What Makes a "Rockstar?"
We’ve been on a bit of a hiring binge at SHIFT lately, and as part of that process we’ll routinely tell all our friends on Facebook and Twitter that we’re looking for “rockstars.”
But every professional services firm touts their rockstars, everyone’s looking for rockstars. Look at any number of PR pros’ LinkedIn profiles and you’ll soon grow nauseous at the number of “rockstar” descriptions.
So what makes a PR rockstar? Let’s start with what a rockstar is NOT.
A rockstar is NOT just someone who gets a lot of ink for their clients. Getting a lot of ink for clients is part of the job; it’s tablestakes, really. A rockstar is NOT just someone who does a great job in newbiz pitches. Again, this is part of the job description.
To be sure, you can’t be a PR rockstar WITHOUT getting a lot of ink and impressing newbiz prospects, but these attributes alone are not enough to excel beyond your peers.
The true “rockstar” does their job, and then goes beyond. The rockstar is:
ANTICIPATORY: the rockstar sees around the bend; they counteract “issues” before they become “gripes.” They know from experience and/or common sense how to get ahead of challenges, and they do a good job of sharing that knowledge with their co-workers and peers.
THOUGHTFUL: the rockstar gets to know their clients so well that they can spot trends even before the client does, and can recommend strategies that would allow the client to exploit these industry changes ahead of the pack.
PROACTIVE: the rockstar knows that the Agency has needs above and beyond “account services.” They research and recommend ways for the firm to be more efficient or successful.
CURIOUS: the rockstar asks “why” a lot — not from cluelessness, but from a desire to grasp or grapple with the difficult concepts of-interest to their clients or of importance to the Agency or industry. A curious PR pro is a creative PR pro.
CARING: the rockstar cares about the Agency’s reputation; about their team mates’ workloads; about typos in a memo or newbiz deck. The rockstar cares about “Perfection” enough to strive mightily for it … but also cares enough about their colleagues (and their own mental health!) enough to know that “Perfection” is not always possible.
You don’t need to be a rockstar to thrive in a PR agency. There are myriad ways to show value. You can get tons of ink and/or know every influencer and/or score big in newbiz, and you’ll have a job for life. But that makes you a terrific PR pro, not a rockstar.
Do you fit the rockstar profile? Cuz we are still hiring!
Posted on: July 22, 2010 at 6:04 pm By Todd Defren
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Todd,
Sorry I am late to this conversation but you are so spot on in this blog. You really lay out the parameters of what makes for a successful employee in virtually every professional services firm. To be honest, I think the rock stars are over rated. Clearly they are the draw for a concert, but there is some amazing talent that helps the rock star achieve their fame. Sometimes they are much better musicians and have many more valuable skills. As long as the person meets the attributes you lay out above, I can figure out how to launch their career. Thanks for a great post, and I hope you let me use it as part of my recruitment package
Thanks
Great stuff, Todd!
I’d love to add a footnote.
It feels like we all talk about “hard work” these days. But, good employees and “rockstars” know there is a difference between hard work and results.
Hard work is just the labor time. Some projects rightly require a lot of labor. In fact, if we measure the amount of time it takes employees to produce the same results, we would REALLY see the difference between the the underperformers, the good employees and the rockstars. Rockstars get stuff done faster because they are uber-efficient.
So, rockstars get more results. A rockstar knows that that a key performance measurement is results. Promotions and bonuses are earned with results.
You wanna be a rockstar?
Good! But, take a deep breath because it takes time. In the course of your career you’re going to climb the ladder — but it happens one rung at a time.
Each time you begin a new role the learning curve goes something like this:
1. learn the results/expectations of the new job
2. work hard to achieve the results for the role
3. work harder to become efficient, to use your time wisely, to master the role
4. produce amazing results and start to do some work at a higher level
Rockstars will have many promotions over the course of their careers. And! Every promotion puts them back at step one of the learning curve.
So, it’s clear … a rockstar is more than just someone who gets great results.
A rockstar has a mindset: they strive for excellence.
Therefore, my best advice is simple: if you’d like to be a rockstar then you have to strive for excellence and efficiency in all that you do.
Good Luck!
kiersten
Good post Todd. One of the main things you need is to exceed your clients expectations.
The term “Rockstar” is thrown around so frequently in the PR industry. Todd makes a great point that big hits and a terrific pitch does not qualify you as a rockstar- it’s what’s expected of you as a PR pro. Going above and beyond a client’s expectations by using a bit of brainpower and creativity is what will make both you and your company stand out. I’m glad someone finally defined exactly what determines the difference between doing a job well done and hitting “rockstar status.”
Great list, and interestingly, a number of these are very symbiotic — specifically the first 4 – developing one will naturally support the others – reading up on a client’s sector, spotting their own news trends, considering how to use this intel best…
One other factor I’d toss in is committed interest in something tangentially outside the field – whether that’s stats and data, art, history of advertising, etc. – to provide context to what we’re doing now.
I particularly like the “Curious” component. I ask a TON of questions, and frankly, it makes some people uncomfortable. I always explain to the client/whomever that I’m not putting them on the spot, but trying to better understand the issue in “layman’s” terms because that is how I will need to explain it and the only way I can possibly anticipate what may be lurking around the corner. This is especially critical in crisis communications…and where I found out that sometimes, my client(s) weren’t always giving me the “whole” story and just expected or wanted me to “spin” their way out of a situation. Well, I don’t do that and both agencies and clients should WANT a PR person who is willing to dig deep for answers – and ultimately the client’s sake. Good for you!!! I still find it very interesting how people are so afraid of the truth. Good luck Todd…and keep up the great work.
Fantastic post Todd and one that I’ve asked my whole team to read. I’d also recommend it to potential recruits as far too many you see think it’s just about having done good work for good clients without really thinking about what extra they personally can bring to the party.
Good post, Todd. See, I would think that these are all foundational skills for *any* good employee at an agency, not just rock stars. Good luck on your rock star hunt.