Into the Future

 

Into the Future                                

By: Elise Scheve 

After reading Chapter 12, Betting On The Future, it made me sit back and think about my future and what it holds for me.  More times than not every time I talk to a relative, stranger or a friend and they hear that I am graduating and looking for a job, their first response is, "I feel bad for graduates. It is so hard to get a job now-a-days." While this may be true, their negativity does not help.  I can just picture Dan saying, "It's going to be a rough ride for a while, but there's a bright future ahead. look forward to sharing it with you." That is the kind of

 encouragement that recent graduates need.  We need to know that there are going to be hard times but in the end those times are just going to make us stronger.  They will bring out the hard worker in all of us. Even in times of downfall, while other companies around the world were suffering Dan stayed positive and remained true to himself.  "With Ruth by his side, Dan continued to visit Edelman offices around the world, chatting up employees about their work and prodding general managers always strive to do better.  He also continued to send out his famous (and sometimes infamous) Dan-o-grams to staff." It is truly an amazing characteristic to possess as the founder of a company to relate to your employees and let them know that you are there for them with words of encouragement.  While trying to research Dan-o-Grams to find an example, I came across the speech that Richard Edelman gave to his father at his 90th birthday party.  In the speech his mentions Dan-o-Grams, "...describe in pain-staking detail every comment in a meeting (woe to the young person who fails to take notes-sure to prompt a “never do that again” comment)."

When things in the economy where changing Edelman used that as a platform to create change in his business.  The business of PR was shifting and they needed to shift with it.  "The future of business is not about selling, but about building relationships." This still holds true today.  Relationships with stakeholders, consumers, employers and employees are what drives a business.  As a graduating senior I hold this to be true.  Yes it is important to sell products and bring in profit for the company, but the relationships that you build will last forever.  

As I look into the future, it is hard to predict what will happen.  There are so many things that I still want to accomplish and do professionally and personally.  Speaking with young professionals and professionals that have already established themselves, encourages me to follow my dreams and never give up on them.  The city of Chicago has limitless opportunity.