Bulletin No. 25 | January – February 2005

Topics in this issue

REMARKS FROM THE EDITOR

We have no words to describe how tragic people lost their lives in the last December earthquake and tsunami that devastated several regions along the Indian Ocean, in the Province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra. No more tears shall drop for our lost ones, let them rest in peace as life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

It is always easier to be critical than to be correct. Why don’t we stop criticizing or blaming others and start doing something for the sake of others. Why don’t we strengthen our national solidarity by increasing our social sensitivity, paying more respect and tolerance, increasing a sense of togetherness as a nation. It is time that we need to be more Indonesian than we were! Let’s put it into action of the Year of Solidarity and Togetherness!

In this edition, you will be able to check your own personal qualities as self assessment tips. In Public Relations issue you will find the overview of the profession today with its specification in the practice. In the Human Resource, you can practice the tips to help you through the frustrating, confusing or downright disastrous times that arise as you attempt to manage your career successfully. In Marketing, you have key tips to ensure that your organization is market-focused, rather than selling-focused.

For members who missed our activities in 2004, you will be able to join us for the next six months, either in interactive discussion, seminar, workshop, business communication course, overseas tour, exhibition or social campaign. We will stick to our vision – to assist our members/clients to be in the Frontline of Change.

We strongly believe that Education will Guarantee Achievements (EGA). 

Happy New Year!!!

Best wishes, 

Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto
The Editor


TIPS OF MONTH

Finding Your Personal Qualities

These words represent personality traits people in the business world find positive and attractive. Review this list and select the words that seem to describe you.

A – able, accurate, adept, aggressive, analytical, articulate, attractive
B – bilingual, bright, brilliant
C – capable, competent, confident, cooperative, creative
D – dedicated, dependable, detail-oriented, dynamic
E – educated, effective, efficient, energetic, enthusiastic, experience, expert
F – fast, fair, fit, flexible, formidable, friendly
G – gentle, good looking, gracious
H – hardworking, healthy, honest, humble
I – imaginative, ingenious, innovative, intelligent
L – licensed, literate, low-profile
M – managerial, motivated, multilingual, multitalented
O – organized, outgoing, outstanding
P – patient, people-oriented, perceptive, personable, productive, professional
Q – qualified, quick-thinking
R – ready, reliable, resourceful, responsible, reasonable
S – scholarly, self-assured, self-reliant, serious, skilled, smart, stable, successful
T – talented, top-level, trained, trustworthy
V – valuable, visionary
W – well-educated, well-groomed, willing, witty
Y – Young, youthful


PUBLIC RELATIONS

Overview of the Profession

Public relations as a profession is changing rapidly. Globalization of worldwide markets and organizational restructuring are two major influences on the practice of public relations. Practitioners are no longer technicians who shape and distribute the messages from their organizations, they are demanded professionals who shape the relationship of the organization with its various constituents.

Public relations practitioners are to bring not only all traditional and conventional communication skills, but to be recognized in the boardroom, they must bring the ability to research, to understand problems, to plan the public relations programs, to create effective messages and to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs. To achieve these, he or she must posses the communication expertise and social sensitivity to enable organizations to adapt to the changing business and social environments.

Here are some specifications in practice :

Counseling – Research – Employee Relations – Media Relations – Community Relations – Public Affairs – Government Affairs – Issue Management – Crisis Management – Reputation Management – Financial and Investor Relations – Legal and Litigation – Industrial Relations – Fund Raising and Special Events – Minority / Multi cultural Relations – Marketing Communications.

A multi discipline approach has characterized the practice of public relations. We believe that with a blended working experience in journalism, business management, psychology, and communication a person can acquire a comprehensive knowledge to enter into public relations world. Basically, public relations training falls into four categories : Knowledge, Business Skills. Public Relations Planning and Programming, Public Relations Implementation.


HUMAN RESOURCE

Lifetime employment has ended.

You might be struggling with office politics or a difficult boss, facing ethical dilemmas, wondering how to get a promotion, or deciding if you should change your career field, the tips are suitable for you. In the dot.com company, the knowledge workers get paid foro their education, knowledge and mind. Here are the following tips to help you through the frustrating, confusing or downright disastrous times that arise as you attempt to manage your job or career successfully.

  • Working Smarter, Not Harder
  1. Expect to deal with ambiguous situations everyday
  2. Put what motivates you in your job
  3. Maximize your learning style
  4. Blend your decision-making approach with those of others
  • Managing Other’s Perceptions of You
  1. Define your perceived and real image
  2. Determined why you may have a perception gap
  3. Alter or strengthen your real image
  4. Locate your job as a centre of a small circle
  5. Measure your professional success by your cumulative achievements
  6. Accept that is Okay to go sideways
  7. Redefine your career to include all aspects of your life
  • Prioritizing Who is Important
  1. Make yourself accessible
  2. Return all message promptly
  3. Manage your time by turning in client’ needs
  4. Act and follow up quickly and consistently
  5. Share relevant information with others
  6. Handle conflicts before they handle you
  7. Evaluate your level of responsiveness
  • Approaching Your Job
  1. Act enthusiastic and positive
  2. Think like an owner
  3. Find solutions to problems
  4. Do grunt work with a smile
  5. Be detailed oriented
  6. Play for the team

(Source : Work Smart, M. Taub, M. Tullier)
Note : The tips will continue in the next editions – follow them through.


LEADERSHIP

  • Some leaders are not effective
  • Why employees do not want to listen to them?
  • To be effective leaders, we should have Personal Leadership Qualities
  • Leaders must themselves exhibit the work habits, attitudes and priorities they expect of their subordinates if their leadership is to be the most effective
  • Exhibiting confidence in an increasingly uncertain situation is the second most frequently noted personal leadership quality 
  • What exactly the Personal Leadership Qualities :
  1. Leading by example not by words
  2. Facing change and uncertainty with full confidence
  3. Being motivated by strongly held principles and beliefs
  4. Knowing one’s own strengths and weakness
  5. Being committed to continuous learning

What are the major barriers to Leadership Development?

  1. Inadequate succession planning
  2. Inadequate leadership training
  3. Lack of commitment to leadership development
  4. Failure to delegate by senior management

Each of these barriers to leadership development is rooted in an organization’s culture – and the conflict with the leader’s role in the last two decades has brought about the influence on how organization adopt its style of management (Wyatt, 1997) that will finally have a significant impact toward the practice of public relations in an organization (White and Mazur, 2001).


MARKETING

Key tips to ensure that your organization is market-focused, rather than selling-focused.

  • Marketing is not a department. It is an ethos that pervades the whole organization, so that proper training and internal marketing are crucial
  • Always look at issues from the customer perspective
  • Keeping customers is easier than winning new ones
  • Prepare a plan, follow it and follow it up. Prove it with action, not words
  • Get help where it adds value
  • Remember the CVP (Customer Value Proposition)

V isibile satisfaction to your customer
A nalyze the market, so you understand the dynamics
L ook at your competitors and beat them
U understand the real needs of your customer
E qualize value

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