Public relations and leadership: Applying public relations skills to develop your own leadership pow

1
Public relations and leadership Applying public
relations skills to develop your own leadership
power

• Travis Parman, APR
• General Motors Communications
• PRSSA National Assembly
• San Francisco, California
• April, 2006

2
Travis Parman

• Education
• B.S. in Communications, public relations sequence
  of journalism, University of Tennessee.
• Pursuing M.S. in Communications Management,
  Syracuse University, ISDP.
• Career summary
• Joined Lockheed Martin directly after undergrad
  working with Department of Energy.
• Joined GM in 1998 and have worked in both
  internal and external communications in
  manufacturing, GM Europe, GM Corporate and
  Chevrolet.
• Serve as a GM intern recruiter.

• PRSA/PRSSA
• PRSA/PRSSA member for 15 years.
• Accredited in 1998.
• Former PRSSA National President.
• Served on numerous PRSA national task forces and
  various positions in Knoxville, Indianapolis and
  Detroit chapters.
• Other fun activities
• Serve as an anchor for GM Drive Time, an auto
  industry newscast now available online.
• Drove a Chevy SSR in last years GM You pay what
  we pay!employee commercials.

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What I do

• Manager, Chevrolet Communications
• North American function with some global
  responsibilities.
• Responsible for product media relations for
  Corvette, Chevy Racing, Camaro concept, Impala,
  Monte Carlo and Malibu.
• Just launched the 505-hp Corvette Z06, the
  fastest car ever offered by GM and the Camaro
  concept .
• Recent activities included Jay Leno driving the
  Corvette Z06 pace car for Daytona 500, Dale
  Earnhardt Jr. story featuring Corvette and Cobalt
  in Esquire, a GQ piece on the Camaro concept and
  next week we will announce the Indianapolis 500
  pace car and driver.

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Public relations and leadership

• With public sentiment, nothing can fail without
  it, nothing can succeed.
• Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes
  deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces
  decisions.
• He makes statutes and decisions possible or
  impossible to be executed.

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Public relations and leadership

• What is leadership?
• Leadership is setting the right example.

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Public relations and leadership

• Successful leaders see their leadership position
  as only the beginning.

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Public relations and leadership

• What are the qualities of a great leader?
• They set a strategic vision and they COMMUNICATE
  it clearly.
• They dont have the answer to everything but
  constantly seek advice and feedback. (two-way
  symmetrical public relations)
• Understand how to influence behavior of other
  people.
• Care about peoples personal goals and try to
  blend them with their organizations overall
  goal. (co-orientation for mutual benefit)
• Understand that People are persuaded by reason,
  but they're moved by emotion.

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Leadership and public relations

• Public relations IS leadership.

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Leadership and public relations

• Being responsible sometimes means pissing people
  off.
• Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in
  their own backyard.
• Never neglect details.
• You don't know what you can get away with until
  you try.
• Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

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Leadership and public relations

• Great leaders are almost always great
  simplifiers.
• Organization charts and fancy titles count for
  next to nothing.
• Have fun in your leadership. Work hard but also
  play hard.
• Leadership can be lonely at times.

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Leadership and public relations

• With public sentiment, nothing can fail without
  it, nothing can succeed.Consequently, he who
  molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who
  enacts statutes or pronounces decisions.He
  makes statutes and decisions possible or
  impossible to be executed.
• Abraham Lincoln

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Leadership and public relations

• Applying public relations skills to develop your
  own leadership power

PRSSA National Assembly 2006 Travis Parman,
APR travis.m.parman_at_gm.com