A Fulfilling Half Decade

As the adage goes, sometimes life takes you to a path you had never imagined. Something similar happened to me five years ago.

In the month of July in 2019, I took a leap of faith and joined The Promise Foundation (today, I complete five years in the organisation). Coming from a Human Resources background, the world of Public Relations was not only new, but very scary in the initial months. Slowly & gradually, I found some common ground in both professions. Both are driven by ‘People First’ – that drew me to use my HR background & learn more about PR, along with some incredible mentorship I received at work.  Anubhuti Mathur, Roshan Alexander and Amith Prabhu – thank you for empowering me with your guidance, constructive criticism & support at all times.

As I was getting my feet wet in this new world of PR, and a few months into the new job the lockdown happened and the era of “work from home” started. That was a tough test! I contemplated the longevity of PR profession, my role and was genuinely stressed. Another opportunity knocked my door – I got an opportunity to opt for professional coaching, which not only helped me through career development but also made me a better professional. Thank you, Coach Nikhil Dey, for learnings that will last a lifetime.

I may still consider myself as an outsider to the PR profession, only because there is so much more to learn. However, having spent almost five years, I want to share some of my thoughts that helped me grow and are a part of our work culture at The PRomise Foundation.

• Communication is key – This is NOT a beaten drum. Clear and crisp communication does play a vital role across industries, especially in PR. A perfect example for me has been PRAXIS – the biggest conference of all. Every year, the event’s success is dependent on the way the team communicates with all its stakeholders (partners, participants and teammates).
• A simple to-do list shared with the whole team that defines our daily, weekly and monthly goals is very useful for time-management, back-up plans and even hand-holding with new partners.
• Teammate Involvement – My most favourite learning – every teammate’s idea/opinion is heard, and their inputs are valued. Open discussions not only breed new ideas but also provide a sense of belonging.
• Being Organised – When things are organised, it is so much easier to find out the relevant information. As a company which has done 30+ online and 50+ offline events, management & organisation of data is key in successfully managing these events.
• Empathy – Being on the organising team isn’t always fun – you have to coordinate with many stakeholders, ranging from speakers, suppliers, sponsors etc. Empathy helps to build social connections irrespective of who you are working with. Empathy within the team and with all partners not only makes the situation easier to deal with but also helps to maintain our mental wellbeing.
• Feedback – Having a successful event should not result in no feedback. No growth is possible unless you can share feedback with utmost transparency and trust. The feedback mechanism we follow has made me grow as a professional.

It has been a joy ride, sometimes it feels like a roller coaster, but I am an adventure junkie so enjoying it & learning from it.

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Ameeta Vadhera

Ameeta Vadhera is an HR specialist with a Masters degree from Amity University. She started her career as an HR Executive in a medical products company and later joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, to work with the Partner Affairs team, handling end to end HR activities of Partners and Executive Directors. Born and brought up in Delhi, she currently resides in Gurgaon, where she works as a Group Head at Promise Foundation. She works towards developing her skills in the Public Relations world and also believes in the power of communication.