Three things I learned at the London Worldcom PR Conference.

When I was a kid, my father gave me some great advice: “If you think you have something to learn, you’ll stay one step ahead of everyone else.”  I’ve always appreciated that point of view and it has made me a lifelong learner. That’s not to say I haven’t at times wavered from that path. Chalk it up to age or self-assurance, I sometimes need a reminder to stay mindful of the opportunities for change.

These thoughts surfaced during my attendance at the Worldcom PR global meeting in London a few weeks ago. For the last several years, I have served as Worldcom PR’s Global Chair, and I’ve spoken or participated on panels at nearly every conference. This leadership role has allowed me to help guide the organization and many of its partners, but it’s also meant my focus at conferences is on teaching moreso than learning.

However, this time around, I was able to listen intently to my partners and the other presenters and in their presentations, I found something unexpected. It wasn’t a single massive revelation, but instead a few little nuggets. The kind of learning I love – the incremental shifts that lead to long-term growth.

Small things can lead to big things.

The first thing I learned this conference was that I am not alone — specifically, as a business owner. Every single partner around the globe is having a difficult time with recruitment. The pandemic has truly changed how we work, live, and integrate those two things, and those changes have challenged traditional hiring efforts. What I latched onto from the conversations and presentations is a strategy for proactive recruitment. When I returned from the trip, I handed that recruitment strategy over to my general manager, Sasha Howell because as Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Our intent is to implement this strategy in a way that will hopefully mitigate some of the challenges we are having in that area.

The second key insight was about how agencies talk about themselves. The language nearly every agency uses can sound strikingly similar — including ours at times. This nugget of discovery prompted me to re-examine some of the language on our own website and reminded me that there’s always room for improvement and greater clarity in language regardless of how good I once thought it was.

Finally, the best insight of all is the one that allowed me to look internally. I’ve always felt that my agency was very clear on its purpose, although to be honest, probably not so clear on the best ways to promote it. Nonetheless, a presentation by Crispin Manners made me rethink our language and intent and to engage with Crispin to take our agency through a workshop. The goal is to see where we can improve the language and its emotional connection to staff and our clients. I don’t know what we’ll find, but I’m excited for the chance to learn something new about who our agency is now.

Don’t be afraid of change.

I always said that change is good — even if I haven’t lived by those words at times. The most successful people in business (and in life for that matter) are willing to do the hard things, to look inward and see where they can still learn, still grow. When did you last step back into the role of student? What did you learn? I’d love to hear about it: roger.hurni@offmadisonave.com