Utilizing Your Past Experiences

Sometimes it is difficult to get past your own personal ethics, preferences and ideologies in order to serve a client to the best of your abilities. Especially while working at an agency, not every client is going to be one which you personally support 100% or stand behind. While it is important to not abandon your personal ethics, it is also important to keep your client happy. I was very impressed when I read about Edelman representing LDS. He devised a plan to open it up and better connect with its members through media and community events. When the president, Gordon Hinckley asked Edelman how he felt about representing LDS as a Jewish man, Edelman said "My grandfather was a rabbi, and my father was a religious scholar. I’ve long seen our religions as kindred souls, having to wage the same battles over intolerance and misperception. As a Jewish man, I would be honored to fight those battles alongside you". I found this inspirational because I think that it truly important to utilize your past experiences in a way that helps you instead of hinders you. It is easy to consider your past experiences as something to differentiate yourself from other people. In this situation, Edelman could have said that him being Jewish meant he was ethically obligated to not represent LDS or not treat it with as much care as other campaigns. Instead he talked about how they were similar and how they faught the same fights. Utilizing your past experiences to bring you closer to a client could help you do a better job on a campaign.