Public Relations 24/7

Generally, we tend to view those working in the business world as being separate from ourselves. After all, we reason, they are the ones selling a product with their own store. Most of us simply put on the proper attire and go to a job where we work for a boss or bosses and do our best to sell or promote the product or service that defines our company or organization. At the end of our shift, we go home where little of what we do pertains to how we spent our time at work. We repeat this, usually, five times each week. Such a routine reinforces the conventional wisdom that we are not business people, certainly in anyway close to the way our bosses are.


The conclusion we draw from such a scenario is not quite accurate, however. The reality is all of us are in-business. All of us are businessmen and women. But instead of producing and selling a product, what we are selling is ourselves. For that, we never take off our business hat even though we may not always realize it. On the job, we sell ourselves to gain the favor of our superiors and approval of our co-workers. Outside of work, we sell ourselves to others so that they will like us, perhaps want to socialize with us, and maybe desire a lasting relationship with us. Those desired results speak to basic needs we have as individuals. As a result, we strive for them not so much out of fun, but rather to gain greater personal fulfillment.


Rarely are there times when we are not conducting a public relations campaign for ourselves. We are our own public relations agents. Our so-called tools include being cordial, polite, engaging, professional, reliable, knowledgeable, honest, and caring. While these tools may seem personal, the fact is, ideally, they should be part of any professional public relations effort launched in the name of a business or organization. Thus, only a fine line distinguishes strategies to sell or promote a "thing" versus those we utilize to connect with others. For all of us, it is public relations 24/7.