We love to reference public affairs officers’ ‘if only’ comments. I often hear PAOs say, “If only we had a seat at the table.”
We do. We have a seat at the table because we go to appropriate meetings, add value and … sit at the table.
Quick story: our commander needed a video to help him communicate an important, complex topic. The J3 told me he needs one. As soon as the J3 passed the information along, I asked myself, “Why didn’t the commander just tell me?” Well, the video was discussed at a meeting and I wasn’t there. My team paid the price.
Here is all the pain I am now bringing to the team:
We need clarity. I’m trying to get clarity from the 15 people who were at the meeting but no one seems to know. Our boss, the commander, is traveling.
I told our video guy about the requirement and he is ready to go … but we don’t know on what. He’s waiting. A terrible place to be.
The J3 was kind enough to relay what he knew of the requirement to me but now the J3 has a stake in completing the video. I’ll have to explain to him he doesn’t need to review and approve it before it goes to the boss; of course we still have to figure out what the requirement is.
At the meeting, I’m sure the commander looked for me and I wasn’t there. PAOs can’t be everywhere but a good place to be is where your commander is. Manage time wisely, it’s our only limited resource.
Aside from simply identifying the requirement, there was likely a great deal of context discussed outside the specific request for a video. Missed all that.
The moral of the story is, prioritize being where your commander is. That’s where decisions are made and organizational level communication is done. If you’re not invited, invite yourself. If you’re not allowed, then do a better job and keep trying. PAOs help commanders and organizations communicate.
Don’t miss the chance to be the PAO by missing the meeting.
Photo by Olivia Mendoza
