leadership role in helping to enhance the public relations profession. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) College of Fellows, is a past President of the Colorado chapter of PRSA, and is a founding member, and member of the board of directors, of the Council of Public Relations Firms. Johnston received the 1993 "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the PRSA Colorado chapter, and the "Athena Award" from the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce in 1999. The Role of Public Relations in Marketing a Consumer Brand By Glenn Morey / Morey Evans Advertising The strategic role of PR for consumer brands is critical to extending the impact and credibility of advertising. The questions we so often ask from a PR effort are: (1) what are you trying to achieve with your PR over the long run, and (2) how does it integrate with your marketing and communications plan? The most obvious strategic role for PR-a role that meets a communications objective that is difficult for conventional advertising to address-is to create community affinity while at the same time complementing consumer affinity for the brand. PR is uniquely capable of building relationships with communities (geographic, demographic, social, political, special interest, etc.) through events, sampling, causes, in-kind support, and sponsorships, to name a few. Second, we like to see PR or media relations deliver messages not normally addressed in conventional advertising. For example, good news about the client's business, new services or new level of commitment to service, how well the client is measuring up within its competitive set, the client's business heritage, or the client's involvement in the community. These types of messages are critical to creating a positive selling environment for our advertising. Equally important, it creates buzz for our client as a company. Third, we like to see PR reach audience segments beyond our core media targets. It's a big world out there for mainstream consumer brands. Mass audiences, like adults 18-54, simply cannot be economically reached. Therefore demographic, psychographic and lifestyle targeting is more important today than ever before. At Morey Evans our media targets are very well defined to those consumers who have the greatest propensity to buy our client's product or service. By the same token, however, a mainstream brand is still mainstream, meaning just about anyone is a possible customer. PR is an efficient way to broaden our reach to the mainstream public. Fourth, we like to see PR build momentum into the launch of a new ad campaign. This provides exposure between media flights and increases frequency of brand exposures during the duration of the advertising period. In the fight for brand awareness and top-of-mind consideration, there are few substitutes for pure frequency. And last, but certainly not least, we like to see PR reinforce, in the consumer's mind, those moments when a company chooses to put a stake in the ground: The launch of a new market, acquisition of another company, a new partnership, a product release, relevant differentiation, or new leadership with a new vision. All of which provide value to the consumer. It's important to note that, at Morey Evans, we do not claim to be PR practitioners. We will continue to focus on client growth by devoting our time to building brands through advertising, while at the same time encouraging PR as a necessary component to the communications plan. What we claim is that we are believers in PR, and that we have teamed with PR firms in Denver and from coast to coast with great success and effectiveness. We believe that a PR firm should be hand selected by the client, on the basis of category experience and ability to demonstrate a proven track record for the deliverables required. And we believe the client, then, has every right to demand true integration. Marketing communications is a team sport, and we're all measured by the wins we help create. For more information about Morey Evans Advertising please see our web site at www.moreyevans.com or contact Amy Holzfaster at (303) 296-8011 or aholzfaster@moreyevans.com. Glenn Morey is President of Morey Evans Advertising, a Denver-based agency with billings of $30 million, representing a broad range of clients including Vehix.com, Ricochet Networks, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Good Times Restaurants, Western Union's Bidpay, Deep Rock Water, netLibrary, Metro Brokers, and Pak Mail. Role of Public Relations To Help Regain Corporate Trust by Leanna Clark If business is to regain the trust it has lost due to questionable ethics and other business practices, it must provide public relations with a seat at the executive level management table rather than just relying on public relations when a crisis arises. Consumer confidence is at its lowest point in a decade, as evidenced by ongoing studies in 2002, by Schenkein's research partner Roper ASW. Corporate wrongdoing, stock market plunges, layoffs and depleted 401(k)s were cited as reasons for the erosion in corporate trust. Americans put the blame squarely on the shoulders of CEOs, who according to Roper, won't be "let off the hook" easily. Consumers view CEOs as the "bad guys," and blame their greed for the ensuing crises that have elicited their anger. Clearly, we live in an environment where every company is under the microscope and negative business