Welcome to the New Business Class Column

Welcome to the all-new Business Class. 

Well, it’s somewhat new, but I’ve been thinking of it more as something of an evolution from the State of Independence column I’ve written over the past few years. That column was specifically focused on independents and those organizations or clients who hire them.

But even there, I always tried to expand its focus with the understanding that PRSA has a broad and diverse membership. I always wanted to produce articles that provided tips and takeaways for all PRSA members regardless of their specialty area or employer.

Before going any further, I want to thank the many people who agreed to share their stories and comment in State of Independence these past few years. I’ve been able to form many meaningful and rich relationships with PR professionals from Alaska to Florida through it.

I’d also like to thank the folks who read that column and reached out to me with a kind word, a tip or valuable constructive feedback. All have been appreciated.

That said and in the spirit of keeping things fresh, John Elsasser, editor-in-chief of Strategies & Tactics, recently raised the idea of changing things up by taking what we had and expanding it to what we are introducing now. I have to admit, as soon as he ran the idea by me, I seized on it.

A fresh focus

With this in mind, Business Class will center more broadly on work and life in the PR profession, regardless of where you work or what you do. My hope is that over time, as you see something or experience something in your workday you might think, “That would be a great story for Tim’s Strategies & Tactics column!” And when you do, don’t wait. Send me a tweet @OBrienPR or an email with your thoughts.

Together, let’s celebrate what works and take a deeper look at what may not work as we continue to grow as professionals. Let’s explore new ideas and revisit some of the proven ways of doing things that we may have come to take for granted.

Let’s talk candidly about the challenges we face, and maybe some of those little hacks we’ve discovered to be better professionals. Let’s share, and let’s put a spotlight on some of those exceptional stories that happen wherever we do what we do.

A new year

I’ll provide some brief examples of what we’re thinking. Do you remember that time your boss or client wanted you to work late and the costs of day care ramped up after business hours? What did you do? 

What about the time that you were asked to give a presentation on something where you didn’t have any notable experience, but someone in the organization thought you did? What was that like? Or, perhaps it was the time you did something as a volunteer in your community and, out of nowhere, someone noticed and offered you a job or became a client? How cool was that?

There are many other work-related scenarios that come to mind, from the challenges of running a consultancy to ethical issues in the workplace. I’ve already got a list of ideas for future columns. However, I’d love to get your thoughts as we move forward in 2020. 

Here’s to new beginnings and a Happy New Year!


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