Lea Werthman

Teaching an old dog new tricks

2008-02-14T19:19:00Z

It’s a cliché, I know, but this old dog thought she knew it all – or at least, enough to hit the ground running. This change, I thought, is going to be a piece of cake. Sure, I’ve moved from government to consulting, but just how different can it be?

This week, I realized how deeply in denial I was. As I found myself struggling to switch my writers’ brain from policy-wonk to insightful-consultant-speak, I saw for the first time that I had truly become the Poster Child for an employee in Change Crisis.

Change is hard!

Thankfully, I have lived a life full of change, and have learned at least to trust my ability – albeit sometimes a little slow – to adjust, adapt, and grow through the experience. I also have learned to turn to those around me for help. And again, thankfully, I have landed in a place where help is readily available.

And I guess I have learned, too, that I am human. I am, in fact, smack dab in the middle of a huge learning curve. I don’t think I’m done yet with the occasional sleepless night – but as Katherine Hepburn once said, “the day I stop being nervous about doing well is the day I’ve stopped caring about being the best I can be.”

I hope that day never comes.

that first "win"

2008-01-14T14:26:00Z

They all said it would get better once I had my first client. I confess, the first month or so here was a little nerve-wracking, between the culture shock and the lack of billable work. Every day, I was waiting for someone to come by and send me home with a stern talking-to: "where are your clients, young lady??"

All of that changed December 20th. That was the day we signed off on my first contract. Not a big one, but a client of my very own, nevertheless. And now that work is well under way for that client - and for a number of others - it's a whole new experience for me as an H&Ker. This year, in fact, promises to be a very busy one, and I can't wait to get started.

For those of you for whom agency work is "old hat", I can see your indulgent smiles from here. You all knew I just had to be patient, that it would come soon enough. Well, all I can say is that, now that the waiting is over, it's time to get on with the work - and that, after all, was why I came here in the first place.

APR

2008-01-14T14:17:00Z

I recently received the welcome news that I have been successful in my accreditation as a public relations practitioner.

Looking back on the year-long process, I can honestly say that it was a very good investment of time, money, and emotional energy. The self-reflection alone was invaluable - especially as I began to re-examine at my career options in the midst of the process.

It is not to be undertaken lightly - it is a lot of work, and should only be considered after many years working in the field. And if you're looking for your family and friends to sit up and take notice of the three new letters after your name, brace yourself - very few people even know what an "APR" is. But amongst those of us who are in the public relations business, the designation does work to differentiate you from the majority of our communications colleagues.

Now that I have been through the process, I am happy to help anyone considering doing their accreditation - please call or write for some tips on best ways to approach the process.

it's a love-hate thing...

2008-01-14T14:06:00Z

I love technology. I really do. My dad was a computer scientist at the National Research Council, and we had some of the very first PCs in our house in the early '80s - and I've been an avid consumer of ICT ever since.

But it's a love-hate thing. I love being able to send a message instantly to all of my 45+ students with just one click. I can't wait for the next "big thing" - an iPod, the latest Blackberry, the newest mp3 phone, I'm all over it. But at the same time, when I get locked out of my blog and can't retrieve my password, when the network goes down (or worse yet, starts to operate at dial-up speed), or when Windows does its usual weekly freeze, I am ready to jump off the bandwagon. Why can't I tape two things and watch a third on my PVR? and why can't I get Voice Over IP out in my suburb yet?

Ah, yes, I love technology - when it works - and when it doesn't, I thank heavens that I still know how to talk. Although sometimes what I have to say might not be for public consumption - especially when the network connection drops right in the middle of a posting.....

"integrated" communications

2007-11-21T13:49:00Z

At its core, I believe that internal comms is the integrator in the communications family. No other comms objective can be fully served without the support of effective internal communications. And now that we have ICT to support our efforts to collaborate, there is no limit to what organizations will be able to do: change, respond to crises, get ready to go public - it's all a point-and-click away.

I won't belabour the old debate of matrix vs functional management styles. What I know in my heart, though, is that I am a collaborator by nature. I'm always looking to view the problem from a high enough level so that I can see how the various communications functions intersect - internal, external, marketing and advertising, it all has to come from the same place. In my work, I seem to thrive in a matrix environment, where I am able to pull together just the right team for the job at hand.

I came to H&K because I've got a passion for PR, and a wealth of experience to offer. I came because I wanted to be part of a world-class organization that sees the Big Picture: we're at the leading edge on crisis communications, corporate social responsibility, digital communications, and so much more. But finally, I find that I came to H&K because I want to be an integrator. Whether it's through the lens of internal communications, or as a strategic advisor to my clients, I want to keep organizations focused on ensuring they have considered and planned for the full suite of communications functions.

on Accreditation

2007-11-07T14:09:00Z

I am in the final stages of the year-long accreditation process with the Canadian Public Relations Society. It was something I had been intending to do for many years, but this year I finally bit the bullet. It begs the question "why?"

For me, the decision to pursue my APR back in January of this year was all about differentiating myself from the pack of "Information Services" or IS staff in the federal government. A quick scan of CPRS's list of accredited practitioners across Ottawa revealed that not many had taken the plunge before me.

What I learned throughout the process, however, surprised me. For those of you unfamiliar with the APR process, it begins with the submission of a work sample -- essentially, a case study drawn from your recent experience, describing your work on a PR campaign, right from the research stage through to the final evaluation. In my case, I chose to describe a project I did with Public Works and Government Services Canada to support a CRM initiative. Writing the case study consumed a series of seven full weekends, and many evenings, to get it clear and concise. In fact, it was probably the hardest piece of writing I've done in many, many years! Writing for clients is easy compared with the challenge this intense introspection presented.

