Everyday Influence: PR News Hall of Fame

I was honored this week to be inducted into the PR News Hall of Fame. I received the honor at a luncheon ceremony that took place at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Fellow industry colleagues who were also inducted into the PR News Hall of Fame this year, are:

Peter Debrecney - Strategy Execution Consultant, Gagen MacDonald
Donna Imperato - President and CEO, Cohn & Wolfe
Michael Kempner - President and CEO, MWW Group Inc.
Marcia Silverman - Chair and former Global CEO, Ogilvy PR
Larry Parnell - Associate Professor and Program Director Masters in PR at The George Washington University

What is special about this for me is that although the honor (Hall of Fame) suggests recognition of 'overall' career accomplishments – I really am right in the prime of my career.

Throughout my career I have had great success leading award winning marketing, communication and business development programs for global enterprise technology, Internet start-up and professional service companies where I have designed numerous multi-faceted marketing and communication programs to support the launch of companies and the introduction of new products and services that have led to the creation and redefinition of several multi-million and multi-billion dollar, 3d party validated market categories.

As part of the global communications management team at SAP, I currently lead the Industry and Influencer Relations organization which includes: IT Influencer Relations, Business Influencer Relations, Global Customer Communities and University Alliance programs. In 2008, I joined the board of directors and became a fellow at The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR).

Mentorship and Team

I have been lucky to work for and with many great and dynamic communication-savvy executives and managers at companies throughout my career (thus far) who have been at the cutting edge of business and technology leadership. At each step, I have been given tremendous opportunity to take risks and innovate the design of integrated communication and influence programs, providing great returns for my employers and clients.

Perhaps the most significant and contributing factor to my success (throughout my career) is the excellence of my team(s).

My success is a direct reflection of the success of each member of my team who constantly strive for excellence and work extremely hard day-in and day-out. Working for a global company, the sun never sets on my organization - which is both exciting and challenging. The tremendous support of the great people around me is the only reason I can be considered for the honor that I received this week.

The Future

I currently see that communications (as a profession) is in a renaissance period, poised to reinforce its position as one of the most important corporate functions in business.

We now live and work in a world of all things social (social media, social networks and social influence) enabled in part by the convergence of the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies. The affect of this ‘new era’ of business is significant and profound as it has disintermediated many long-standing marketing, communications and selling beliefs that have traditionally guided how companies interact, support and collaborate with their customers and key stakeholders.

In today's environment, companies have diminished control over the reputation of their brands, products and services as the wisdom of crowds increasingly dictate the rules of reputation management and selling.

Through the use of social media, customers and prospects now have an almost instantaneous platform for discussion of their ideas, experiences and knowledge. Increasingly, the use of social media is playing an important role in the professional lives of decision-makers as they utilize the tools and mediums before them to engage their decision-making processes.**

To be successful in this new business environment, communications departments and professionals (in part) must adapt to new audience engagement models, technologies, communication tactics, and organizational designs that support principles of 'collaborative influence' - allowing for the exchange of ‘insights’ and facilitation of ‘conversations’ that influence both targeted audiences (external and internal) and the corporation.

Done well, this will improve the value of communications as we reach and influence vast audiences of shareholders, policy makers, customers, partners, journalists, analysts and employees in the connected and increasingly interdependent world of business.

Honor and Inspiration

I accept the honor this week as great inspiration to continue to do great work, enable success and deliver outstanding results. I also intend to continue 'giving back' by sharing my experience, best practices, and insights through my blog and through my work with The Society for New Communications Research and other industry organizations and publications I have the opportunity to work with.

Below is a video that the outstanding video production team at SAP produced for me. This was shown at the awards ceremony this week.

** For more discussion about the impact of social media and social networks on business please see the following post: SNCR Research Reveals Social Media’s Impact on Business and Decision Making