IR therefore I AM

Recently, I penned a posting on what it takes to be a successful IR professional.  I thought I’d round that out by writing about the various types of creatures you’re likely to encounter in the business world.  Of course before doing so, I add the disclaimer:  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Herewith our creatures:

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With an hour commute each day via the Metro North railroad, I have plenty of time to read newspapers (yes, I realize this is rather quaint these days) and I buy The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

I do look at the obituaries (I’m sure my competitors do the same in the hopes of finding my name). Morbid curiosity? Perhaps. I do read those of interest to me… business leaders, politicos, sports figures and so on. Recently, I came across one in The Times for an acquaintance of mine from my days as a reporter nearly three decades ago:

ROSTON–Lawrence E. "Lory". Lory Roston, renowned public relations professional, successful venture capitalist, lover of Jack Russell terriers and pretty young women, friend, curmudgeon, and long-time denizen of New York’s Upper West Side, died at home on Tuesday, December 22, 2009. He was 81. Friends and family will gather at 11am on January 10th at Union Field Cemetery in Ridgewood, New York, to celebrate his remarkable journey, which began in Welch, West Virginia, passed through Palo Alto and his beloved Stanford, and brought him to New York City, where he had a helluva ride.

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The media devoted a significant amount of coverage to the bonuses being paid by Goldman Sachs in the run-up to the release of the firm’s earnings. Among the legions covering the story was CNBC’s Charlie Gasparino who discussed the PR dilemma the company faced. In the wake of his story, I was asked to comment (everybody else was probably off that day). My remarks can be found here.
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Given the rate of executive departures these days, one would think that CEOs’
offices are equipped with revolving doors or that somebody has declared open
season on them.

So what does this mean to you? At some point in your career, you will be charged
with announcing the departure/retirement of your corporate chieftain and the
coronation of his successor. Planned successions are relatively easy whereas
those that are somewhat contentious require skill as you seek to minimize fallout
and preserve your company’s reputation.

In addition to a succession plan, companies need to have a communications
program in support of a CEO transition — either planned or unexpected. Careful
planning is essential to insure that the transition is smooth and that all
of the company’s constituencies are addressed. Here are some insights into
the process:

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