The topic given to me was communication, one of the four pillars of leadership as defined by Gen. Franks. The audience consisted of approximately 40 high school students from the United States and the Middle East. Other speakers included Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan, as well as two-time Olympic Softball Gold Medalist Michele Smith. Needless to say, I felt the pressure to perform.  

As I began preparing my remarks, a lot of thoughts came to mind.

First, the students I was to address are all digital natives. They were born into an age where communication technology has been a primary tool they have used to learn. Understanding how to make this technology work to their advantage is a huge benefit.

“How many of you had cell phones by age 12?” I asked.

Nearly every hand raised.

Second, I thought about how the world had changed over the past decade. These young men and women were less than 8 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. A speech about communications looks significantly different in 2010 because of social networks, digital distribution, the democratization of creative tools and software, as well as the rise of the global marketplace.

After a great deal of contemplation, I came up with the six traits of a leader communicator in 2010. I argued that a great leader communicator must possess all if he or she hopes to be effective at the highest degree.

• Credible – Are they believable and experienced on the subject they are speaking about?
• Articulate – Can they express their viewpoints with clarity and confidence?
• Attentive – Do they regularly pick up additional knowledge through written and verbal one-on-one communication? Are they thoughtful enough to change their mind as new information becomes available?
• Informed – Do they have the ability to put context around the content?
• Transparent – Are they telling the truth now, and is it the truth later?
• Engaged – Are they interesting enough to keep the audience engaged?

“So which attribute is most important?” I asked.

A spirited conversation broke out about which trait was most critical to being a leader communicator. Each attribute was argued for and against. It was decided that there was not a right or wrong answer – they all are important.

A young lady raised her hand at the end.

“I think you missed one,” she said. “Passion.”

She’s right. To be a true leader communicator, you have to be passionate about the subject matter you are trying to communicate to truly be effective.

The experience in Jordan was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The students in the program are likely leaders in the future of our world. I am glad to have played a small part in their education.

I’ve been to hundreds of events. Ground-breaking events, ribbon-cutting events and inauguration events. I’ve been to weddings, and I’ve been to banquets. I’ve been to rallies, and I’ve been to meetings. I bet you have, too.

I’d be hard pressed to remember details about any of them. The majority of them have been remarkably unmemorable. So why would Saxum spend our money and our time on an open house reception for our new office in Tulsa?

Our objective for last night’s open house was simple – make it memorable.

When you put creative minds together and throw out the traditional PR playbook to solve problems, good things happen and memories are made. Sustainable solutions mean campaigns that ultimately change public perception.

Good public relations is so much broader than making introductions, securing articles in the local paper and working political connections for board positions. If you say “contribution” and I say “oversized check” or if you say “grand opening” and I say “ribbon cutting” then you’ve hired the wrong firm. The days of hiring agencies only for traditional services is coming to a close. Today’s firms must be creative, serious, transparent, measureable, responsive, resourceful, thoughtful and effective. Or we get fired.

Saxum has a fresh approach to public relations, marketing and advertising. We believe good ideas can come from anywhere, and no matter if they are expensive or free, they must be memorable. We believe social media is a requirement for communicating, not a choice. We know that your brand and your reputation are tied together – and a reputation must be protected. We believe a crisis is a real possibility for all organizations, and a plan must be in place to deal with it. We have invested in telling our clients’ stories with video because people learn in different ways, and written content is just one means of communication. We understand that sustainability and corporate social responsibility are not options, but an essential part of any strategic marketing program.

Five years from now if you ask any of the guests who attended our open house if they remember anything, I bet they’ll say “yes.” Our objective was simple, yet it was strategic. We do things differently.

Like this…

A big thank you to Light Opera Oklahoma for partnering with us for last night’s experience. We are thrilled to be in Tulsa and look forward to making many memories together.

