Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Put Down the Blackberry, Torossian

I’d like to think that I am passionate about public relations and business…not psychotic. I sure can’t say the same for Ronn Torossian, president and CEO of NYC-based 5W Public Relations.

Here are a few quotes from his most recent blog post, simply titled “Work Hard.”

--In today’s hungry, new-money driven world, there’s always someone willing to work harder and push more, and the simple reality of life is unless one works in a minimum wage or civil servant position, they can’t simply punch the clock.

--And, the truth is, no one will force you to check your blackberry, but I guarantee people who don’t respond to client needs during after-office hours won’t retain their clients very long. For those of you in the PR industry who compete with my firm, I’d urge all of you to not check your blackberries after 6 or on weekends, because we always will.

--I am sure the folks at NBC, CBS and other competitors are hoping ABC folks don’t check their blackberries after hours… so they get scooped for their stories in this uber-competitive media world.

This morning I arrived at the office at 9:15 AM because I wanted to see my kids off to camp. And then, I left the office at 6 PM to spend an hour with my family, reading “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel” to my boys before bed.

I’m all for hard work and anyone who plays pick-up basketball with me on the weekend knows I have competitive issues. Yet, a healthy and productive life is about balance. It makes us better public relations professionals and, more important, more caring people.

Ronn, lighten up. And for heaven’s sake turn off the Blackberry.


Thoughts from Ronn Torossian: Work Hard
http://ronntorossian.com/?p=162

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amen Marc! Folks like this are the ones who can't focus on any client b/c they never put down the blackberry.