Spring sprung over the weekend. Warm sun after days of cold bone-chilling rain was welcomed. My thoughts turned to my garden as I looked out the window while doing dishes. It was time to plan out our vegetable and herb garden. As I walked out to the garden I realized it was in a state. It was completely overgrown. It was time to act.
It was quite an undertaking. The soil was waterlogged from days of snow and rain. The weeds had a nasty root system making it hard to remove them. I needed a plan.
That’s where there are some parallels between public relations and gardening. A plan of action needed to be developed. The steps are the same for developing a plan.
Opportunity or Challenge presents itself. I was posed with an opportunity to clear my garden plot and it get it ready for spring planting.
Starts with a Question. How am I going to tackle clearing my garden?
Conducting research. Researching what I need to make this happen. What tools do I need? What are my clearing options? Do I need more than my muscles to make this happen? How long is this going to take?
Action. Deciding what needs to happen and when. Then getting the job done by gathering my tools then start raking and overturning the soil.
I created my plan of attack. Collected my tools and “green” bin. And went to it working in sections starting from the fence working forward. I soon realized that I wasn’t going to get the garden ready in one afternoon. The soil was far too waterlogged and was more like a bog. In fact, I was concerned I may dig up a bog man or something it was so swampy. And the root systems of the weeds were so dense it slowed me down greatly.
My back was getting tired. And my muscles were starting to strain. I was starting to feel frustrated that my progress was so slow.
Sometimes you can’t do it alone. And maybe you don’t have the expertise. You should never think twice about asking for help or bring in expertise you don’t have. Something small business owners (myself included) sometimes forget to do. And we need to do more of it. We can’t do it all. As the saying goes, “A jack of all trades and a master of none.” We need to focus on our strengths and what we do best bring in help where and when we need it.
I took a break to regroup. I needed more help. And I needed to let the soil dry out a little more. So on Sunday, the whole family was out in the garden. While was tough work, we got it done. Now design the garden for planting next weekend. Success.
Starting with a plan makes the job easier. And allowing the plan to be a verb is helpful not just a noun. A plan should be adaptable and change as conditions demand.
The Book
Social Media Crisis Communications: Preparing for, Preventing, and Surviving a Public Relations #Fail is now available in eBook format. Buy it now! (If you like the book, please leave a review; it is greatly appreciated)
TIME CRUNCH? Are you putting your crisis communications plan together and need help? Or are currently dealing with a crisis and need crisis communications assistance? Get help NOW. Contact Ann Marie at ann@mindthegappr.com or +1 302.563.0992 today.
