I wish I was a PR consultancy leader or owner in 2016. But that was never an ambition. I’m happier being a community catalyst curating some awesome groups of people in different genres. What started with bringing the communications flock together has grown into an urge to bring other influential communities together. As the co-founder of India’s first independent school for public relations, what we sometime refer to as the world’s smallest start-up there have been several learnings over the last 15 months. Some of them I wish to share here.
- There are no friends in this business – There is a lot of pretence that takes place and it is amusing how some of the associations comprising rivals come together in artificial embraces.
- People who preach trust do not keep their word – I have seen how large companies represented by smart leaders go back on promises and do it at the drop of a hat.
- Few leaders have a backbone – It takes courage to put out 10 million bucks in an untested and untried concept. It takes courage to commit a million bucks in an event which comes and goes like lightning. A couple of men dare to do it.
- You are only as good as your designation – People change colours, turn their backs and end up as time servers but that is how life is.
Well, before you think I’m writing this to hit back at someone I should stop. This is not about negativity but about reality. The other side of the coin is promising. In the last year I have seen more positivity than ever before.
- A lot of younger professionals are doing some outstanding work and creating very interesting campaigns.
- Some senior individuals who are 61 and 62 are working like 16 and 26 year olds to create value for their organisations and for that of their clients’.
- Several more professionals are turning entrepreneurs and taking the road less traveled more than ever before.
- In-house roles are evolving to offer corporate communicators larger remits than there has ever been scope for such opportunities.
As we move ahead artificial intelligence, virtual reality, data analytics are gaining ground. When senior in-house professionals reach out to me directly and through their PR consultancy to push themselves as speakers I wish they offer to speak on the future of Public Relations. AI, VR and DA are the future and it will hit us sooner than we can imagine. I feel overall there is less despair and there is more hope. I see a positive future which is bright and exciting.
As I go about meeting and mentoring a variety of professionals I am confident we are certainly headed in the right direction.
He is also the Founding Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe).
He can be reached at @amithpr on twitter.
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