It’s time to brag… a lot

​OK, so it’s been a pretty good year. No, scratch that. It’s been a great year.

2013 is the year our relationships ended with two of our longest-tenured and largest clients.

And yes, it still was a great year.

In one case we knew it was coming, in the other case it was our decision.

By now you’re asking “How did you survive?” The main reason? Our people.

In 2013 we still thrived, and as we enter 2014, we are positioned not only to survive, but also to have our best year ever.

How? Here are some of the lessons we learned over the last year or so.

• Be truthful and transparent with your team: We knew some of this was coming so we shared it with the group, planned for it, made some sacrifices and over communicated. The outcome was everyone pulled together and we’re much better for it on the other side.
• Know your shortcomings and address them: For years we danced around the “business development” issue. This year we got serious about it and brought in someone who devoted time and effort, and we created a plan and are sticking to it. So far it’s working.
• Be human: We probably overcompensate when it comes to compensation. Not only salaries but benefits, time off, counting beans, etc. But when the chips are down this fosters family and loyalty when it is needed the most.
• Adapt: The public relations industry is going through a dramatic change. As an agency that has historically led with media relations, we’re in an ongoing transition to an agency that leads with content creation. This enabled us to greatly expand our capabilities and our revenue model.
• Continue to have fun: Even when things looked bad and we cut back, we still made sure to do the fun things. They may have been a little different than they were in the past, but fun is extremely important.

But the greatest indication of our strength entering next year is an honor that wouldn’t be possible without our people. Most folks who know us know we don’t go chasing down every award that can be entered. We’re not those kind of people and not that kind of agency.

But this fall on a lark I decided to enter the Virginia Business “Best Places to Work” competition. Those who know me also know my eyes sort of glaze over when I have to answer about a million questions about things like insurance, revenue, policies, etc. But I plowed through the online questionnaire.

Part of the process is an employee questionnaire that owners/partners don’t see. Participation is important as evidenced by the many emails I received from the Best Places To Work folks encouraging me to encourage my staff to participate. I’m guessing the answers to those questions also go a long way in the judging process.

Without too much prompting, all of those eligible filled out and returned the questionnaire.

It is with much pride that I’m now breaking the embargo (sorry BPTW folks) and announcing that THP is one of the 100 or so “Best Places To Work.”

Our people have been through a great deal of change in the last year or so. It’s change we’ve all gone through together. For them to thrive and have this kind of pride in where they work and what they’ve done is extremely gratifying.

2013. It’s been a great year.