6. Lead your associates; Manage your systems. The businesses that are most successful are those that understand difference between people and systems. Systems operate at maximum effectiveness when they are managed tightly; people operate at maximum effectiveness when they are led and inspired.

7. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Letting your associates, customers, vendors, backers, family know 'What, When, Where, How and Why'. Communicating fully - even when it's about why you changed your mind - creates trust.

8. Have a compelling vision. Everybody, including you, needs a good reason to go to work every day. Get crystal clear about your vision and then share it with everyone. Help them understand and buy into it. This is often overlooked and considered as taking time away from business. If you are leader, this is your most important role. In addition to giving your associates a clear sense of purpose, it ends up saving you time as others make better choices (that is, choices in line with your direction and vision) on a daily basis.

9. Say 'Thank You' Often. You are not only one that likes to be acknowledged. The more often you say 'thank you' - to individuals up, down and across organization - more you will enhance your relationships and your reputation. The strongest leaders say 'thank you' often.

10. Learn, Stretch, Grow. Become committed to life-long learning. This applies to what you do for a living (technical abilities), how you do it (innovative systems and structures), how you implement it (behavioral competencies), and stuff you just want to know (personal development, arts, whatever). This will keep you current in your present position and prepare you better for any changes down road.

Make sure that you and your staff remain sensitive to hesitant or evasive responses, and especially to negative comments. And stay alert for misconceptions, untruths, false assumptions, inaccuracies and rumors. These problem areas will need correction because experience shows they lead to negative behaviors.

Now, your team must select what needs correction most, thus establishing your public relations goal. For example, perception alterations like correcting that damaging inaccuracy, straightening out that unfortunate misconception, or neutralizing that hurtful rumor.

But how will you reach that goal? In same way you approach any operating problem – select right strategy, one that shows you how to reach your public relations goal. However, when it comes to opinion and perception problems, you have just three strategy choices: create perception where there may be none, reinforce an existing perception, or change offending opinion/perception. Just be certain strategy you select is a good fit with your PR goal. Obviously, you would not use “reinforce it” strategy option when your goal is to kill a damaging rumor.

Now, some writing talent is needed to prepare message you will use to alter that key target audience’s perception. The message must be clear and persuasive if it is to nudge perception or opinion in your direction, and lead directly to behaviors you desire.

Much like military when they call in artillery fire during combat, you must employ your communications tactics in a way that insures that your message reaches those members of your target audience.

Fortunately, you have a wide choice of communications tactics such as audience briefings, news releases, speeches, radio and newspaper interviews, special events, personal contacts, and many others. You do want to be sure that tactics you select have a proven track record for reaching people just like members of your target audience.

While a budget sufficient to employ professional survey counsel would be very nice, fact remains that you and your PR team can once again monitor perceptions among members of your target audience by asking very same questions used during earlier monitoring session.

The difference now is that you will watch carefully for signs that your message and communications tactics have moved audience perception in your direction.

If things need to move faster, you always have option of adding new tactics to fray as well as increasing their frequencies. Also advisable, another check of your message for impact and factual accuracy.

By this time, you will have created a public relations program certain to reassure you that you are now getting key stakeholder behaviors you need to help achieve your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com