If there is one thing I've learned over the course of the last ten weeks of interning, it's this:
Grunt work is the life blood of the industry.
Coming into the role of intern at a small firm that is currently in the middle of repositioning its entire PR and marketing strategies, I was expecting to be handed the medial tasks that although important, were entirely secondary to the ultimate outcomes. That is, the tasks that no-one else wanted to do because they were tedious or repetitive or simply considered too unimportant. Therefore, it was interesting, and slightly unexpected, to receive an email from one of the women in the office tasked with the overhaul of the firm, including its public relations practices, telling me to keep my chin up and saying that "even after 25 years in the industry, grunt work is still the bulk of the job!"
It's easy enough to look at the glory of marketing and successful PR practitioners when the effects are visible and presented to the public through philanthropy projects, crisis management and campaigns. To speak in AFL terms (hello, finals series!), these are your forwards, your spearheads, your goalsneaks who press the immediate advantage to the scoreboard for all to see. Those who are seen when the crisis hits, when the crucial moments of the game are in play are recognised as the heroes and the hard-workers. The same can be said for PR: when considering the Johnson & Johnson crisis of the 1980s, the credit for the successful public relations strategy is placed almost solely upon the CEO of the company, with occasional reference to the standing values of J&J that steered the response of the company.
As with anything, however, there is another dimension, an undercurrent of planning and application of skill that is often overlooked when considering the aspect of the result rather than the whole of the circumstance and effort leading to the result.
When it comes down to it, the Buddy Franklins and Hayden Ballantynes of the world would be hard-pressed to deliver a 6-goal game without the delivery of their midfield and the support of their backline. To quote a cliche, the organisation must be greater than the sum of its parts, and its parts must each work together to create the greatest possible team for both smooth operation and longevity. The support staff, the assistants and the interns, like myself, must have performed their tasks admirably in order to secure a platform from which those higher up the chain may strive for long-term success in the public eye.
It can be difficult to see the beauty in the details or the light at the end of the tunnel when your central tasks are proof-reading, summarising and then being told to proof-read your summary. One of my tasks was to identify stakeholder groups and create a targeted mail-out to identify potential areas for philanthropy and public outreach for Meridian. As simple a task as this sounds, I knew I was never going to be around to see results from my work. Whilst my endeavors were setting the company up for the long-term, my services as an intern were fast coming to a conclusion. However, the greater picture was at stake and the email from my colleague placed a different perspective to everything I am delegated during the course of my work. A media release, carelessly written or viewed with tired eyes, would fail to create an image for the company that external stakeholders would take seriously. Email correspondence without tailoring to specific stakeholder requirements will fail to make the impact necessary to create a lasting relationship with key publics. The devil is in the detail, and someone must always have their eye on the devil.
To be the greatest, you must work your way from the bottom and be able to not only match, but surpass those who set the benchmark; in doing so, you must also both acknowledge and raise up those beneath you whose efforts not only support your endeavours, but take them from the impossible to the probable. I want my impression upon the world of public relations to be that of a Matthew Pavlich: one who achieves greatness and respect without shunning the grunt work, who delivers the results that are required and goes above and beyond the call of duty and, most importantly, sees the team and themselves as part of something larger.
In short? Be the change you want to see, but do not hide those that helped you create that change.
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