Recently, Saxum hired a professional services firm for some consulting. Sure enough, our small account was handed to a 25-year-old to serve as our account manager. Not too far removed from the days of being told I was too young, I found myself skeptically thinking that we had a “young” account representative.

Shame on me.

Five meetings later, I sat astonished at the resourcefulness, flair and confidence from this talented individual. It served as a good reminder that account managers can be just as effective (or ineffective) at 25 as they could be at 55.

For years, Saxum has called the head of our accounts, “leads.” The bad rap that young people get – no matter how talented – is that they are incapable of “leading” at a young age.

Hogwash.

We have client leads, whom we now call “client managers,” of all ages. The traits of a great client manager are embodied by their ability to work with a team who contributes to the account below their experience level or with different expertise, while also utilizing the resources and experience of those above them. The error in some agency models is in trusting the individual to “handle” everything – shown below in our graph.

The professionals who practice public relations, marketing and creative services can be found at all levels of age and experience. It is up to us to find the right fit that will get results for our clients.

Chris asks a few key questions in his recent blog post about the role of local media. I liked the direction Chris is going with the discussion with an excerpt of his comments here.

“When I think about ‘Community Matters’, it occurs to me that the question is what is the purpose of community? Is it to extol content for the community? Or is it to generate content that the community creates? And then, the larger question becomes how to monetize ‘community’? There are 2 billion users coming online in the next ten years. How do we monetize the value of their content? And, further, how do we deal with “truth” in community-generated journalism? On a community site, truth is subjective. Newspapers must be very cautious about libel issues, and objectionable content is muted.”

I’d like to position a few thoughts for attendees and observers to think about prior to Wednesday’s session.

Content in the local community must shift from delivering first to delivering deep.

• User-generated content provides the cloud of interest locally, but it stops right there. Journalists must do the heavy lifting.
• All efforts to monetize will be successful with publishing and broadcasting leadership who believe context trumps content. We all receive tons of content every day, but we lack the context to make it meaningful in our lives.
• Local, social communities are gaining importance (and followers) in the public discourse, but are still ruled by the unruly. Think of them as those who provide instant, virtual letters to the editor. Editorial writers and deep thinkers, they are not.

Special thanks to my friend Blake Jackson, director of social media at Chesapeake Energy, for his thoughts on this subject. See everyone soon.

About We Media- Founded in 2007, We Media helps companies and their leaders see, understand and respond to complex change. They provide strategic consulting that integrates business, content, design, technology and insights on innovation in the connected culture. We Media also creates Web sites and digital media strategies, produces research, conferences, seminars, workshops, awards, investment challenges and organizes a global community of innovators and visionaries.

This business decision had a lot of personal investment and thought. For starters, I’m a Tulsa native. Following a terrific experience as a student in the Jenks Public School System, I attended the University of Oklahoma, where I was privileged to play basketball for the Sooners. Four NCAA tournaments later, I graduated with honors and began looking for a job. I chose Oklahoma City as my home because I was offered a job there. Then, I married an Oklahoma City girl and the love of my life, Lee Anne.

Ten years later, I find myself a native Tulsan living in Oklahoma City. There are not many of us. As someone who always thought I’d spread my wings and fly somewhere far away, Oklahoma City and Tulsa offer unique and rewarding experiences without having to leave a state where we’ve put down solid roots.

We love the renaissance happening right now in Tulsa. Especially downtown Tulsa, from the BOK Center opening to the new ONEOK Field (client) to the revival of the Brady District, it’s a great time for Tulsa. Over the past few years, we have grown our Tulsa-based clientele, and it quickly became clear that we needed a permanent presence there. I understand the difference between the markets, and I knew we needed an excellent Tulsa-based public relations practitioner to lead our efforts.

Even though I’m from Tulsa, I know people in Tulsa want to do business with other people in Tulsa – just like in Oklahoma City. Chris is a perfect fit because he is great at public relations and marketing, and he loves Tulsa.

