Leadership Rally Welcome Ceremony [2019 Rally Recap]
PRSSA Leadership Rally began Friday, May 31. The festivities started at 6 p.m. where an amazing dinner was served to the group. This was a great chance to say hello to familiar faces and to also introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces.
During dinner, 2013 PRSA Chair and CEO Mickey G. Nall, APR, Fellow PRSA, kicked off the evening by giving the group helpful tips on how to be a better PRSSA leader. He began by explaining the difference between managers and leaders. He did so by telling us that leaders are not managers because managers plan and coordinate to produce results while leaders rally to help their team succeed. His overall suggestion with this comparison was to avoid being a manager, strive to be an awesome leader and to make your mark while you can by being interesting, safe and challenging for everyone in your Chapter.
Mickey swung right into his next topic on what great leaders do. This topic was a list of seven qualities which are:
- Be proactive and passionate
- Focus on priorities
- Listen and learn
- Delegate responsibility
- Set the example
- Develop more leaders
- Enjoy the process
By putting his own suggestions in the mix of this list, we were able to get more insight on how to portray these qualities within every PRSSA Chapter. A few highlights from his suggestions include:
- Be together in the Chapter
- Learn to laugh at mistakes
- Your words and actions matter; a worker’s attitude will follow the attitude of their leader
- Model the way by showing up on time, being prepared and respecting other’s time
- Focus on strengths by helping your team find their strength and exploit it for the benefit of the Chapter and for themselves
- Be an empathetic listener and know how to understand why someone is feeling the way they do in that moment
- Listen to your peers and past leaders and use this to lead by example
- Create calendars for events to make sure everyone knows when they are needed
- Be energetic
- Lighten up and have fun
His energetic and fun attitude set the tone for the weekend. There was an anticipation filling the room once he finished his presentation for what was to come of the remainder of our time in Scottsdale. How would you incorporate these leadership skills within your Chapter?
Sarah Smith is a senior studying public relations and business administration at University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. They are currently the Chapter treasurer for UofSC PRSSA. Connect with them on LinkedIn.
