Why is it so hard to change anything?

One of the things I learned over the last few years is just how difficult it is to change anything.

I don't think my organization was unique in that its shortcomings were obvious, but it was hard to do anything about them. And the times that I succeeded in making any change (never alone in any success but always as part of a team), I always felt that it was harder and took longer than it should have.

Not being the most patient of persons, this always bothered me. I realize now I need to get used to it. Everywhere I look and everyone I talk to drives this message home. I have taken courses on change management, been involved in change initiatives and tried to be a 'change champion', but it just boils down to an incredible amount of work to succeed at changing anything - for the better that is! And how fragile those gains are, it's amazing how quickly any progress can be lost.

I guess realizing how much work it takes to succeed at anything - big or small - is part of the maturing process. Knowing it theoretically and feeling it every day as you slog up the hill are two different ways of knowledge.

I hope that one of the learnings I can take from these last few months of my work transition - that I really don't want to forget - is just how much time, effort, helping others along and patience it takes to achieve any change. What looks easy is usually not!

Audiences and Content - the Magic Formula

Communications is all about the audience. While I know that theoretically, I also know that I have forgotten this basic fact more times than I care to mention because doing all the tactical work takes up so much time that I have lost my focus. All of a sudden, the audience has been lost.

Then there is the question of content. Having been in PR for many years, it is also easy to forget that audiences may not want to hear what I have to say. Or even worse, they may not believe it, I or my organization lack credibility. That's a brutal place to be.

What social media is showing me is that there are some sweet spots where audience and content align. Unfortunately for the PR folks, it is usually not our new releases or websites that bring in the crowds, but the viral attacks on big organizations. I have been following the United Breaks Guitars song and story and find it fascinating. One poor service incident that has generated tens of millions of negative impressions for United and they appear powerless to respond effectively.

So what's a PR guy to do?

Well it boils down to the hard work of my profession - distilling the story down to its most understandable parts and getting those out in a way that generates interest. Unfortunately, sometimes what I have to work with will not generate interest. Or what does generate interest is the negative news.

Well, that's what makes this profession an art rather than a science. But if I can keep my eye on the audience and the content and then work at making those pieces fit, wonderful things do happen - sometimes!