stories appear every day on the front page of our newspapers. There is nowhere to hide, and it is the unique skill set of public relations professionals that will be called upon to help business turn the tide. Those of us who have the ability to assist with targeted strategic counsel and messages that will resonate with the expectations of business stakeholders will be increasingly in demand. We will also be called upon to help executives who do not possess the skills required to operate in the limelight with coaching and media training to ensure their messages are delivered and received as intended. Research conducted by Jonathan Low and Pam Cohen Kalafut in their recently published book, "Invisible Advantage: How Intangibles are Driving Business Performance," overwhelmingly demonstrates that business institutional investors rely on much more than traditional economic indicators such as profit and loss. Interviews with buy-side investors, who control more than 80 percent of all stock that is purchased, pay significant attention to intangible assets such as culture, leadership, human capital, communications, brand and reputation. Public relations is uniquely equipped to manage these assets, setting the stage for an ever-increasing role in a variety of strategic areas beyond publicity. Using public relations to support marketing goals, including driving sales, is another area of growth for those of us who specialize in marketing PR. Schenkein developed measurement models over the last decade that clearly demonstrate that public relations is more powerful at influencing product interest and buying behavior than any other discipline. The third-party endorsement provided by positive media coverage that today's jaded consumers rely upon to help them make purchase decisions is more critical than ever. In some cases, we have been able to deliver almost 1:1 inquiry to sales from media coverage about new products when we have tracked results for our clients through dedicated 1-800 number calls. When publicity precedes other marketing, such as advertising, it can make consumers pay attention to an ad as much as three times faster than when advertising has no publicity support. Publicity has the powerful ability to deliver in-depth information that consumers demand, which is impossible to deliver in a 30-second television spot. As an essential component of the marketing mix, PR is vital in building credibility, relevance, trust and lasting relationships. To reach increasingly segmented audiences, marketing public relations is one of the most cost-effective approaches to sales success. Knowledge gained over 30 years has helped Schenkein gain recognition as one of the top 10 mid-sized public relations firms in America (The Holmes Report rankings). Schenkein has built long-standing relationships with regional and national clients, based on proprietary measurement techniques it has created to demonstrate the value of using public relations to help businesses achieve results that support their bottom line. Schenkein is part of Pinnacle Worldwide, an international organization of independent public relations firms with more than 60 offices throughout the world, and is also a member of the Council of PR Firms. Leanna Clark, Accredited in Public Relations (APR), and Christin Crampton Day, APR, are principals and co-owners of Schenkein. They currently oversee a staff of 30 that provides public relations and brand-building campaigns for clients such as Western Union, FirstData Corp. and Qwest. "How does PR fit into today's business climate?" By Jerry Donovan, Public Relations Consultant, The Gates Rubber Company Although bleak and uncertain, today's business climate can be a boom for PR strategists who are willing to change their time-honored tactics. Specifically, forget about the separation of advertising and editorial, and remember that the Internet is everywhere. While the figures are not final, American Business Media reports that ad page spending for 2002 was down by at least 16%. It's definitely been a buyers' market for agency media buyers and ad managers, and the trend should continue this year. The outcome is that the trade press is offering many merchandising perks as incentives for advertising dollars. From a public relations standpoint, the perks may range from eighth-page editorial product announcements to third-page advertorials to E-newsletter sponsorships. For example, earlier this year, the BSM&R media buyer for the Gates account approached a major industrial trade magazine with a proposal for 12 monthly one-page ad insertions. Gates agreed to pay a small price increase and to place four additional ads in a sister publication for an additional $6,600. In return, the publisher guaranteed to run 12 months worth of advertorials with a space value of $40,000. Typically, advertorials appear opposite a full-page ad and are written to provide additional details and application information about the product or service featured in the ad. Because they appear to be staff-written editorials, the message in the third-page insertions has a high level of credibility. In addition to promoting one's company in the print media, B2B public relations practioners should look into cyberspace - the Internet. It's everywhere, it's instantaneous - and it's increasingly the first place industry looks for breaking news. Your company Web site is an ideal medium for posting corporate news and production