Thursday, July 22, 2010

Chatting with Al


This morning I had another rare treat in my visit to Insidedge and the GolinHarris offices.
I spent time chatting with Al Golin, Chairman and Founder of GolinHarris, in his Chicago office that has a magnificent view of the Chicago River and my building (The Wrigley Building). Al asked if I had taken my picture in front of my building during this trip. Not yet, but I still have another week to make that happen. And, of course, I checked up on my baseball stadium the other night, as those of you keeping up with my adventures will already know!
I had a chance to really get to know the person we have read about in textbooks and other publications and discovered that something I've believed for a long time proved very true with Al.
The people in our business of PR who are most successful are often the most unassuming, genuine people who wouldn't spend time tooting their own horn but, rather, ask good questions and make it a point to be down to earth and friendly.
As you can see, Al has a great smile, something that's always a tip-off to someone who will quickly put you at ease and share stories and a good laugh as quickly as he would discuss something sobering and serious.
Al and I agree that curiosity is one of the best traits for a successful PR person. It keeps things interesting and makes life a whole lot more fun.
One thing is abundantly clear. Al still comes to work because it's fun.
That's a lesson for all of us.
Thanks, Al. I look forward to spending more time with you next week!

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