QUESTION # 1. Is there a potential catastrophic downside? If liability involved is significant, and is even marginally possible, then decision is "no, go find other options." One of leader's most important jobs is to protect organization. Exposing organization to undue risk is never wise. CEO’s generally do this well. This is how they can make such quick decisions on complicated subjects. They simply look at liability factor and if it is too great, answer is always a resounding “No.”

Action Point – Think of a significant decision you need to make. Ask yourself, “What is worst case scenario if I approve this and it goes bad?”

QUESTION # 2. What is cost/benefit ratio? Every decision is a trade-off between costs (usually company resources) and benefits (usually claims aimed at increasing company resources). Smart leaders use cost/benefit ratio to leverage growth and profitability. Good decisions are highly leveraged with low cost/high benefit. Poor decisions are high cost/low benefit. When leaders find low cost/high benefit opportunities (with minor liability of course) decision is, "Yes, let's do it."

How About MANAGING Your Own PR?

It’s one thing for a senior manager to approve story angles for publicity folks to use in shopping around for print and broadcast placements. Not an especially large amount of managing needed there.

It’s quite another matter, however, when that senior manager, with best interests of his or her own department or unit in mind, actually overlooks reality that people act on their own perception of facts, leading to predictable behaviors about which something can be done on his or her behalf. Then compounds error by failing to insist that PR people make a special effort to create, change or reinforce perceptions of those external audiences whose follow-on behaviors really DO impact his or her unit.

That’s a bit of too bad because those two, core, public relations functions require hands-on managerial cooperation throughout organization if it’s to get its money’s worth. The two functions deserve first-class treatment because they help each manager target kind of stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving his or her objectives.

Pretty important stuff!

What it says to business, association and non-profit managers is this: a key part of your job description is – or should be – do everything you can to help your organization’s PR effort as it strives to persuade important stakeholders to your way of thinking. And particularly when program works to move those stakeholders to behaviors that lead to success of your department and your programs.

In your own best interest, that means assuring yourself that your public relations program is actively MANAGED to that end.

Has anybody to your knowledge sat down and listed those external audiences whose behaviors could hurt your unit badly? Then prioritized them according to impacts they have on your operation? This is a necessary first step in creating right public relations goal for you. Here, in fact, is how public relations activity could proceed on your behalf.

Let’s take a look at audience at top of your target audience list. Because there could be negative perceptions out there, some of your colleagues will have to interact with members of that audience and ask a number of questions. “Do you know anything about our organization? Have you had any kind of contact with our people? Have you heard anything good or bad about us or our services and products?” Watch respondents closely for hesitant or evasive answers. And stay alert for inaccuracies, rumors, untruths or mis- conceptions.