promotions that would be of interest to customer prospects. Just keep it "fresh" so that your audience will be inclined to visit the site often. You can also use your Web site to improve and sustain communications with the media. Several years ago, Gates set up a special "Editors" section that hosts news announcements and press kits. It also contains high-resolution photos, technical articles and a directory of Gates marketing and engineering experts who can be contacted for editorial input. After the site was launched, several editors were contacted for their responses to this PR tactic. Universally they replied, "This sure makes my job a lot easier." Also, use your Web site to process reader inquiries. Web pages can be set up with a registration process so that sales leads (information about customer prospects) can be captured. You get customers to your site by tagging magazine ads and advertorials with a specific URL. Readers are able to instantaneously visit a page or section that contains additional product information, a PDF of a brochure and the location of a nearby distributor. Want to be THE "information resource" for your industry? Then look like one. Almost all customer and stockholder information you publish on paper can be converted to a PDF or added to a site as text. This material includes annual reports, product catalogs and brochures, technical tips and white papers, and case histories. You don't have to be a Webmaster to post information to your site. Web designers can set up a system that gives you administrative access to a site and allows you to add content using Word processing-like editing tools. Media Web sites are another opportunity. Most B2B publications have their own sites where they duplicate much of the editorial content in their monthly magazines. They need advertisers and news material, and they also offer space on their sites as part of their merchandising incentive programs. You might be able to get a free button ad, banner ad or an advertorial insertion for free if you advertise on the site or in the magazine. B2B magazines are using another revenue generating medium - E-newsletters. Publishers solicit paid ads for their email publications, and they also need editorial material. Depending on the publication frequency of the E-newsletter, you often can count on seeing your product or corporate news delivered faster via an E-newsletter than in the monthly magazine. Again, many magazines offer their E-newsletters as part of their merchandising incentives for advertisers. And, many don't require an advertising connection. Publishers are just happy to have content - your news - for their E-newsletters that may be published daily, weekly or monthly. Finally, don't over look your own email capabilities. You create your PR messages on the computer. Your editors prepare your material for publication on their computers. Why not send your editorial material (and illustrations) from computer to computer via email? Reduce the paperwork for your editor (and yourself), and you may see your material in print, sooner than you expected. For many, many years, Gates has considered B2B public relations an important element of its marketing communications program. It allows Gates to reach vertical audiences in trade magazines that don't receive ad dollars. It has higher perceived credibility than paid advertising. And, it supports Gates position as being a leader not only with its products, but also with the information technology thasupports these products. From a business-to-business viewpoint, Gates belies that if a solid and well-executed PR program ignites the fme of interest, then advertisi will fan the fire. Jerry Donovan is a public relations consultant for The Gates Rubber Company and works as a strategic partner for BSM&R, a full-service, integrated marketi communications agency specializing in B2B markets. During his nearly 30 years with Gates, Jerry was responsible for the company's employee publication, marketing communications and corporate public relations activities. He has won several awards from the Public Relations Society of America In the years I have spent as a business development strategist, I have come to understand the importance of the sales and marketing unit of any organization as the one who charts the direction and the future of such organization. I have also been opportune to use information gathered on the field as well as those experienced within our business premises to review and design customer friendly products and services which have helped us grow our bottom line. I have come to understand that this is my calling and this is one basic drive and motivation for finally doing what I am wired to do. As a business development strategist I am constantly analyzing business trends along customer needs and expectations as well as environmental factors that affect our business activities and decisions. My job entails writing market focused proposals developing business plans, anchoring events and going all out to meet the clients. These are all geared at putting your products and services to your targets. See you on top of your riches.  Kolawole Kehinde is the C.O.O of The Idea Embassy and R.E.E.L Inc and currently lives in Abuja. He can be reached on kolamagic@gmail.com and kolayore@yahoo.com 2348097705804 for speaking events and seminars on personal development, time management and marketing business services in the 21st century.