Lee Groeger - 10/16/2024
With my kids back in school, lately I find myself offering them examples of how something they learned or dealt with in the classroom or on the playground parallels “grown-up” life. And it got me thinking — for all its simplicities, many of the lessons we learn in kindergarten lay a foundation for skills that are valuable throughout our personal and professional lives. Here are six things I learned in kindergarten that apply to my job in public relations, all the time.
Hold the Door Open for Others
I don’t mean this literally — though, whenever possible, this is also a good literal rule — but in the sense of championing and mentoring those under you as you move up the ranks.
Contributing to someone else’s growth or success isn’t just a nice thing to do; it can also leave you with a sense of tremendous pride and esteem, not to mention help develop your own leadership and management skills. You also never know where someone you work with will end up, and how the time and effort you put into them may come back to you one day.
Raise Your Hand
Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions. There are so many positive things that can come out of it, aside from an answer. First of all, in my experience, probably 90 percent of the time, I have found that when I have a question, someone else in the conversation does, too. Sharing that moment of “I was wondering the same thing!” can also be a bonding experience.
What I think has been the most enlightening thing about asking questions, though, is that it has an almost counterintuitive effect. Where there is often a fear that asking a “stupid question” will make you look uninformed, what tends to be the case is that it demonstrates that you are being thoughtful, proactive, and forward-thinking.
Check Your Work
I don’t know if the first time I heard someone say, “don’t forget to cross your t’s and dot your i’s” was in kindergarten, but it might as well have been for all the times I’ve heard it since. But when, like I am, you spend your days writing press releases, blogs, articles, social media copy, and all kinds of marketing collateral that’s intended to be read by people far and wide, this is one lesson that’s important to practice!
Even when writing e-mails, taking that extra second to make sure you spelled someone’s name right, or that the email recipient’s address is correct, or that you didn’t accidentally type “pubic” instead of “public” (that’s a big one), or that the meeting invitation you sent is set to the right time zone – all of these things and SO many more can save time, frustration, confusion, and embarrassment.
Sharing is Caring
We live in the age of information, and while almost everything can be discovered by an individual on their own, the act of sharing is what connects us as human beings. What this might look like comes in many shapes and sizes. From a tactical standpoint, it could be something as simple as providing a colleague with information they may not otherwise have access to. In a broader, more meaningful sense, it could come in the form of sharing personal stories, insights and advice gained from your own experiences, lessons learned, or practical tips related to a particular situation.
At the end of the day, you get back what you put out.
Tell the Truth
I’ll never forget one of my earliest experiences with a member of the press. I was a junior account executive at a PR agency – my first job, right out of college – and one of the account executives entrusted me to manage a news segment with one of the biggest networks in New York. While chatting with the food anchor before we started rolling, he asked me how I liked public relations. I told him, “I love it,” and that my only concern is that I might be “too honest.” His response was, “you’ll be just fine.” And he was right.
Like many people, my impression of what PR entails was somewhat tainted by tropes of the profession from movies and TV shows. But the truth is, lying gets you pretty much nowhere – at least nowhere I want to be! This applies to dealing with co-workers, clients, stakeholder, partners, and press, alike.
Adhering to ethical standards and conduct is a foundation of public relations. As a representative communicating on behalf of other companies, spreading misinformation can damage not only my clients’ credibility and reputation, but my employer’s, as well as my own.
Follow the Golden Rule
We all know it, but I’ll say it just so we know we’re on the same page: treat others as you would like to be treated. When you are working with people in any capacity, kindness should be a baseline requirement. Unfortunately, I’ve learned over the years that not everyone extends that common courtesy in professional situations.
Kindness is, of course, not something you should practice only because of what you might get out of it, but as the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I have often been struck by how surprised or grateful someone can be as the recipient of a simple thank-you, a compliment, or acknowledgment of a job well done. It’s a simple thing that can solidify relationships, help you stand out from the pack, and make everyone’s day just a little bit better.
So, that’s it! Six lessons I learned in kindergarten that I still use every day, not only as a public relations professional, but as a person who wears many hats in this life. If you thought of a lesson I missed while you were reading this, I’d love to hear what it is! Send me a note and maybe I’ll add it to the list. Thanks for reading!