You’re a PR professional with ambition. How can you show leadership potential?

There are so many industries that could use great PR professionals - so find one(s) that you're passionate about. I've had PR internships since I've been in HS such as sports, entertainment, science, healthcare, wellness, political, and more. But I found positions that made me feel good when I talked about it. Not all are meant for entertainment so don't force yourself that route because you see the glitz and glamour.

Why leadership is about stewarding vision! As an ambitious PR practitioner, I need to illuminate my vision for the organization, for colleagues, for stakeholders and for my brand. Without a vision, I may not have a bargaining chip. As such, to magnify my leadership potent, it is essential that I make an 'unspoken' value proposition which shows the vision that I hold, and the value it poses.

PR in many ways is about "thinking one step ahead" - whether that's to demonstrate leadership skills, or looking at what's next in a PR program. As someone who has hired, managed, mentored and promoted teammates, I've always encouraged my teammates to speak up, make suggestions, and find ways to solve challenges or come up with new approaches to doing things.

Key in my early career development in PR was "managing up." I built trust and demonstrated my leadership skills by over-communicating with my managers and clients. I provided updates on my client work before being asked; if an issue arose, I provided solutions to my manager, not just problems; and I brought ideas to the table in real-time without being prompted. By making your manager's life easier, it demonstrates you're ready for the next challenge ahead.

This is the main point, in my opinion. To be considered for a leadership position in PR you have to be proactive. Think ahead and plan for solutions. Warn the board about incoming crises. Have multiple plans for multiple scenarios. If you do it correctly, more responsibility (and later, leadership roles) will come to you naturally and earlier than you expect.

In my experience, a lot of growth occurs when you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and take chances on "stretch" projects or assignments. The more proactive you are, the more leaders will notice and potentially start coming to you with additional opportunities. An important note, it's not just about performance in those opportunities - success may be outside your control. Focus more on the soft skills of management - delivering on time, maintaining open communication, and being trustworthy and reliable.

It's not so much about having relationships and broad networks. It's about demonstrating your ability to forge relationships that matter. Knowing who to approach, how to approach them, and how best to create a meaningful relationship based on trust and authenticity. Nobody was born with a network, including me, but over the years I've built a broad, vibrant network. If I don't have a direct contact, that contact is likely only one or two degrees away from someone who I've built a strong relationship with.

Having a relationship based in trust with your clients and stakeholders is what *makes* a PR professional. If they don't trust you, you will not get the opportunity to actually put your plans into practice and the PR role in the organization will slowly lose place to other areas.

Be open to participating in larger and more complex projects than the ones you are currently leading. Be proactive, get to know other teams, and interact with people more experienced than you to gain visibility and receive more assertive feedback. You may not yet have the opportunity to lead a team, but you can temporarily take on the leadership of a multidisciplinary group in a new project, for example. Demonstrate your willingness to learn and grow.

Keep track of wins and losses. As Dr. Taylow Swift said: "Everything you lose is a step you take". Actually sit and study your actions, check what went well and what went wrong. You will evolve much faster in your position and deliver better results in half the time.

Internet es nuestro mejor aliado. Más allá de mostrar logros, lo que debemos hacer es educar. No hay mayor logro que cuando logras transmitir conocimiento, y como profesionales de las relaciones públicas es lo que debemos hacer para nuestros clientes. Comencemos con nosotros mismos. Mostremos a nuestro público lo que sabemos y podemos hacer. La mejor forma, es educando.