This piece was originally posted on the Counselors Academy blog but we thought it was worth posting to the Highlighter as well.
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See that intern staring longingly at your corner office ― dreaming of the day when her name, too, will be above the door. It’s a rite of passage. Rewind 24 years ago, and it was me. I was hooked on the agency side of business, and knew where I wanted to go, but had little idea of how to get there.
I will always be grateful to my boss’ boss’ boss who introduced me to Counselors Academy, PRSA’s community of senior-level agency professionals, who helped me reach my career goals. I started as an intern at CMF&Z, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1987, working for Rick Mayes and Carol Bodensteiner, APR, Fellow PRSA. They tried to convince me to stay in Iowa, but my fiancé and I had already set our wedding date and planned to move to Minneapolis.
Thanks to Rick and Carol, I was connected with every single Counselors Academy member in Minnesota for informational interviews. I landed a first job before graduation in December. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
Nearly 10 years later, I was leading a small public relations group for a Twin Cities ad agency. . . and going a little crazy. Well, Lynn Casey, APR; Doug Spong, APR;Betsy Buckley, APR and Dennis McGrath, APR, Fellow PRSA, came to my rescue. They said, “Rose, it’s time for you to join Counselors Academy.” I didn’t have my APR, a requirement at the time. They also encouraged me to attain that. I did both and never regretted either. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
When I took on a significant leadership job in 2002 at Karwoski & Courage, Glenn Karwoski encouraged and supported me to embrace my Counselors Academy membership. I did, and I met Abbie Fink ― we commiserated about being “second in command” because she was facilitating a roundtable on that. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
My current agency leadership role is now in its fifth year as founder and president ofRisdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR). Within weeks of starting this agency, I was at the Counselors Academy Conference in Savannah. I participated in the pre-conference session on managing your agency by Ira Yellen, APR, PRSA Fellow. It could not have been more timely or helpful. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
One of my first hires at RMPR was Eva Keiser, APR, senior vice president. She, too, aspired to agency leadership and we agreed that Counselors Academy was critical to realizing her potential in this area. Today, she’s not only my right hand at RMPR, she’s an active member of Counselors Academy and serves on this year’s conference committee.
Ditto, on my next leadership hire, Joel Swanson, APR, senior vice president at RMPR. After 15 years on the corporate side, he made his first foray into agency public relations and we signed him up for Counselors Academy to help him embrace the agency business. Today, he’s one of our best new business guys and an important part of our agency leadership team. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
Counselors Academy not only supports, but it develops, agency business leaders. It reminds me of Tom DeLong’s book, “When Professionals Have to Lead.” It’s one thing to be good at PR. It’s entirely another thing to build and lead a successful, profitable agency. Look at each member and you’ll see that’s what we’re doing. Thank you, Counselors Academy.
So, when that youngster sets her sights on your corner office, think about how great it will be 10 or 15 years from now when you’re both attending the annual Counselors Academy Conference, and talking about all the good work accomplished as a result of a community that cares about connecting people.
Preemptively, I’ll just say, “Thank you, Counselors Academy.”
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