By Kathleen Taylor, APR
Perseverance. If you’ve ever felt the fire of burn out and still managed to meet deadlines, get your point across and keep your temper in check, you know the meaning of this word. As public relations professionals, we are unintentional experts at perseverance.
You may have gotten into this career because you like to write, or because you had great media connections or a passion for the organization you serve. Maybe you jumped in because you love planning events or meeting new people. Whatever the reason, I’m almost certain it wasn’t so that you could face uninformed criticism for being a flack or a roadblock to the “real story.” Surely you never planned on spending so much of your days following up on emails and other still unanswered requests. I would bet my last vacation day that you don’t get into public relations because you hope to be overwhelmed with so many things that you don’t have time to remember to eat lunch.
No, we love our jobs despite of all these things. We become models of perseverance because we have to. When all else goes haywire, it’s often the PR pro’s job to keep a cool head, stay on top of the tiniest details and balance a million and one tasks, all while delivering well-targeted messages and fostering relationships with your audiences.
Remember, accomplishing a challenge that really tests your meddle can be one of the sweetest victories…