Be a Good One.

Abraham Lincoln famously once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Good advice, don’t you think? As young professionals we often have lofty goals we strive for, which are great, but sometimes it can hinder our focus on being the best we can in this moment.

Instead of focusing so much on who we want to be, it can be helpful to focus on who we are right now. So what does that mean? It means to put your best effort into the task at hand, no matter how “mindless” it may seem. That is, concentrate on doing your best work even if you are just stuffing envelopes.

Recently, I was given the opportunity for a client event to brainstorm some topic suggestions and was able to use all the tools I’ve learned to come up with relevant ideas that my team loved! An opportunity like that won’t come around unless you’re constantly putting your best foot forward.

So go the extra mile and voice your ideas – even if they aren’t actually taken at least it’ll show you’re thinking creatively. By focusing on not only the big tasks but also the small ones, it shows how diligent you are – and by then, who wouldn’t want to give you that promotion you want?

It’s important that no matter what position we hold, whether that’s the intern or the president, we are striving to be the very best. There’s no way you can make it all the way to your dream position unless you can perfect the art of those mundane tasks, like compiling media lists. So next time you’re lacking some motivation, try just being “a good one” – whatever that may be right now. 

The Pillars of Our Firm

There’s a lot to learn as an intern at Eisbrenner Public Relations, from developing client strategy to the tedious-yet-necessary task of assembling a media list. But the most important things to learn, understand and demonstrate at Eisbrenner PR, or any company for that matter, are the core values of the organization.

At Eisbrenner PR, our core values define our culture. All of our actions and decisions are guided by these five core values:

Use individual curiosity to spur innovation
Work hard and have fun
Treat the world with respect
Be motivated to discover what’s next
Find the positive in everything we do

Two months into my internship, I’ve learned when people around here speak of our core values, they mean what they say. They are the essence of our agency. They are what drive us to go above and beyond for our clients. They are why we get out of bed in the morning and why we love coming to work (well, most days).

When working in a collaborative environment, sharing a common vision and attitude is not only important, it is crucial to the team’s success. Here are three ways you can integrate your company’s values into your everyday work life.

Know them
Even though our core values are on display on the pillars in our office and on company business cards, I still printed them out and tacked them to the wall at my desk, always within view. It serves as a daily reminder of why I am here and what I am here to do.

Incorporate them
Find your own unique way to incorporate your organization’s core values into daily activities. For example, one of the recurring tasks for Eisbrenner PR interns is to update the message boards outside the breakout rooms with the week’s meetings and quotations. The quotes I include generally are related to one of our five core values (thank you, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations).

Believe in them
Core values are devoid of meaning if they are not appreciated and respected by employees. In the end, it is the people who are the true pillars of Eisbrenner PR.

Our core values are the pillar of Eisbrenner PR - literally!

(Left) My daily reminder of what Eisbrenner PR is all about. (Right) My defensive measures against intermittent koosh-ball-shellings, one example of how we work hard and have fun.

A New Journey

Hello! I'm Jessica Postema, the other summer intern at Eisbrenner Public Relations.

I recently graduated from Michigan State University, home of the almighty Spartans (GO GREEN!) with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and specialization in public relations. Prior to joining Eisbrenner PR, I interned with Mittenberry, Triterra and CRT Medical Systems in various public relations and communication positions. Throughout my internships, I have learned how much I enjoy working in public relations, in particular, the media relations and writing components. They also have helped prepare me for the busy-ness, and sometimes craziness of agency life!

Outside of my education and experience, I'm an avid baker (particularly known for my red velvet cupcakes), dog lover and aspiring marathon runner (although I'm a long way from it). I love traveling the world (hoping to visit Greece and South Africa next), spending time with my friends and now that I've graduated, having time to read something other than textbooks; which currently is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

So far, my internship at Eisbrenner PR has been great! They work hard, but definitely know how to have a good time. My co-workers have been so welcoming and willing to go above and beyond to ensure Greg and I have a good experience.

Well, that's a short introduction about me, more about my new journey as an Eisbrenner PR intern to follow. Stay tuned!

Raise Your Hand & Ask

Reflecting back on my education, I’m convinced everything you need to know is taught in kindergarten. I realized this after reading an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.” “Wisdom,” as Fulghum put it, “was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

Believe it or not, we were all taught life’s biggest lessons at an early age. We left kindergarten knowing it was right to share, apologize and treat other people the way you’d like to be treated.

One lesson that has continued to guide me well past kindergarten is the notion that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. While growing up, I was constantly told by my teachers to ask questions, no matter how elementary the question might seem because questions are essential to learning.

This lesson has continued to reiterate itself, as I begin my career. Just as I was taught in kindergarten, I’ve found the basis of learning starts with a good question. However, in my internship, I’ve found the best lessons come with asking the right questions.

Jodi Glickman Brown, a communication consultant at the Harvard Business School, offers some advice on asking the right questions. Through the Harvard Business Review’s blog, The Conversation, Brown offers three steps to asking for help. Brown suggests by following these steps, you will show your colleagues what you already know, even if you are calling to question what you don’t. Here’s how you do it:

1. Start your question with what you know.
Before resorting to the simple question, “how should I do this?,” present the information you’ve already obtained. This starts by doing research and understanding the task at hand. Brown says, “Give the other person an idea of what you’ve completed to date or what you know already and then proceed to explain what’s outstanding, where or how you’re struggling, or what you need help with.”

2. State the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, thoughts or clarification.
In your dialogue, propose the course of action you think should be taken. By formulating your own opinion, you may be able to develop the right choices on your own in the future. From there, the individual helping you can provide proper feedback or offer suggestions for an alternative approach.


3. If you don’t know the direction to take, ask for tangible feedback.
If the answer still remains unclear, ask where you can find it on your own. Ask for tools that may show you the answer, such as past examples or templates. Another option, says Brown, “Is to ask for a referral to someone who has worked on a similar initiative or project in the past.” This referral can offer insight, advice and tips based on their past experiences.

Just as Brown has demonstrated, the key to learning is in the questions we ask and how we ask them. By asking questions the smart way, you’re guaranteed to not only impress your coworkers, but learn something valuable in return.

Share with me your questions about communication and we can uncover the answers together. If you’re still hesitant, please remember, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”