Building Successful Government Affairs and Community Outreach Programs
Over the years I’ve been approached by many individuals who are interested in how best to develop effective government affairs and advocacy programs and initiatives. Some want to advance legislation, others to build relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials and opinion leaders, while still others want to kick start a discussion that will eventually lead to...Read More
Paul O’Neal: Memories of a Jedi Master
When I started my first full time job in politics in 2003 after leaving Emergency Medical Services, I was taken under the wing of a longtime, respected political staffer and lobbyist who would serve as my first mentor in the field. He knew which way was up, so to speak. My first day on the job, he invited me to walk around the corner from the Senator’s district office in Carlsbad to...Read More
How to Do Your Personal SWOT
(This is the second in a series of articles outlining the process I created to take myself from a 23-year-old from an impoverished childhood with limited professional prospects to a multi award-winning advocate and executive recognized as one of San Diego’s 500 Most Influential People. I hope you find this as useful as I did.) On August 15th, I published an article titled How I Did My Career...Read More
Elevating Your Resume Game
Prior to creating the Strategic Career Planning: A 10-Step Guide to Realizing Your Potential training program and becoming a prolific mentor, I primarily helped my friends and colleagues in their careers by writing and updating their resumes. Resume writing is challenging for most people. The difficulty lies in being able to capture the essence of what makes you stand out...Read More
Vision Minus Execution Equals Hallucination
These were the opening words of an email I once received from one of my mentors. A simple but profound statement. As a matter of fact, it is an even simpler equation: Vision – Execution = Hallucination Everyone has a dream—a vision—of who they want to become. But they remain dreams for far too many people. No matter what your vision, the fact is that you must...Read More
Reflections on Mentoring | Part I
(This is the first in a series of reflections on those mentors who have impacted my life in a profound way. The following is adapted from a blog post that was originally published in 2o13.) Mentor: Kurt Williams (1958-2013) It has been more than seven years since my good friend and mentor, Kurt Williams, a recognized national leader in the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS),...Read More
How I Did My Career Pivot…and Changed My Life
(This is the first in a series of articles outlining the process I created to take myself from a 23-year-old from an impoverished childhood with limited professional prospects to a multi award-winning advocate and executive recognized as one of San Diego’s 500 Most Influential People. I hope you find this as useful as I did.) I’ve been teaching people how to effectively plan their...Read More
How to Market Yourself Selectively
Finding Your Dream Job in Current LinkedIn Job Listings Marketing yourself selectively on LinkedIn is as easy as 1-2-3. All the data needed to unlock your next great career adventure exists right there in current job listings. And, it has nothing to do with filling out online applications. STEP 1:We dream with purpose and formulate a SMART action plan. Once clearly define...Read More
Monitoring Your Brand Reputation with Real-Time Alerts Is Possible. And IMPORTANT.
Over the years, I’ve worked with just about every media monitoring platform out there. You name it, I’ve either used it for clients or I’ve at least given them a spin. There’s so many. Cision. Meltwater. Gorkana. Trendkite. Critical Mention. MyMediaInfo. TVEyes. Zignal Labs. LexisNexis. And on and on and on. Every single one of these platforms incur costs and for...Read More
Transitioning from Journalism to Public Relations Can Be a Bumpy Journey
Since I left the newspaper life more than 15 years ago, I’ve probably helped more than a dozen journalist friends find jobs with public relations firms, government agencies and political campaigns. In the beginning, I would gauge their feelings about public relations to see how realistically they viewed the profession. One friend said he looked forward to having short days and an...Read More
Social Media Wars: Do You Fight Back? The Answers Might Surprise You.
The digital age gives everyone a microphone. Keyboard courage really does make people think they’re mental giants and with the scourge of bullying, it’s lead to some very dangerous (even deadly) outcomes. Given my role with clients to help in times of crisis, I’m often push-pulled on this issue of fighting back and engaging not just with my clients but within my...Read More