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Scott Rieder posted this on May 16th, 2012
 Photo Courtesy of jsindal on Flickr Two weeks ago Junior Seau, one of the NFL’s most beloved, cheery and charismatic athletes, took his own life.
In support of the American Psychological Association’s Mental Health Blog Party as part of May is Mental Health Month, I would like to take a few paragraphs to call out the sports world on its dangerous messaging to athletes — messaging that is reinforcing stigma around mental illness.
Being perceived as weak or inferior — be it in mind or body — is in many ways the definition of failure in competitive sports. To many, the professional athlete must be the epitome of toughness, ruggedness and resilience. Athletes are led to believe — by coaches, media and fans — that exhibiting signs of a mental health need sends the message that they are weak-willed. The implications for their careers and their health are profound.
In a television interview shortly after Seau’s death, Marcellus Wiley, a former teammate of Seau’s and current NFL analyst on ESPN, said he could not understand why Seau did not ask for help if he did, in fact, have a mental health challenge. According to a Sports Illustrated article published this week by Jim Trotter:
Succumbing to injury was like submitting to an opponent. If Seau was hurt during training camp, he would have doctors treat him in his dorm room or at his home to prevent teammates from seeing him in a state of weakness. He had the same attitude off the field when it came to emotional pain, hiding his feelings behind a 1,000-watt smile and his disarming greeting: Bud-deeee! As saturated as we are with sports and its stars, the truth is we rarely know the people we follow, their character when they’re alone or behind closed doors, beyond the vision of prying eyes. To many of his friends Seau was transparent — always happy, never negative. But a gunshot and a 911 call changed that.
Just as in other facets of life, the adage should hold true for the mental health of professional athletes: open, honest communication is key. As long as we equate real, serious mental health issues with weakness and failure, we will continue to learn about gifted athletes, from gymnasts to linebackers, who suffered in silence until they could not take the pain anymore. The completed suicide of Seau, as well as mental health challenges revealed by other athletes such as Amanda Beard, Jerry West, Shawn Johnson and Ricky Williams, should represent an opportunity for a shift in messaging around what it takes to succeed in sports.
Professional athletes need a level playing field to communicate mental health needs, the same way they are expected to get help when they have a physical ailment.
Maria Enie posted this on April 20th, 2012
 Source: New America Foundation website Last week, I attended a seminar hosted by Future Tense — a partnership between the New America Foundation, Arizona State University and Slate magazine — called, “Feeding the World While the Earth Cooks.” The sensationalized title appropriately set the stage for a day’s worth of impassioned dialogue addressing a litany of agriculture, food and climate-related issues.
Mark Hertsgaard from New America Foundation and author of “Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth,” kicked things off by establishing the problem at hand: a growing population (along with their growing appetite) and climate change’s potential for devastating agricultural capacity. According to Hertsgaard:
The goal, on all fields not just food, is a two-pronged imperative: avoid the unmanageable and manage the unavoidable … Agriculture turns out to be one of the few tricks up our sleeves to combat global warming.
However, the problem wasn’t the focus of the day’s discussion; solutions were, and that was encouraging.
The consensus was that the current agricultural system is failing to feed the 7 billion people in the world today, and it certainly isn’t primed to provide for the estimated 9.3 billion in 2050. A lesson learned that has already come out of climate change is that sustainability is paramount. The way humans interact with the earth and environment must be done with a sustainable and systems understanding. That’s where communicators come into play.
It’s evident that a crucial part of the climate change solution is in promoting education and raising awareness. When it comes down to it, whether we’re talking about policymakers, corporate executive, farmers or consumers, behavior change is necessary on all levels. When communicating for social change, it’s important to meet your audience where they are. Strategic planning decisions need to be based on an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, practices and lives of a well-defined target audience.
At the seminar we learned about the plentiful research supporting the different solutions put forth. What we didn’t hear much about was the research around the perceptions/beliefs of key target audiences and what the strategies are for changing these perceptions if necessary.
Because the problem affects us all, so should the solution. Communicators tackling the issues of climate change and global hunger have an opportunity to empower individuals with the knowledge of what we all can do to help make the world better for future generations.
Rachael Siefert posted this on April 5th, 2012
Maria Rodriguez is the President of Vanguard, a company she co-founded 25 years ago. Learn more about Maria on her Leadership Page.
