Daniel Edelman
started his company at the opportune time – there was an economic boom and a
need for business communications. The
problem in the beginning of his career was that very few business executives
knew how beneficial public relations could be, and fewer trusted it compared to
advertising. This adversity – a sea of dubious business executives weighing
down on Dan’s endeavors – would be why I call him resilient, buoyant, and
tenacious. While others did not want to be weighed down by a different form of
communication, Dan rose above the adversity and proved his methods effective.
It’s hard to
imagine such an illustrious figure, especially as a young public relations and
advertising major. Yet, when I visited Edelman Chicago, I saw that what he left
behind was a reflection of all the things I’ve read in this book. His office
was organized, neat, with mementos of what made him who he was. I imagine him
talking about the three legs of a stool: Your
work, your exercise, and your community, while swiveling his chair to
remember his community and embolden his resolve.
I began to think
of him as a fabled legend, meaning that he was construed as virtuous to all
ends. I asked myself how I could ever aspire to be anything like Dan Edelman.
To my knowledge, he was a long time resident of the upper echelons of the
business world. I read that Richard had seen a commercial of a spoofed Marlboro
man coughing, and because his father smoked, repeatedly flushed all of the
house’s cigarettes down the toilet. That was it. He had a vice, and to me, that
small vice made him seem real, and brought him from fable to non-fiction. He
was human, after all.
The point to be
gleaned from reading and writing about Daniel Edelman is that the outcomes of
Dan’s business came from the deeds of the man’s character. He believed in
public relations, he was outgoing, and he felt in his heart that it would work.
In Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People, Dan would be performing the first two habits: Be
proactive -- not reactive -- and begin with the end in mind.
Throughout my
time at DePaul, I have been inundated with books, packets, advice, and seminars
(which isn’t a bad thing). My biggest problem is trying to filter through all
of it, find a sieve that allows me to focus my efforts in a way that keeps me
organized and productive. I feel that Dan Edelman’s book has given me insight
into how this is possible. Find a mantra, stick with it, and live by it. Find
my own three legs to live by.
Christopher, I like how you incorporated the photo of Dan Edelman's desk that you took yourself at the agency visit. I also wrote about how inspiring Dan Edelman was and talked about his relentless dedication that eventually led to the largest PR firm in the world. I enjoyed when you said, Find a mantra, stick with it, and live by it." That is a very good way of wording it.
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