Leadership: Pegged to President’s Day

Today, a growing number of public relations professionals seek to demonstrate leadership qualities. As more of these specialists find themselves reporting to corporate Chief Marketing Officers, their positions frequently entail a higher level of managerial responsibilities.

What measures should a PR professional undertake to gain admission to a seat in the Executive Suite or the Corporate Boardroom? Just consider taking some of these steps pegged to President’s Day to boost your career prospects in this exciting profession:

Develop Communications Skills
It never hurts to hone your communications skills first if you expect to excel in public relations. You’ll express messages more effectively.

President Ronald Reagan and President Bill Clinton both developed reputations for masterful communications. Despite his conservative views, Ronald Reagan negotiated a peaceful end to the Cold War. His eloquent correspondence remains widely quoted. President Clinton gained acclaim for conducting captivating town hall meetings. His riveting addresses commanded high speaking fees after he left office.

Undertake Part-Time Degree Programs
Numerous Americans holding impressive academic credentials compete for compensated positions in the job market today. The era when a poorly educated individual might expect rapid career advancement has largely disappeared. Going back to school as an adult learner and pursuing a part-time degree in business or computer information technology enables you to boost your career prospects within your chosen field.

This leadership strategy worked well for President Abraham Lincoln, who enjoyed limited educational opportunities as a child residing in rural, frontier areas. He eventually worked his way through Latin-laden legal tomes to become a successful Illinois attorney. President Andrew Jackson also rose to an important leadership position in government despite limited access to formal education as a child.

Gain Familiarity With Social Media Platforms
Modern Presidents use the Internet and social media extensively. You can, too, in order to advance your career in public relations.

Corporate recruiters now regard familiarity with social media platforms as an essential job requirement. Develop social media campaign expertise to attain leadership status during SEO marketing.

Promote Yourself Like a Candidate
The English developed a colorful proverb several centuries ago that aptly sums up the competitive commercial global marketplace today: “faint heart never won fair lady.” In order to obtain public relations career advancement in many contemporary settings, you need to abandon modesty and promote yourself shamelessly.

Billionaire Donald Trump and other Presidential candidates across the political spectrum don’t have a problem with this self-promotional philosophy. Learn from them and advance your public relations career by praising yourself with gusto! In this high tech era of glitzy mobile chatter and hype, if you don’t extol your own talents, other people won’t appreciate them either.

Create Your Own Boardroom
One of the most effective leadership strategies, especially for professionals over the age of 40 who encounter frequent de facto age discrimination in the USA from Personnel Departments, involves establishing your own business venture. If employers won’t compensate you in accordance with your abilities, or promote you into responsible leadership positions, you can always hire yourself.

President George Washington helped found a great nation on a very tight budget. Emulate his example and adopt some revolutionary business startup tactics to help advance your PR career into an Executive level. Today, numerous tools exist for skilled PR professionals who want to achieve upward mobility, yet lack extensive financial resources. Don’t hesitate to use these business aids. Assume a higher level of risk in order to achieve better compensation for your labor.

Embodying PR Leadership
By pegging your PR career to President’s Day ideals, you’ll display better leadership qualities. Use these strategies to achieve career success like a President!