The following is a guest post from Jennifer Kutz, account manager at LEWIS PR in San Francisco. To connect with Jennifer, be sure to follow her on Twitter. If you’re interested in writing a guest post at The Future Buzz, read the guidelines.
Until I was approximately 25, basketball was my top priority. Since the 6th grade I played the game nearly year-round, my teenage years a blur of traveling summer teams, after-school practices and early morning workouts culminating with a college scholarship and a brief stint on a Bay Area semi-pro team.
These days, my court time is limited to once- or twice-weekly rec league games, along with youth coaching when the schedule permits. My career at a public relations agency has taken basketball’s place in my life as the activity that dominates my thoughts and where most of my largest goals stem from. That being said, my time playing hoops has had an undeniable effect on how I do my job in several ways I wanted to share with you today.
1) One star does not a team make
For as long as I played basketball, it’s amazing how long it took me to understand this one key tenet. For years I thought if I could just score enough or play well enough we would win. Not only is this false, believing I could ‘carry’ a team actually had a detrimental effect on how well my team as a whole played. There were many times I blamed myself for losses or failed when trying to do too much during a game (e.g., taking 3-pointers or dribbling the ball up the floor- not my strengths, to put it mildly).
Working at a PR agency where teamwork is critical to the job, there is a similar tendency for people to think they can do it all. There’s a reason more than one person is assigned to each account, and everyone has an important role to play. Remove one and the balance is thrown off – the best teams have people working behind the scenes, setting the stage for the ‘star’s’ success. If there’s no one to pass him or her the ball, a star will quickly lose the designation. As a side note, in great teams, everyone shares in success – not just the star.
2) Success and growth require the taking of risks, and failure
Everyone has seen those players that hesitate and think too much on the court. They end up making more mistakes rather than less and play ‘not to lose’ rather than aggressively pursuing victory. It took me years to accept that in order for my game to progress I had to try new things and experiment, which inevitably resulted in failures and successes.
The same can be said of working in PR, or any job that requires creativity. New ideas – coming up with them and executing on them – are the crux of many marketing jobs. There is much to be said of relying on tried and true methods to get the job done. But ultimately, truly innovative ideas are what make the difference between great campaigns and mediocre ones and risk is inherent to real innovation. Prepare yourself for failure – do your research, practice obsessively, be ready to learn something from every mistake – and you will never truly fail.
3) Your teammate’s success is your own, so cheer them on
There’s a reason the high-five was invented. We all need a little encouragement from our comrades when working to reach a common goal. As easy as it is to do, giving a co-worker a pat on the back can make a world of difference and is not seen often enough in agency life. We’re all in this together, so let’s make the most of it and tell each other good job every once in awhile. Plus, it’s just good karma.
4) The making of a great player takes more than hard work
You can never possibly prepare yourself for everything that happens during a game. That’s why people keep playing sports throughout their lives. I’ve been playing basketball for 20 years and still see something new every time I step on the court – the game will always be a fascinating challenge for me. Practice can only get you so far- the best players have that extra ‘it’ factor that enables them to think on their feet and react using instinct as opposed to what the play tells you to do.
The same can be said of working in the communications field. The one thing you can be sure of is that you will encounter a question or situation you’ve never faced before. The ones who successfully navigate these scenarios are people who have not only worked to acquire the basic skills all marketers need – solid writing and verbal skills, creativity, and drive – but they also have the flexibility and problem solving skills that allow them to adjust on the fly and tackle new challenges head on.
5) Humor is critical
This one doesn’t need much explanation, but as simple as it is sometimes it takes awhile to really sink in. Basketball, like PR, is not emergency medicine, fire-fighting or some equally vital job to be done in our society. While they can frequently become all-consuming and feel like they have life-or-death importance, sports and most office jobs are not solving world hunger, and sometimes it’s important to step back and see the big picture.
Even if the very worst happens – like you lose the biggest game of the season or an important client- a strong team will still be OK in the end; albeit with a bruised ego or a smaller bank account. Keeping it light and having some perspective can go miles to make our jobs easier to manage, and ultimately more fun and fulfilling. After all, marketing and PR (and our hobbies) are what we’re truly passionate about.
The views expressed in this post are Jennifer’s, and not necessarily the opinions of LEWIS, or of any of the clients LEWIS represents.