May 26th, 2022, marked my 26th anniversary in the wonderful world of PR. A trip down memory lane gave me the gift of 6 lessons learnt, from the 6 organisations that have been my teachers.
#Take1: Dream Big, Have Fun. Clean PR taught me the power of having big dreams. Anything is possible and impossible is nothing. It was an exciting time and the formative years of PR in India. A whirlwind of action from the Michael Jackson show in Mumbai, to Miss World in Bangalore. From trainee to heading an office in under 5 years. From my first account that I got because my boss quit and the client told my super boss they did not want anyone new hired, but would rather have me lead their business. From winning my first account all on my own, and proudly signing the contract and bringing it back to the office, only to find out that I was not allowed to and there was something called an official signatory. The power of being bold and doing that which has not been done before is what I learnt. We wrote the early chapters of what PR could and should do, we made the rules, we broke a few and we had a tremendous amount of fun along the way. This is where I found, some of my best friends and my wife.
#Take2: The NITWIT Principle, Being The Author Of Action. Channel [V], where I got my first taste of being an in-house communicator, was where I learnt how to be the author of action, not just the last mile communicator. I learnt how powerless and how powerful the communications function could be. When I could earn the trust and respect of my internal stakeholders I could do wonders. When I failed to do this, I kept wondering what was wrong. NITWIT was an acronym for Non-conformist, Irreverent, Trendsetting, Wild & whacky, Interesting and Topical. The agreement with the leadership team was the rule of 2+1. For the PR team to work on a brief it had to have at least 2 of the NITWIT elements and for sure it had to be Irreverent. This NITWIT principle was turned into posters and what we now call infographics and started influencing actions. The kind of VJ’s that were being selected and the show ideas that were considered were passed through the prism of NITWIT. The result was the stuff that finally reached the PR team was in line with the “messaging” that we wanted out there. We played a role in shaping the message, by being an author of action.
#Take3: The Audience Matters & So Do The Little Things. Genesis BM, where I spent close to 15 years taught me so very many things. Two that stand out are – the importance of going deep into defining the audience and understanding what they know, think and feel. The heart of any good campaign is clarity of purpose and knowing the audience. And second, I learnt the power of paying attention to the little things as well. The colour and condition of the carpets, the cleanliness of bathrooms and shared spaces in the office, the kind of coffee we served, and all sorts of other small things, that in many ways end up being big things when they all add up.
#Take4: Consultancy Management Is An Art & So Too Is Managing My Ego. Fiat India. As a PR consultancy person, I always thought that I was managing the client. It never occurred to me that I was being managed too. For the first time, on the “other side of the table”, I became aware of the importance of managing and motivating a consultancy. A consultancy team can do magic if given the chance, the right information and respect. I also learnt the importance of keeping my ego in check. My Vice President Corporate Communications status, which came at a tender age, went to my head. I got a bit too big for my boots (for a little while), but I was soon brought back to reality courtesy of some straight talk from my wife who is my biggest well-wisher and knock on the head giver. “Forget that you are a VP, just think you are in a firm and all the other VP’s are your clients, you will do just fine…” she said when I was complaining about something, that my ego had got bruised by.
#Take5: A Bias For Action And Unlearning. Weber was a whirlwind of action from week one. After such a long innings in Genesis, where colleagues had become friends, it took me a while to get used to the new company I was keeping. I was set in my ways, stuck in others. It took me some getting used to an open office environment after being ensconced in a beautiful cabin at Genesis. From a pretty much black and white structured and organised reality, the many shades of grey that I got exposed to taught me how to deal with ambiguity and get comfortable with it. Most importantly the need to act fast. Keep going, don’t look back and “what got you here, won’t get you there”, is one of the key lessons I learnt during this adventure.
#Take6: Relationships And A Well Run Business Are A winning Combination. Adfactors, my current home has taught me much in the past 17 months. The warmth of the welcome that I received at the Adfactors family was incredible. Even though I joined in a completely online environment, the feeling of being welcomed and valued, was incredible. I have seen this now play out for many others. For all stakeholders that the firm deals with, the media, the digital ecosystem, its employees, and clients, there is one common denominator. Deep and meaningful relationships. This is the thread that binds and connects Adfactors, the bond of strong relationships. People really know each other. People care for each other. In good times and in difficult times, this trait is on display. The process backbone of the firm is also something to admire. Business planning, leading up the ACM or the Annual Change Meet, the Decathlon which inculcates 10 great client servicing habits, and the Proactive Press Office, which week after week delivers on the promise of proactive counsel and ‘earned attention’ delivering results to clients, are a few of the simple but powerful rituals that are practiced. They are habits of excellence, that make for a well-run ‘Client-Centric’ business.
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A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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