If you’re anything like me, you don’t spend nearly enough time thanking the people who helped you along the way. But, I have to imagine that exactly why David Spinks created #mentormonday — an opportunity to give a shout-out to a role model … someone who set a good example … someone who shared their wisdom with you.
I have a few mentors in mind that I’ll be featuring in the coming weeks, but my first #mentormonday contribution has to be BJ Fischer, the director of strategic services at FLS Marketing. I had the opportunity to work with — and more importantly learn from — BJ when I was just a lowly account coordinator at FLS fresh out of college.
FLS is different than many PR agencies I’ve come into contact with over the years. Sure, they get great clips for their clients, but they don’t waste time securing meaningless publicity. Instead, their laser-like focus is fixated on moving the needle … shaping public opinion … strengthening reputations … and inspiring stakeholders to take action. What incredible lessons to learn as a new graduate! BJ taught me that media relations is a valuable component of PR … but clips are just that: one part of the overall picture. Sometimes, orchestrating a community leader breakfast or a public meeting is far more important to the overall goal. As a PR person, you have to get to know the media, but you also have to make sure events run smoothly and message development and deployment is spot-on.
When I was at FLS, much of our time was spent working on political campaigns for issues and candidates. Here’s the thing with campaigns: You either win or you lose. So, PR takes on a totally different sense of urgency. If you’re not being strategic, you’re wasting precious (and often limited) resources. BJ helped me understand that — a lesson I’ve been able to apply throughout my career, even outside political campaigns. He also taught me the importance of making lists, writing on white boards, the benefits of organized chaos (you should see his office!) and how to manage client expectations. Every day I go to work, I find myself using skills that I learned while watching BJ in action. (Plus, he opened my eyes to the West Wing and Fat Friday!)
And, even though I live a thousand miles away now, BJ still finds time to tweet with me and exchange Facebook messages. Despite the fact that we went to rival schools and can’t agree on any sports teams, I’m very fortunate to be able to call BJ my mentor.
Photo credit: whereisthered08
(Note: This is the one and only time a Bowling Green photo will appear on my blog. As a Toledo graduate, I think it’s sacriligious!)