 VC President Maria Rodriguez with Diane MacEachern at one of Vanguard's first media events Vanguard just celebrated its 25th anniversary; in one word describe:
The PR industry in 1987: Intriguing
The PR industry today: Credible
The PR industry in 2037: Indispensible
In one word describe:
Yourself: Caring
Your work style: Thoughtful
Your legacy: Value-driven
Finish the following sentences:
What excites me the most about the future of public relations is … everything. The opportunities to apply public relations to better the world are endless.
To me, innovation is … what keeps us engaged and excited to do what we do. There’s no room for complacency at Vanguard!
I knew I wanted to work in public relations when … I met my former business partner, Diane MacEachern. She taught me that PR and marketing skills could be put to work to change the world. I’ll always be grateful!
The communicator who inspires me is … all around me. Inspiring communicators come into my life in so many ways — musicians, writers, artists and traditional orators. Inspiration is easy to find if you’re open to it!
My advice for future communicators for social change is … to love what you do. Social change doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and lots of hard work, so you need to really love what you do.
If I didn’t work in public relations I would … go on tour with Bruce Springsteen or be a teacher (and tour in the summer!).
I want to be remembered at Vanguard for … being inclusive.
Most people at Vanguard don’t know this, but I … spent many summers with my grandmother who lived in a small rural village in Spain without running water. I credit her and those summers for my resilience!
Rachael Siefert posted this on March 30th, 2012
Deanna Troust has been at Vanguard for a total of 14 years and is the Vice President for Creative Services. She worked at Vanguard twice — the first time, for 4 years in the mid-1990s and the second, from 2002 to present. Learn more about Deanna on her Leadership Page.
 Deanna Troust, VC Vice President for Creative Services Vanguard just celebrated its 25th anniversary; in one word describe:
The PR industry today: Converging. Previously, you didn’t have the potential for client work and personal communications to overlap the way they do today.
The PR industry in 2037: Visual
In one word describe:
Yourself: Adventuresome and fun
Your work style: Idea-rich but can’t quite figure out how to eliminate the paper
Your legacy: I’ve been fortunate to work with visionaries such as Bob Galvin and Paul O’Neill and am passing on their vision of quality leadership to our work here at Vanguard. Luckily our management team is committed to high-quality output and that’s been a hallmark of our success.
Finish the following sentences:
What excites me the most about the future of public relations is … I actually find the trend that has agency people out there more and more as themselves uncomfortable. I’m still a bit stuck in the world of “it’s not about me.”
To me, innovation is … about bringing fresh voices and knowledge to the table.
I knew I wanted to work in public relations when … I found I had equal affinities for written, visual and in-person communications.
The communicator who inspires me is … Bill Novelli.
My advice for future communicators for social change is … be proactive in all you do.
If I didn’t work in public relations I would … be a ski patroller or fitness instructor.
I want to be remembered at Vanguard for … quality control.
Most people at Vanguard don’t know this, but … my dream is to spend a summer (or more) in Central America with my family, enjoying the culture and working on my Spanish (theirs is already really good).
Rachael Siefert posted this on March 23rd, 2012
 VC Executive Vice President Joe Kelly with his granddaughter Josie Joe Kelly has been with Vanguard for 17 years and is the Executive Vice President. Learn more about Joe on his Leadership Page.
Vanguard just celebrated its 25th anniversary; in one word describe:
The PR industry in 1987: Undervalued
The PR industry today: Respected
The PR industry in 2037: Essential
In one word describe:
Yourself: Congenial
Your work style: Dramaless
Your legacy: Growth
Finish the following sentences:
What excites me the most about the future of public relations is … how effective it has become at creating social change. It only gets better and stronger.
To me, innovation is … thinking outside the box about routine responsibility and finding new ways to get more and better results.
I knew I wanted to work in public relations when … I worked at Common Cause and realized how powerful a tool advocacy can be. I had great pride in informing its founder, John Gardiner, during a news conference at Dulles Airport that legislation to allow the development of the SST (Super Sonic Transport) had not passed thanks to our efforts to muster public sentiment against the project.
The communicator who inspires me is … any public figure who holds true to his/her beliefs, and for me, at this time, his name is Barack Obama.
My advice for future communicators for social change is … to be patient. Changing the world doesn’t happen overnight.
If I didn’t work in public relations I would … want to be the Peace Corps Director in an Asian country.
I want to be remembered at Vanguard for … helping to get us to where we are today by encouraging and supporting the long view in corporate decisions.
Most people at Vanguard don’t know this, but I … worked at a veterinary hospital as a very young boy. I walked the animals, cleaned out their pens and did lots of other chores. I made almost no money but my reward was doing the daily feeding and grooming of the resident horse and even exercised that trusty steed occasionally.
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