Q-and-A with Michael Cherenson, APR: “The most important thing we can do is focus on the needs of our members”

December 29, 2008

Copyright © 2009 PRSA. All rights reserved.

 

The following article appears in the January 2009 issue of PR Tactics.

 

Michael Cherenson,  APR, is PRSA’s 2009 chair and CEO. On Dec. 1, he talked with John Elsasser, editor in chief of Tactics, about an Obama White House, the top challenges for PRSA in 2009 and being a second-generation PR counselor.

 

You have the opportunity to travel and talk with many PR professionals/PRSA members. What’s top of mind these days?

The economy is obviously top of mind for everybody. People are concerned about budgets and jobs and their futures.  Also, people are talking about social media and the impact it has on communications. We’re seeing changes in the way people are communicating overall.
If I were to sum up what people are feeling, it’s that we’re in the midst of a major change. We’re seeing [that] some of the major institutions that we grew up with . . . might not be around. So “change” is the word [on people’s minds].

 

You mention change. What is the possible impact on the PR profession with a Barack Obama White House?

The Obama campaign captured social media dynamics. They understood the power of social media, not only from the tactical side, but also from the strategic side. They definitely legitimized social media.

We learned the spirit and the power of social media from the Obama campaign. People are looking for hope, and the power of good communicators. Certainly, you also have to have the data and the facts to back things up, but . . . we learned firsthand how important communication is.

 

Despite the recessive economy, do you believe that this is a good time for the PR profession?

We’re seeing trust in all of our institutions erode. PR people are the trust builders. We are the trust keepers. So there is huge potential. [Organizations will] realize the value of trust and other intangible assets, such as brand and reputation.  And it’s our role as PR professionals to show our value.

 

The Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) study released last spring by the USC Annenberg School for Communication talked about how public relations is more recession-resistant than ever before. I believe that. In fact, most of the people I talked to have seen things remain steady or have even seen some slight growth.  And certainly there’s a wait-and-see attitude in the economy, but public relations is holding its own right now.

 

How about for PRSA?

It used to be that professional development was a luxury.  Today, professional development is a necessity. If anybody has learned anything in this shifting economy and communication environment, it’s that it’s a necessity to constantly retool yourself.

 

Senior leaders at organizations are looking for PR professionals who are problem solvers, who understand all the dynamics of public relations and can put it all together.

 

So many people have put themselves into a career cubbyhole, but they need to continue to grow. I don’t know if you can rely upon your employer to be your sole source of education in professional development. For starters, you suffer from group thinking, and you learn their way, and that doesn’t always transcend into other ways of thinking.

 

You need [to] learn what other industries and professions are doing. Good organizations learn from other industries and other professions.  Also, [now] more than ever you need a network of people. Knowledge is power and network is key. People have to have a large network — they have to be part of a community. Now is not the time to hibernate and go into your bunker. Now is the time to build relationships. What are we counseling our clients to do, but to build relationships? Every individual needs to take that same charge, build up their own personal relationships, invest in their own education and retool themselves.

 

What are the top challenges that the Society faces this year?

Communication. We have done a good job, but we need to continue to do a good job with both our external and internal communications. We need to be speaking externally not only to PR professionals but to the business community and the broader community.

 

In addition, we need to continue to utilize social media to communicate internally and empower our members and create an environment where they become our spokespeople. It’s not just at PRSA headquarters — we need to empower all 32,000 of our professional and student members to become brand advocates and passionate spokespeople for the profession overall.

 

PRSA’s greatest strengths, and what makes us so unique, are our size, our reach and our potential to unleash that power. Our Member Code of Ethics asks every member to be an advocate for the profession. Our job at PRSA is to give them the tools so they can go forth and do that.

We’re also making improvements to our Web site, and it’s going to be more of a community. It will be more customized to [members’] needs. We’re going to have more of a “My PRSA” [function], where people can shape their own online environment.

 

Also, one of the challenges we have is updating our governing structure. Just think about how our bylaws define public relations. That definition has changed dramatically.

 

Ultimately, the most important thing we can do is focus on the needs of our members. Right now, our members are concerned about their jobs, their paychecks, careers, promotions. We have to create the environment where our members feel as if they can thrive.

 

What do you believe will be your top challenges personally as a PR leader in 2009?

Focusing all of our volunteer leaders on the task at hand. Right now we need to get all of our leaders, our Chapters, Sections, Districts and national leadership focused on advancing the careers of our members. That is job number one.

 

Now more than ever we have to stay relevant, we have to stay focused. That is my challenge — to help make sure all of our leaders stay focused [and], help our members in their careers. That’s the most important thing we can do.

 

Why did you decide to pursue a role in PRSA’s leadership?

I’m a second-generation PR counselor. So I grew up in this profession.  As I’ve said: It put the braces on my teeth, it put me through college and it does the same for my children today. This profession has given me everything I have in life.  And it has not only shaped who I am and the types of schools I went to, but how I think [about] communications and my approach to relationship building. So I do feel an obligation to give back to a profession that’s given so much to me.