The second and third steps involved a three-and-a-half hour (open-book) written exam, followed by a 45-minute oral exam in front of a board of three accredited examiners. These were, in and of themselves, highly revealing experiences. One can't "study" for such an exam -- you either know your four-step PR process or you don't! The written exam was largely a time-management challenge. The oral exam, if you've been through a job interview lately, is the "easiest" of the three steps -- it's a chance to demonstrate that you know your stuff.

At the end of the day, this was an invaluable experience for me -- a chance to reflect on my career, to stop and take stock of what I've learned over the last few decades, and to reconfirm my commitment to excellence as a PR practitioner.

I would highly recommend accreditation to anyone at that important mid-point in their career -- apart from the opportunity to differentiate yourself from many of your "competitors", it is a tremendous journey of self-discovery.

Now, the hardest part is just waiting for the results.

the legacy of public service

2007-10-24T14:43:00Z

Although I have been at this for close to 30 years, the last seven years have been spent in the federal government - and they have had a significant influence on me as a communicator. First of all, I have to say that I live by the philosophy that "everything happens for a reason". There was a very good reason why I entered the public service - just as there was a very good reason to leave it. My heart was in the work, there is no doubt. But the exposure to how our bureaucracy works did quite a number on me.

Let me explain. In government, we communicators spend most of our time explaining what communications is, how it works, and why we need to do it. For government, "communications" often means "issues management" or "media relations". In fact, I once asked someone with many years of communications experience in the federal government if he had ever actually heard of someone doing public relations in government. "No!" he exclaimed, almost as though I had sworn at him. "Don't you read the papers? PR is "sponsorship" around here!" My practitioner's heart sank at his words.

By the same token, I quickly noticed that "employees" are often the most-forgotten public. "They're just staff, they'll adjust" seemed to be the prevailing thinking. It became apparent to me that public servants are often ignored - just told to toe the line and deliver the messages they are fed, whether they actually understand (or agree with) them or not.

The real visionaries I encountered in government managed to see past this parochial view. They were few and far between mind you, these creative few, but people sought them out, looking for every opportunity to work in such an enlightened environment. I was blessed to meet a few of them in my short career as a public servant, and I still count them among my closest colleagues and friends.

So how can I say that "everything happens for a reason"? Having lived the life of a public servant, it is now my hope that I can continue to champion on behalf of public servants everywhere - whose cause I embrace, and whose hunger for information I hope to help satisfy!

Mentoring

2007-10-24T14:39:00Z

Throughout my career, I have been blessed to have a number of significant mentors who have helped influence my core professional values, and taught me much more than I could ever find in a text book.

They have taught me about media relations (thanks for forcing me to make those scary first few media calls, Andrea), public relations (Claudine, you are still the queen!), and how to operate in a government environment (Yves, thanks for the road map!).

At 46, with almost 30 years in the business, you would think I have "passed" my mentors now. Far from it. These few influential people continue to act as beacons to me when I am trying to figure out how to approach a difficult client situation, a sticky messaging problem, or a challenging communications requirement.

More to the point, they will be my role models, now that I have moved to a position of mentoring others. Here is what I have learned:

there are no stupid questions. As a mentor, however, there can be stupid answers - feedback should always be constructive and positive.
it's STILL ok to say "I don't know"! Even in a position of leadership, admitting what you don't know demonstrates that you, too, are human - and ready to learn something new each and every day. As a teacher, I know that I learn almost as much from my students as they do from me (thank goodness!).
collaborate, collaborate, collaborate: we never work alone in PR. This is, as Martha would say, a GOOD thing - there is power in teamwork, and some of the wackiest ideas can spawn the best campaigns.
and finally, as Yves said to me on my way out the door to come to my new position here at Hill and Knowlton: "never forget to listen".

So my door, and ears, are wide open - come on in!

the view from here

2007-10-22T14:48:00Z

I recently left the federal government (notice I didn't say "a cushy job"!) to join the Ottawa office of H&K - in fact, until recently, I was a client of H&K, and that is how, ultimately, I ended up here. Of course, I want to say that I had an awesome experience as an H&K client - but it is a real honour to be part of the team now.

For my first post, I just want to introduce myself, and talk a little about my passions. I have been in PR in Ottawa for almost 30 years, and teaching at Algonquin College since 1991. I am passionate about internal communications - more on that in a minute - and about how PR can inspire positive change. In fact, if you were to ask me what my favourite word is, I would say "Inspiration". I draw inspiration every day from music, from the gorgeous city in which I live, and from the people with whom I work.

For me, inspiration comes from the mundane just as readily as it comes from great leaders, or from high art. Certainly, I was inspired last week when watching Bill Cosby speak about the challenges facing black youth in America. Al Gore and David Suzuki have inspired me to make changes in how I interact with my environment. But I also am inspired to be a better person every morning when I walk past the panhandlers sitting on the curb outside of my local Starbucks.

I am thrilled to be part of the Internal and Change Communications team here at H&K. I have been involved in leading some difficult change initiatives in the public sector, and was the Editor of Algonquin's staff newsletter for seven years. Through it all, I have come to realize that internal communications is still often the "poor cousin" - an afterthought after all of the rest of the business communications has been planned. I hope to help promote the internal communications agenda with our clients and within H&K, and look forward to more "collective conversations" on that subject.