College Football and the PR Pro

On Saturday, Temple lost to one of it's biggest rivals in football, Penn State. While this was definitely a blow for us, there are a couple lessons we can take from the college football game, thanks to "What college football teaches us about PR":

• The coach/CEO sets the tone: think of all of your favorite teams, and then think of their coaches. You can probably name all of them. The coach is the heart of the team in a lot of ways, he motivates and disciplines and can often serve as a father figure to some of the players. The dynamic of the team depends on first the coach, which also effects performance. The same goes for companies. The CEO is the figurehead of the company and communicates the company's purpose and goals to the rest of the public. The rest of the employees depend on him or her to represent the company well and to their best advantage.
• Preparation is key: teams are always watching footage of past games. This is to strategize what they did wrong, or right, and devise a plan for next time, to do better. PR teams must do this as well, to prepare adequately for any kind of crisis. The more you prepare in advance, the less amount of running around you will have to do. Granted, things will always go wrong, but you can never be too prepared.
• Never underestimate an opponent (or reporter): The biggest mistake teams make is to be overconfident. Overconfidence clouds the mind and prevents players from really committing to the game and executing. PR pros must also be vigilant in trusting a reporter. Regardless of the situation, always be prepared for a reporter to ask your client tough, involved questions. Letting your guard down will leave an open window of opportunity for a reporter to get to your client.
• It's all about the team: no football team would be successful without the entire team. Every player is given a role in the team and without that one person, productivity would suffer. In the workplace, whether you are an intern or an executive, you are needed. Just giving someone a pat on the back or a "good job" may do wonders and will ultimately promote a team atmosphere.