Lessons From The Book of Dan

Several thoughts entered my mind as I began to read the book of Dan.

Daniel Edelman

How will this relate to my career?

Could this book hold the key to future success?

Will I learn Dan's magic formula for creating compelling public relations campaigns?

Have I been doing something wrong this entire time?

I wanted this book to solve all of my problems. The book didn't reveal the profound answers I expected, but it did provide me with invaluable insight into one of the great minds of public relations.

Dan saw our world becoming more global and decided to expand quickly. The expansion wasn't always easy, but he knew it would prove beneficial in the future. Reading about Edelman's global expansion proved that success requires some adversity.

Dan knew the importance of staying ahead of the competition and decided to expand the number of practices at Edelman. Seeing Edelman expand its practices showed that complacency has no place in public relations.

Edelman's continued independence exemplifies the importance of trust and relationships. Dan understood that independence allowed his firm to develop more intimate relationships with its clients.

Rick Murray, president of Edelman Chicago, spoke to our class this past Wednesday. Rick brought the book to life by sharing his memories of Dan. He talked about a time when he accompanied Dan on a new business pitch. They were on their way back from the meeting when Dan asked Rick why he didn't take notes. Rick was explaining his reasoning for not taking notes, but Dan interrupted him and began dictating notes to him. Since that day, Rick carries a notepad with him into every meeting.

Rick's recollection of Dan was consistent with the image I had formed of him throughout this quarter. Dan was a transformational leader who never took a shortcut on the path to success. He learned from his failures and produced better work as a result. As Dan told Rick, "You never know when an idea will spark in your mind. Be prepared to write it down." That's the lesson I took from the book of Dan: always be prepared.

Adrian Villalpando is a senior at DePaul University studying public relations, advertising and communication studies. He is working at Groupon as a social media intern and blogs for scholarships on Collegenet.com. He is interested in working for a large public relations agency focusing on consumer-facing clients. You can reach him at avillalpando773@gmail.com or follow him @avillalpando773.