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Are You a Media Savvy Leader?

DH | January 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

An interview I recently gave to the Council of Public Relations Firms is now online. The title is, “Are You a Media Savvy Leader? How Agency Heads Can Boost Results in a Tight Economy,” and delivers tips on boosting competitive leadership in the PR industry. Here is the interview, with special thanks to reporter/editor Brian Pittman:

“As with most of the business world, the majority of agency heads are excellent managers and sales people—not media savvy leaders,” believes veteran media strategist, blogger and Emmy Award winning former CBS News correspondent David Henderson, who has worked for several top national agencies and whose new book “The Media Savvy Leader” hit bookstores this month after nearly two years of research and analysis of top corporate leaders. “They know how to sell the business, manage people and work on the bottom line—but they’re not leaders who step out in front of the industry and inspire greatness.”
The exceptions, however, are obvious, according to Henderson. “Steve Cody, of Peppercom, is a man I would call an authentic, media savvy leader. He is guided by one word: reputation. That reputation is built by action and direct, ongoing relationships. That’s especially the case when he works with the media. He communicates with the press even when he or his agency isn’t after something,” Henderson explains.

Another example: “Richard Edelman inspires greatness—as did his father, Dan. Richard is charismatic. When he speaks, he speaks from his heart and soul. You believe it, because he believes what he’s saying. He speaks in stories, which is a key trait of media savvy leaders. Not long ago, for example, Richard had prostate surgery and he wrote straight out of his heart on his blog about it. Any man over 50 would be touched by his candor in talking about what he went through and sharing information transparently.”

So why is “media savvy” leadership so important these days—particularly in the agency world—and what exactly are the traits of a media savvy leader? Henderson spills the details here, along with his take on how PR firms can stay in the black when everything’s looking red:

Why is it more critical now than ever before to be a media savvy leader?

Two concepts: competitive differentiation and “earned media.” Take a look at the economy; advertising doesn’t do it anymore. It used to be you’d advertise on TV or in the paper to achieve that. Now, that’s changed. So it’s imperative that leaders of organizations understand how to talk with the media, both online and mainstream—that has replaced advertising. That’s why they call it earned media.

Why’d you write this book—what gave birth to the idea of a media savvy leader?

I’ve been researching this topic for a long time. I was a journalist by training and was always fascinated by leaders of organizations who could stand in front of a microphone and communicate their mission, control the message and communicate their excitement. I was also struck by how few executives could do this. So, I gathered material on this over the years—and decided to write this book a few years back.

Bringing it back to present: We live in competitive times, punctuated by the demise of traditional media, declining ad revenues, and the explosion of digital media and Web 2.0., brought on in part by blogs and interactive data management platforms for sites like Twitter and Facebook. So, we live in times of great change in what is called “the media.”

And yet, we still have this small group of leaders who seem to “get it” and understand the importance in these competitive times of having a trusted face and voice—that’s what a media savvy leader is all about. I am talking about the likes of people from Oprah and Steve Jobs to Richard Branson and Gary Shapiro, who heads the Consumer Electronics Association. Some of the best are equally communicating across traditional platforms and social media. Good examples are Mark Cuban and others who invite people and customers to meet up with them on Twitter or Facebook or wherever, and who check their own emails.

They are out there controlling their image, excitement and reputation—the brand, if you will. They’re also rolling up their shirt sleeves and taking ownership for driving the visibility of their organizations.

What is the result or ROI of their driving that visibility?

The results are greater credibility, trust and perception of value for their organizations. Ultimately, it impacts the bottom line. Leadership can translate to sales success and higher profits. For nonprofits, it translates to greater funding, media attention and involvement by influencers. For example, I interviewed Layli Miller-Muro (executive director of the Tahirih Justice Center) for the book. She personally takes charge of how the communications of her organization is run. She is a media darling of Washington. She gets coverage and communicates her messages clearly, and has been doing so for eleven years.

So what are the common threads between these outstanding communicators you studied? How do you define a media savvy leader—what are the traits?

The first thing is they accept ownership for communicating the image of their corporation. They don’t delegate it to an agency or corporate communications department.

Second is they practice daily engagement and relationship building with the media. They develop their own personal and trusted media contacts. For example, Steve Jobs “courts” Walt Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal and David Pogue at The New York Times. These are the two most influential tech writers in the world. He interfaces with them via email and telephone. They have direct access to each other. Gary Shapiro at CESA says he is talking to business reporters and trade reporters directly every single day—not just during media tour or announcements. That builds this exec’s trust level with the reporter. That way, an exec isn’t a promoter, but a trusted resource. Reporters like that access. But at most companies, a reporter calls up and there’s a buffer of communications or lawyers—as opposed to real dialog.

