Public relations and marketing strategies are key to the success of any business. But how much attention do you pay to your internal PR?

Case Study:

I’ve got a very good client in Miami, FL who recently asked me to help with an internal vision project. She asked her staff to write a short response to the following two question:

1 – Who Are We Now?
and
2 – Where Are We Going?

The intent was to understand how each staff member saw the business, to see if they were on the same page and shared the same goals, and to see how closely their ideas mirrored her own – if at all. It was also a check for her to see how well she was communicating her personal vision for the busines to them and if they understood that vision.

She asked me to help by taking all the individual responses and come up with comprehensive answers to the question that incorporated the staff’s responses.

When I received the responses I immediately knew she was already doing a great job as leader of this company. Each response, while clearly individual, echoed the others. These people knew who they were as a company and knew the direction they were heading. It made my job pretty easy as the responses were not just “positive” but the words they used had a certain forward-moving energy to them. It is clear that this team is excited about their future as a company.

The project made me wonder how many companies out there can say the same? How many leaders take the time to ensure that their internal PR is as strong and their external PR? And how many businesses fail because they neglect this simple yet vital exercise?