I think we’re on to something special at Saxum. We’ve found a unique way to use our creativity and expertise to provide our clients with the Saxum Experience, which focuses on building our clients’ reputations and achieving their goals in an ever-changing business environment. We use a unique, multi-dimensional team approach to deliver customized, strategic, results-driven communications. We have a smart, thoughtful and dynamic team in Oklahoma City, and we are building a similar team in Tulsa.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be hiring additional staff, making client announcements, opening a permanent office and getting even more involved in the community. In effect, we’ll use some of the public relations strategies and tactics we use for our clients to promote ourselves.

Thanks to a great team and outstanding clients, we are continuing to grow our business on a state and national level. Of course, no matter how large we become, our clients will always remain our top priority.

It is an exciting time, and we are thrilled to share the good news. Thank you for welcoming us to Tulsa. It’s good to be home.

What have you accomplished today? Not just work, but everything. Did you say thank you to the guy opening the door or the gal who served you coffee? Did you tell your kids or spouse I love you? Did you make a difference?

Last week, I took a flight to Phoenix on my favorite airline – Southwest – to meet a client and a consultant. With two small children at home, I am trying to only do these trips for one night at a time and I am writing this post on Friday evening on my way home.

The unthinkable happened as we were on our final approach into Phoenix. A lady a few rows in front of me went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. Southwest handled the situation perfectly, first by asking for a doctor and then getting the plane down as quickly as possible. We watched as paramedics carried her off the plane. For thirty minutes we sat as they worked on her in the jet way, presumably unsuccessfully based on everyone’s reaction as we exited the plane.

As I saw the real tears from passengers and flight attendants after the tunnel had cleared, it made me remember the blessing of today. Part of my trip to Phoenix was to plan for the future of our business in public relations. The funny way God works is that we are only guaranteed today. I didn’t know the poor woman, but I thought about how short life is and how thankful I am for today’s blessings.

Before you go to sleep tonight, ask yourself, did I make a difference today? Do I have any regrets? If you cannot answer this question to your satisfaction, try again tomorrow.

Now, think about today. If you travel to any airport, ride public transportation or have spent the night at a hotel before, then you have seen printed newspapers in use. Today marks a major change for printed news as we know it.

Apple introduces their Tablet to the world today, aka the Kindle Killer (much to Amazon’s dismay), at an exclusive event in San Francisco. We’ll know more as reviews come in, but book publishers have been scrambling in recent weeks to make sure their electronic books are available, and I’m sure newspaper publishers will be next in line to sign up. Finally, journalism has a tool that could make paid content the new normal.

Whether you live in Tulsa, Oklahoma or Timbuktu, the Tablet is being billed as the electronic tool that will change how consumers receive their news, interact with social media channels and change how we all read books.

I predict that public relations professionals will have to adapt as well, because the Tablet, over time, will create new audiences who currently are not participating in the exchange of information. Also, I predict motion graphic HD video has an opportunity to become a mainstream news product.

I’ve never considered myself an early adopter. I got my first iPod in 2003. Saxum’s philosophy is much more aligned with practical use of new technologies. However, I may splurge and get a Tablet. I’m just too excited about the possibilities of this new tool.

For months, I have been espousing to anyone who will listen that the PR strategist will lead every marketing discipline in the future – at the corporate, NGO and small business level. It is my belief that media relations, social media, strategic communications, crisis and creative services has a natural home, and that traditional advertising is irreconcilable with the new marketing mix.  

Further proof is the latest StevensGouldPincus By the Numbers Management Survey Report, which showed agency revenue up in 2009. Most impressive is the growth by agencies with more than $25M in revenue with 54.1 percent increase in net revenues. Nearly all firms projected a stronger 2010, with Rick Gould opining that “the PR agency historically rebounds after a recession. All indications are that this rebound will occur in 2010.”

We shall see.

