LEADERSHIP GAPS: DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PR LEADERS MICHELE EWING, APR, FELLOW PRSA DAVID REMUND, PH.D., APR, FELLOW PRSA PHILIP TATE, APR, FELLOW PRSA

OUR INDUSTRY FACES SERIOUS GAPS IN LEADERSHIP.

LEADERSHIP GAPS ARE WIDESPREAD. Two-thirds of companies worldwide report a deficiency in leadership development among their millennial employees. (Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Report, 2014) leadership development gap

WHAT’S CAUSING LEADERSHIP GAPS? Demographic shifts Digital innovations Global demands Economic forces Financial pressures

THIS ISN’T A NEW CONCERN. YET GAPS PERSIST. The Commission on Public Relations Education (2012) called for leadership development to be better integrated into public relations education. The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations supported a largest-ever global study of public relations leadership which affirmed that need (Berger and Meng, 2014).

THE MOST PRESSING GAPS EMERGING IN PR LEADERSHIP Active listening Conflict management Change management (Berger & Meng, 2014; Jin, 2014)

COLLEGE COURSES CAN ONLY HELP SO MUCH. Leadership development involves work-related experiences. But, experiential learning has questionable value. Greater focus needed within higher education and industry.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS A COMPLEX CHALLENGE.

WE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS TO DIG INTO THIS PROBLEM. Senior practitioners - more than 10 years of PR experience, with at least five of those in a management or supervisory role Young professionals - working in PR and completed a college degree in PR within the past five years Current students - majoring in PR From these 40+ interviews, five major themes emerged.

THEME #1: EACH GROUP SEES LEADERSHIP DIFFERENTLY. Senior practitioners: being accountable and managing organizational reputation. Young professionals: leadership to be more about thinking ahead and being innovative. Current students: being ethical and providing guidance.

THEME #2: YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS ARE HUNGRY FOR MENTORING. Young professionals and current students – learn from internship supervisors, professors and even parents play in their personal and professional development. – desire to learn about collaboration and how to adapt to changing situations. – seek validation; grow in maturity and independence. – become more self-confident, especially when it comes to ethical challenges.

VALUE OF MENTORS “Get a good mentor who’s going to challenge you and make you really sweat as you think through what it is you want to do and who you want to be. I had one person who was almost unrelenting with pushing me to try things. Don’t be afraid to take risks.” - PR professional with 30 years of industry experience

THEME #3: YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO STEP INTO PR LEADERSHIP. Young professionals – manage less-sensitive aspects of a bigger project. – serve as team leader or primary contact for a small project or pro bono effort.

LEARNING TO LEAD “The hierarchy at most work places isn’t conducive to breeding leadership. As an entry-level person here, though, I get to take leadership of smaller projects, and serve as point person for our whole department.” – Young professional with one year of corporate experience

THEME #4: YOUNG PEOPLE ARE READY TO WORK HARD. Young professionals and current students – Recognize that hard work and proving themselves earns leadership responsibilities. – Understand need for active listening and continual learning.

THEME #5: STUDENTS WOULD BENEFIT FROM LEADERSHIP- FOCUSED LEARNING. Young professionals and current students – Wished their undergraduate experience more explicitly addressed leadership. – Suggested leadership exercises as part of upper-level courses, or a leadership-specific course or workshop. Recent graduates – Suggested that leadership development would be a valuable workshop that could be offered by a professional association such as PRSA.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP DEVELOP LEADERS.

HELP ENTRY-LEVEL HIRES WITH THEIR CAREER TRANSITION. Onboarding process Developing essential skills Uncovering their “passion points” Encouraging involvement in local charities Finding volunteer opportunities outside work

FIND WAYS TO PREPARE NEW HIRES FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES. Involving new hires in pro bono work Cultivating their natural curiosity Encouraging a lifelong learning mentality

LEVERAGE MILLENNIALS’ DIGITAL EXPERTISE AS A LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY. Nurturing their social skill set Developing a “sharing” mindset Create mentoring and reverse mentoring opportunities

MENTOR. (AND FIND REVERSE MENTORS.) Mentoring must be intentional Setting expectations up front Create a regular schedule Provide “insider info” Find reverse mentor opportunities It doesn’t always click and that’s okay

SUPPORT (OR START) LOCAL PR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. Work with your local PRSA chapter (or other professional associations) Discover opportunities to exercise different muscles Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) Pathway to PRSA chapter leadership

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

THANKS MUCH. MICHELE EWING, APR, FELLOW PRSA DAVID REMUND, PH.D., APR, FELLOW PRSA PHILIP TATE, APR, FELLOW PRSA