Larry D. Lauer

In corporate management we often use the phrase, “walk the talk.”  This week I found myself explaining its power as a strategic communication tool to a group of university students in a public relations class.

I was invited to the class as a guest to explain the field of “public affairs” in general, but more specifically to talk about why a university might want a presence in Washington, and TCU’s goals for my work there.

When I first went to Washington my focus was to assess whether I could find additional  federal support for some of our research and other projects, as well as to get us more involved in influencing the issues and regulations that were shaping our future.  I explained that just as I arrived there the legislature froze all earmarks, which were the main  source of federal project funding. Grants also became harder to get, and the passing of the new Higher Education Act resulted in more regulations than ever before…more than 24 categories of them to be exact! 

And so early on it became clear that additional federal funding would have to await another day, and that my primary focus would be to bring my institution to the table with the other leaders of our industry to address the big issues facing us. In other words, I must get my chancellor elected to the boards of the president’s associations, and then work hand-in-hand myself with their staffs.

The real point of all this for the class, however, was that I quickly learned that you can only ever be seen as a leader in your industry when you are “at the table” with the others who are leading it.  You can send out all the materials in the world you want to tell your story, but your institution’s stature and recognition will have a ceiling until you show up in person and get involved.

The key lesson, then, for the students was to recognize the shere power of personal out-front leadership as a tool to build brand identity and institutional reputation.  Whenever you try to build your brand primarily with a media campaign, admittedly your visibility goes up.  But when the campaign ends, it also tends to come down. Media driven reputation building is an up and down proposition. But when the president and other key leaders all understand brand messaging, and repeatedly walk-the-talk, magic can happen. Institutional stature gradually grows, and what’s more, it tends to have permanence.

There is no doubt in my mind that even in this new social media world, a world that requires simultaneous multi-platform communication initiatives to cut through mass media clutter, the only way to institutional prominence is for its leaders to be on the same message page, and to constantly be out front walking the talk.  Then, and only then, do people say: “Look at what they are doing out there, that place is really taking off!” 

A strong and dynamic organizational “image” is not achieved though dramatic campus pictures. Rather it’s the public perception that the professionals and executives leading the institution know exactly what they are doing, and know precisely how to explain it!