Most who know me are not the least bit surprised, and quite frankly even expect, me to stand on my portable soap box on a fairly regular basis.  Today’s soap box is sponsored by Scott McClellan.   Scott who?  Name sounds familiar, but just not sure how or why? 

Yea, he’s, the former White House spokesman that just wrote the tell-all book (well, what he was told and moreover, not told) while in the “W”(pronouced "dub-yah," of course) administration.  In a nutshell, he says crucial details about numerous issues were withheld from him by the top dogs to cover their proverbial tails on a more than regular basis. That’s my euphemistic, Southern way of saying, he was “done lied to.”

This is the stuff “real” public relations professionals’ nightmares are made of…

And seriously, all politics aside –that’s another blog, another day – this whole recent White House who-ha, is a great, even poignant, reminder to all CEO’s, presidents, executive directors, leaders of corporate and non-profit entities alike – that you should, NO, you must, keep key PR/communication professionals and your spokesperson in the loop on all issues large and seemingly small.

And if that makes you feel a bit squirmy, then I would encourage you to examine that uneasiness and ask yourself does it point to how you manage your organization and it’s issues or do your need to reconsider who you’ve charged with this key and crucial role within your organization.    Gosh, maybe even both!

But when all these questions are asked and answered, just know that the “right” PR professional not only acts as a spokesperson to the outside, but also as a key advisor analyzing all aspects of issues or projects for the inner sanctum. 

But let’s make one thing perfectly clear --ooh, did that sound like Richard Nixon?? shutter, shutter-- even  the most veteran PR pro can’t make a bad executive decision all better…it can only make sure it doesn’t get worse.

Put another way, if you don’t have a PR adviser, get one; if you aren’t including them in key policy decisions or you're not being candid with them, then start; and if you choose to disregard both, then just be forewarned that the great law of PR karma will indeed be invoked, so brace yourself, because as one of my favorite philosopher’s, Lewis Grizzard, used to say…”that dog will bite you!” 

Okay, I’m stepping down from my soap box for today.   Lucky you...And you know, lucky me too.  I do feel cleansed.