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Norman Mineta addresses proving one’s worth in the C-suite, the profession’s gender imbalance and making a global footprint regardless of company size
February 14, 2007
Copyright © 2007 PRSA. All rights reserved.
The following article appears in the winter issue of The Strategist. Editor's note: Due to an editing error in the print version of this article, Mineta's role with the Bush administration is incorrectly listed. He resigned as secretary of transportation last summer.
Norman Mineta serves as vice chairman of Hill & Knowlton and logs thousands of miles annually counseling clients around the world. He served as Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration and as Secretary of Transportation in the current Bush administration.
Mineta, who will be a keynote speaker for the PRSA Counselors Academy 2007 Spring Conference, June 10-12, in Los Cabos, Mexico, shares his perspective on issues facing the PR profession with The Strategist.
As an adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, you earned a seat in the most powerful C-suite in the world. What were your strategies for connecting at this level?
Norman Mineta: There is a lot of speculation in our profession about what it takes to get a seat at the C-suite table. How do we gain more respect, credibility and relevance with today’s CEOs? My follow-up questions are these: Have we earned it? Do we know their business? If we have a seat at the table, what value are we adding to the discussion?
The question of how we get there isn’t as important as whether or not we deserve to be there in the first place. Do we know what to do once we get there? The C-suite is a pressure cooker, where the futures of companies, products, investors and employees often hang in the balance. CEOs in particular face growing pressures from the marketplace, boards, shareholders and their colleagues to deliver more, faster and better than the quarter before.
Effectively counseling in this environment requires an ability to learn fast and develop trust quickly. Yes-people need not apply. As professionals, we must encourage a culture of honesty, integrity and intellectual curiosity among our peers and employees. We must also ensure that we have something to say — a point of view that differentiates us from the other people navigating in and out of the pressure cooker.
How important is it for even small and midsize U.S. firms to have a global footprint?
Mineta: It is increasingly important to have global capabilities for both large and small firms. In an age where information travels instantaneously around the world, global reach into your clients’ key markets is vital.
In a global environment affected by America’s often unpopular foreign policies and military actions, it is easy to imagine that resistance to U.S. products and services may be at an all-time high. On the contrary.
Most businesspeople are not diplomats, generals or politicians and love nothing more than peace and stability in the parts of the world where they wish to trade, expand and pursue their business goals. In addition, many clients think that if everyone saw the world the way they do — one rich with opportunity — global tensions would ease considerably.
Clients will continue to seek PR professionals who are able to recognize opportunities, cut through the messaging of diplomatic officialdom and help them achieve strategic business goals in markets around the world.
Does America’s low standing in world opinion make the job harder? Definitely. But business is conducted between people, not countries (although they can interfere; just ask the folks at Dubai Ports World). Where there are opportunities for growth, like-minded professionals will continue to find each other and pursue strategies that lead to mutual benefit.
Some PR leaders have expressed trepidation about gender imbalance within our profession. What are your views?
Mineta: While some may be concerned about a gender imbalance in the PR profession (more women than men, by some appearances), my main concern is whether the business will continue to attract qualified talent regardless of gender, nationality, race or religious affiliation.
We should be asking ourselves if our colleges and universities are adequately preparing young people for this profession and whether we are attracting compelling candidates from outside the field whose expertise will be valued by our clients.
My greatest fear isn’t a homogenous profession comprised of too many men or women, but one that is populated by communications majors who never developed expertise in an industry or economic sector before joining the ranks of PR professionals.
How do we foster understanding among purchasing/procurement professionals about the strategic importance of public relations?
Mineta: Thankfully for PR professionals everywhere, procurement teams are starting to understand the value of effective communications. The trick is still to get procurement managers to engage early in the process, before the competition takes the gloves off.
I’ll use governmental procurement as an example. My philosophy has always been that procurement competitions are won for three reasons: price, performance and politics. While communications professionals don’t determine the costs and parameters for their clients’ programs, they can certainly help get the word out about the benefits to taxpayers and the superiority of their clients’ offerings versus those of the competition.
Most important, effective communication can help mitigate interference, build support and sustain funding from those in Congress who hold the purse strings. While most procurement processes are designed to be insulated from political influence, it doesn’t mean that Congress can’t make things uncomfortable for decision-makers. GAO reports, hearings and investigations are all available to members of Congress who will challenge procurement awards if they feel their constituents and American taxpayers were ill served.
Comments
Lisa says:
A great article, although the discussion on "gender imbalance" should be "sex imbalance." Sex and gender are not interchangable terms and shouldn't be used as such. As PR professionals, we should be more observant about this incorrect use of the word "gender."
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