The Ethical Optimist

I’m thrilled to be heading to Atlanta today, albeit as a substitute speaker for PRSA’s esteemed leader Bill Murray.  Bill kindly asked me to fill in for him at Ragan’s Third Annual Social Media for Communicators Conference.

I have the honor of co-presenting with Kami Watson Huyse of Zoetica Media on the business case for public relations pros being ideally suited to lead the social media charge on behalf or their clients and organizations.  For more information on the conference, please visit the website.

PRSA’s Counselors Academy Conference Web site just launched, and I’m pleased to highlight an impressive line-up of key influencers, sessions and activities, set in the relaxed setting of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

The 2010 Counselors Academy Conference “Looking UP: Lessons and Conversations to Move Your Business Forward,” May 21–23, in Asheville, N.C., is a three-day conference offering senior-level practitioners best practices on how to maximize profits, people and potential.

Thirty of the top counselors and thought leaders from around the nation will conduct workshops and roundtable discussions, with lessons in leadership, business management and social media. Our conference key note speakers, Brian Solis, principal, FutureWorks, and Randy Hall, founder and principal, 4th Gear Consulting, will demonstrate how to thrive in this challenging marketplace.

Our dynamic session programming offers solutions to our membership’s current challenges with programs, such as “Leading Your Business Through the Recovery” to “Recruiting and Building Tomorrow’s Team Today.” Our conference discussions/roundtables are only as good as our attendees’ insights. You can help make this one of the best senior summits to date, by using our Invite-a-Peer tool to send invitations to respected colleagues and friends.

Above all, the annual conference is the best time to meet (and enjoy) being part of a community of seasoned practitioners. So, join us for a variety of networking events taking part in the best Asheville has to offer, including a private tour of the Biltmore House and white water rafting.

I’m looking forward to the Spring Conference, and hope to see you there!

P.S. Take advantage of our Saver rate! If you register by April 8, you will save $100 on registration fees.

I volunteer for several organizations, sit on a few boards, and spend quite a bit of time in client and other meetings.  Yet, I’m always amazed at how badly most people conduct a meeting.   I just got back from a rather long meeting this evening (hence the minor rant), and while the folks hosting it were well meaning, it took quite a bit longer than it should have.

Meetings really should be simple things.  The ethical obligation of the host or organizer, as I see it, is to be prepared, have a goal and respect everyone’s time.  Most meeting hosts fall down on the job because they’re simply not prepared and/or don’t know how to take charge of the meeting.

One of my biggest pet peeves is starting on time.  If I make time to attend a meeting, keep the chit chat to a minimum and let’s get down to business.  Starting on time means I have a better chance of leaving on time.  While this may be the highlight of your day, I can assure you I have other things to do.

Another pet peeve? Learn how to herd the cats!  I’ve probably wasted a year or two of my life in unnecessary meetings, and one thing I’ve noticed is that good meetings have strong leaders.  You’re not there to be everyone’s friend, you’re there to accomplish something.  Take charge!

The other missing link to most meetings is the “ask.”  You need to tell people what you expect of them before, during and before they leave the meeting.  Set expectations, deliverables and deadlines.  Set the bar and people tend to respect it.  In my humble opinion, too many meetings land in limbo.  And remember to follow up so they know you mean business.

Frankly, a bad meeting is disrespectful of everyone’s time and talent.

I had an interesting discussion with a colleague a few days ago.  We were chatting about business and giving each other the 411 on current projects, and I mentioned a crisis that I worked on the week before.

After discussing how we handled it, my friend said, “Well, I hope you charged them a higher rate for your advice.  After all, clients who are in trouble are more willing to pay top dollar for senior level counsel.”

While I understand that this is a common practice in crisis communications, it got me to thinking.  Is my advice any more or less relevant depending on my client’s circumstances? Frankly, I like to think the counsel I give them to successfully manage their day-t0-day operations is just as critical to their long term success as my crisis intervention is to their short-term success.

Moreover, this is a longstanding client…the thought of up-charging them seemed akin to kicking someone when they’re down.  I couldn’t help but think how the CEO would have reacted if in the midst of his dilemma I said, “Oh, by the way, happy to help, but this is gonna cost you big.”

Don’t get me wrong, there are times professionals need to charge higher rates during a crisis. Especially if a client is going to take them away from their core business or other clients for a substantial period of time.  If that’s the case, it needs to be transparent to the client.  In my case, I regularly devote time to this particular client, so it was not an issue.

While this is a business issue, I believe it is also an ethical issue.  Clients pay for the sum total of my experience. The fact that they are in crisis doesn’t make me more or less valuable than at any other time.  I look at my client relationships as long-term partnerships, and the idea of taking advantage of a client’s vulnerability just doesn’t  sit right with me.