Very recently I was reminded that we ALL not only use public relations skills in our professions, but how these same skills can also successfully help us to problem solve in our personal lives. One such skill is relentless persistence. As you read this, think about your life and the seemingly impossible goals you are facing.
About a month ago, my husband and I flew to Italy to celebrate the wedding of our Mexican cousins at a villa in the Lake Como area of Italy. It was a magical weekend with family and new friends from five or six different countries.
The welcome party was on a Friday evening, followed by the beautiful ceremony and exquisite party the next day.
We learned late Friday afternoon that my father-in-law’s last hours were fast approaching. He suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s, his kidneys were failing, and his body was shutting down.
We needed to get home immediately. Time was of the essence and the pressure was on.
Only one airline could get us to our destination in time. They were completely booked in the coming days. Plus, this airline doesn’t fly from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, so we had to wait to Saturday night to call reservations, which proved fruitless. Our cousins at the wedding also tried to help by researching creative “non-direct” alternatives that made sense. We appeared to have an impossible goal. What to do?
Luckily, someone we know, graciously called someone she thought could and would be willing to help – would you believe, a manager at an e-commerce company? At face value, she was an unlikely heroin. Guess again! This lady operated like a superhero. She had the proper connections (also a prerequisite in PR) at every which way, plus a relentless persistence skill set that did this 30+-year Global PR Pro proud.
This manager pushed in all the right places and knew how to pleasantly NOT take “no” for an answer. She also followed through until the mission was accomplished. Impressively, she did so with grace, professionalism and patience. Not once did she make us feel like she was annoyed with doing a favor for two total strangers. This is what people with good PR skills do every day and she exemplified the best of the best.
By early Sunday morning, she had arranged seats on a direct flight for both of us.
The next challenge was making the flight. We were an hour away from the airport and the flight left in two hours.
We dashed from the wedding hotel without saying goodbye to anyone, drove straight to the airport, returned the rental car, then ran to check in and the rest.
The manager was in touch with us throughout the process, from start to finish, and helped us navigate the various hurdles along the way.
Thanks to the many calls she made and her solid, no-nonsense, kind but firm, PR persistence on our behalf, my husband arrived in time for the funeral of his father, who passed away while my husband was in the air.
For reasons unrelated to persistence, I flew the next day but arrived in time to host the 7-day shiva (Jewish mourning period) at our home.
I had a chance to thank our heroin in person when she came to pay her respects at the shiva. She had saved the day with her contacts and relentless persistence. She replied with a smile, “That’s what I do.”
Persistence can be exhausting, to a point where we tell ourselves the goal is impossible, so why waste our time? Maybe it’s best to throw in the towel and cut our losses. OR we can get creative, zigzag along the way until we arrive at our destination, and pace ourselves to go the distance.
If you are currently navigating a challenge – work, personal or parenting – and are just about ready to call it quits thinking it’s too hard or it will never happen, I hope the above story inspires YOU to tap your inner PR Pro relentless persistence skill set to achieve your goal, on your own, and/or in concert with a talented teammate.