“The Super Bowl broadcast can be an amazing stage for advertisers if it aligns with their brand strategy,” said Frank Cooper, a senior vice president at Pepsico Americas Beverages. “However, brands should not blindly anchor themselves to history.”

Ad Age Magazine opines that the move could be a risk, since just one year ago, Pepsico blocked rival Coke from the first half of the game. Most interesting to me was a statement from Pepsi about the $2.7M cost of a 30-second spot.

Pepsi said the cost of advertising in the Super Bowl was not at the heart of its decision to keep its famous beverages from the game.

Times are changing. A favorite new song of mine is Brett Dennen’s Don’t Forget. One line stands out.

Don’t be afraid should things happen to change,
’cause change can be a beautiful thing.

I’ve always believed that forward-looking organizations are the ones who will consistently grow. Part of the problem with advertising is how  expensive it is to hit huge target demographics on television programs (or radio) with declining viewership and DVRs that block receipt of the message. Advertisers pay big bucks to find these demographic gold mines, but they are drying up every day – even the best ones (like the Super Bowl).

Change is a beautiful thing. As 2010 progresses, let’s see if Pepsi made the right move.

“Stop printing tri-fold brochures,” we pleaded. “What you need is a comprehensive Web presence with your entire brand’s key information.” We tried to give up content management rights, but a lot of people took comfort in having us “handle that stuff.”

Ahh, the good ‘ole days. How quickly things change.

We are announcing today that Saxum launched the new and improved www.saxumpr.com – our fifth version in less than seven years. We have moved platforms to Wordpress. Watch this cool tutorial video about the platform. Also, Wordpress is functional enough to serve as the British Prime Minister’s HOME PAGE! What started as a blogging platform can now serve all our Web needs. We are encouraging clients previously using brochure sites to follow suit.

But Saxum’s new Web site looks similar to your old Web site?

Yes, it does. But it is so much more. Below is a sample of our new online capabilities:

1. Home page blog. The Saxum Perspective Blog, since 2006, been updated more than 100 times by yours truly. We’ve opened the floor up for input from all Saxum team members. Like any good social media team, we have determined our blog will only discuss four topics:  industry expertise, tips and tricks, news and entertainment. A good blog has a thoughtful, aligned and focused voice. We now comply.

2. Twitter feed. In a short period of time, Twitter has become the megaphone for brands promoting messages. Besides our corporate Twitter account, every Saxumite has an account that feeds into our home page “Saxum Tweets” stream. Public relations is a business fueled by real people who have real personalities, and our Web page now highlights the most important part of Saxum – our team.

3. Services. In the early days, it was commonly thought that a Web site was a repository for all information about a company. We agreed, at the time. Today, a Web site must share enough information to be helpful, but the days of detailing all service offerings are over. That’s what Skype calls, phone calls and face-to-face meetings are for. Our services remain tailored, customized and unique to every client.

4. Search. Remember this word: convergence. Just ask the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, who recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal about Google being able to find you (yes, actually find you) and understand your likes and dislikes. By cataloging your searches, purchases and social posts, among other things, Google can build a profile predicting your decisions. Why does all this matter? Because Saxum’s new platform is more searchable than ever. If you Google “public relations Oklahoma” you currently get our site right after the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). We’re not satisfied with number one among competitors on that one search term. We’re building an entire library of searchable terms. Yes, they are scattered throughout this post.

If you aren’t Googlable, then you don’t exist in 2010.

5. Social Profiles. Saxum has adopted a general social media philosophy:
a.     We are not early adopters, we are practical users.
b.     We are all “social media experts.”

Studies show that e-mail is no longer the most popular use on the Internet – now trailing social media communities, search, online software and individual information portals. The Saxum site is a portal into targeted social communities where we have built profiles and shared information about ourselves. They include Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr and Delicious.

OK. This is just scratching the surface. We can do all sorts of other cool things too, like update all our own content in seconds. Come back daily. You will always find new content. I promise.