It’s important to note that you develop media contacts to build up rapport and trust, not to pitch them a story. You do it to be a resource for them. That’s the purpose, you’re not after something. If you see it that way, then the returns will be there over the long run.

A third trait is understanding the importance of storytelling. When they talk, you feel their excitement. It’s charismatic—but charisma really can be learned. It comes along with storytelling. If we parrot slogans and jargon, we sound impersonal and phony. But if we’re speaking from the heart, people feel it. Anybody can be charismatic in their own field, because it’s grounded in belief. So the secret sauce is truly believing your story and telling people why what you do excites you. Telling the truth and being transparent communicates excitement—by telling our story. A big element many companies overlook is that authentic storytelling isn’t about you. Instead, it’s about speaking to why your audience should care. What is the value for them? Sharing a personal vision and experience gets to that.

A fourth trait, really, is grasping and using online tools and social media. I write in the book how businesses and organizations that need public relations are being let down by agencies. I think the inability of the PR business to really comprehend what Web 2.0 is about is shocking. So, real leaders get in there and they take a look at the trends in media and online and get active there. For example, if you’re going to offer a CEO blog, you have to be prepared to spend an hour a day doing it—not every other day. Also important is understanding and respecting the online world’s mindset of sharing—it’s all about developing conversations with constituents.

A fifth trait is getting into conversations with stakeholders. The CEO of Zappos is a great example. This is a terrific company with great customer service. And you can even have a conversation with the CEO of Zappos on Twitter. He also has a blog.

A sixth trait is understanding that perception is a fragile thing. A recent study, referenced in the book, found that 82 percent of shareholder value is perception—it’s intangible and feeling. Each one of these leaders understands that. They get that one single misstep can hurt their reputation and that of the organization. When you recognize that, you see the importance of rolling up your sleeves and taking charge of it yourself.

The book included red flags indicating ineffective leadership. Can you share some of those here—as they relate to agency management?

I met with a major agency recently and they were talking about doing a speakers bureau for a client. I haven’t heard that idea for ten years. Some agencies are still sending out paper press kits. They just don’t get it—the media has outpaced those ideas. Agencies are into “faux newswires” like PR Web, and so on. Well, you might as well take your money and have a nice party. Those things don’t work. You can do this stuff yourself for free using del.icio.us or Digg if you want your release to show up online. Tools like Stumbleupon and Flickr let you do all this quickly online—and it costs nothing.

Again, this shows a complete lack of understanding of where media is going—it’s based on an old concept that press releases result in stories. They don’t. It’s not important to use a wire service to send out a press release to a gazillion media points because it won’t result in a story, and what you’re doing is the antithesis of what reporters want in today’s competitive world: exclusivity. That’s how they keep their jobs. A release on the wire or online is already read by everybody. That’s the opposite of media leadership.

Jobs, Branson and others don’t do that. For any company, there are six to ten reporters who really matter—and media savvy leaders like these guys build relationships with them. So, a common trait among leaders, again, is that they have direct media relationships.

What’s the number one mistake you’ve seen agency leaders make in downturns when working with clients?

I think the number one thing is trying to fix what the client is saying they need right now, but not looking forward to see the potential of what lies ahead. What they need to be is more strategic. For example, a CEO blog is a tactic. Why do you want it? Where are you going with this—what is the purpose and how does it fit in with your long-term plans? Answer those questions before picking up on the tactics.

So, the number one thing agency leaders need to do in providing counsel to clients now is helping clients see long-term opportunities and potential. And in that, the Web is a major factor. The mistake is thinking short term. The Web is truly the competitive differentiator for companies—and will only get greater.

Based on that, and what you outline in the book—what are clients looking for now?

I talk to a lot of corporate communications people about this. Contrary to belief, size doesn’t matter in a PR agency. It doesn’t matter if an agency comes in and says, “We have 97 offices worldwide.” Each office has its own franchise and demands for profit. Beyond that, agencies often bring in expensive suits and silver hair in expensive presentations to prospects and clients. What they should do is bring in the people who are going to do the work—that’s more honest and credible.

Chemistry is also important to clients. It’s not unlike dating. I talked with Barbara Robinson at Dun & Bradstreet for the book. She said it’s all about the chemistry between the agency and the internal team. She said whether the agency would be fun to work with is important. PR is hard work, why not make it fun?

Also important is the reputation of the top PR strategist—clients are looking for expertise, articles and even books by the key agency strategist they’ll be working with. They need to have top quality strategists with recognizable names on the account.

Finally, clients want PR people who can help chart a bold new direction for their company. You’ve got to not be afraid to push the client to make some tough decisions and take bold new directions. It’s almost like what Obama is telling the country.