 

I’m also of the school of thought that you either lead, follow or get out of the way. My feeling is if there are things that I think can be done to improve the environment for PR professionals, I have three options — and I chose to get involved and become active.

 

In addition, from a personal standpoint, being involved in leadership has been one of the greatest learning opportunities of my life. It has given me knowledge, a network.

 

With so much going on in your life — from work to coaching your children’s sports teams — how do you find the time for PRSA?

 

What I learn in one [area] I use in another. I find [that] everything [is] a learning experience.

 

I just find the time, and it has made me a better counselor, made me better from a tactical side, from a strategic side, a better manager, a better leader. I have invested in PRSA, but this leadership has also given back to me severalfold, and that’s why I do it.

 

What have you learned about leadership from coaching sports?

I coach a lot of kids in several different sports, and that’s one of my greatest leadership opportunities. There’s nothing better than seeing a young football or lacrosse player advance, and all of a sudden finally get it, finally make that catch, make that play.  And, in many ways, seeing PR people advance in their careers is that same kind of reward. I truly believe that watching one of your players score a touchdown is better than scoring a touchdown yourself.

 

A great coach is [someone] who can get people to struggle for the same goal. That’s what I find amazing — when people are willing to sacrifice for a common good or a common goal, and you see that in sports.
 
How would you describe your leadership style?

One thing that my father said, and that I practice, is “always hire people smarter than you.” Surround yourself with smart people. That is key.

 

The other thing is, and this is something I do naturally as a twin, I generally use the word “we” and not “me” or “I.” You’ll find good leaders generally use the word “we” more than they use “I” or “me.”

 

Another thing, too, that I’ve learned is that you need a good heart in this business. We’re about people.  At the end of the day, we’re connecting, building bridges between people and ideas.

 

So I know often we’re quick to jump to technology. “Groundswell,” the book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff at Forrester Research, talks about the acronym P.O.S.T. — People, Objective, Strategies and then the Technology. People come first.

 

Meanwhile, it’s important to have perspective about how far this profession has come in such a relatively short period of time. My father went to Boston University, the first school to offer a degree in public relations. This was during the 1947-48 academic year. He was in either the first or second class.  We’re not talking eight generations ago. For me, it was one generation ago. 

 

And to think in such a relatively short time how far we’ve come. PRSA was founded at that same time, and it was just a small group of people. Now we have 22,000 members. PRSSA was founded in 1967 and today, there are 10,000 members.

 

[My father] would never have imagined multinational PR firms when he got started. He would have never imagined PR firms hiring thousands of employees or the budgets there are today, and this is just one generation ago. The first law school was in the 1700s in the United States, and in 1947 [we had] the first PR school.

 

If you could point to one thing that could turn a nonmember into a member, what would that be?

Make an investment in yourself. It’s the greatest career insurance you will ever buy.

 

To be successful in this or any career, you need knowledge and to network. That’s what PRSA gives you.

You also need to make your own luck. Sitting and having lunch with the same people [everyday] is not going to make luck for you. You need to go out and meet other people. You need to go and invest in your career.

 

I equate PRSA to a health club. You could join the greatest gym in the world, but if you don’t go, and you don’t pick up a weight, you will not lose the weight, you will not gain muscle mass. PRSA is the same way.  The more you use it, the more it will give back to you.

 

And just volunteering your time on a leadership level will pay dividends. You will meet people, you will make connections. [The] bottom line is to invest in yourself; knowledge is power; network is essential; make your own luck.

 

 

 

Michael Cherenson, APR, at a glance

Michael Cherenson, APR, is a 16-year industry veteran and the author of three studies on the impact of reputation. His expertise extends to all disciplines of public relations, including corporate, marketing, internal and crisis communication, government relations, event management and interactive public relations.

At Success Communications, he serves as chief  PR counselor and strategist and oversees all PR activities for the firm’s diverse clientele.
In 2003, Cherenson was elected to a three-year term on the national Board of Directors. Cherenson also serves as chair of the PRSA Advocacy Advisory Board, and liaison to the Public Relations Student’s Board of Professional Ethics and Standards.

During his tenure on the Board of Directors, Cherenson co-authored a PRSA study on MBA Programs and their communication curricula. In 2005, Cherenson represented PRSA and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs on a mission to Croatia where he served as a keynote speaker at the 6th Annual Croatian Public Relations Association Conference.

A member of  The Fairleigh Dickinson University Corporate and Organizational Communication Board of Corporate Advisors and the Gibbs College Advisory Board, he is a past president of PRSA’s New Jersey Chapter, where he was honored with its Service Award in 2002.

The father of three children — ages 9, 7 and 4 — Cherenson is a graduate of Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y., and attended the prestigious Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

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