One of the biggest benefits of transitioning from a public relations agency to an in-house communications role is bringing a consultant mindset. I am grateful for how often I apply this experience in my current role.

I spent 16 years working across two global agencies and one boutique firm in between, and those experiences shaped who I am today as a communicator. I had incredible mentors and worked on front-page assignments across industries, getting an opportunity to expand my skills and gain knowledge from some of the best in the PR world.

I learned how to research an industry quickly, dig into a challenge, develop a strategy, and run a campaign from start to finish. I had a front-row seat to a vast array of communications and marketing structures across corporations, nonprofits and trade associations, observing effective ways to optimize teams for impact. Most importantly, I had to be scrappy, move fast, and always focus on business results to keep clients year-over-year.

These experiences set me up for success. They influenced the structure and culture I have created for my in-house communications team and how I lead communications across my organization. As one peer put it, the consultant mindset does not disappear, it just matures when you go in-house. What is different is your ability to shape the outcome from the inside and the level of collaboration and buy-in required to get plans approved and accomplished.

Communications as a business driver

One of the most important lessons I learned working at agencies is the importance of tying campaigns to business results. Without that relentless focus on outcomes and results, we were in jeopardy of losing lucrative contracts. In a sea of intense competition from other firms, clients were always asking: “What have you done for me lately?”

For an in-house role, it is critical to speak in business terms with the executive leadership team, demonstrate how communication can address business challenges and drive revenue and fundraising, and ensure that campaigns are laddering up to organizational priorities. How this works in practice:

• Asking strategic questions about audiences and desired outcomes to ensure campaigns are optimally designed.
• Partnering with departments that drive revenue and fundraising to offer value.
• Using analytics to show how our work drives outcomes and not just outputs.
• Maintaining guardrails to ensure the team is focused on the highest priorities.

Connecting dots and integrating communications

Over the course of my PR agency career, I dabbled in a little bit of everything for clients. As a generalist working across so many different industries, I often closely worked with PR agency specialists on digital, social media, crisis and internal communications, creative and branding, financial communications, and much more. As a result, I was able to see how it all worked in concert for impact. In my most recent role, I also ran a cross-agency team across states for a Fortune 500 client, rebuilding processes and structures to create a more integrated team to ensure consistency and improve business results.

What became clear is the interconnectedness of it all. I saw the benefits of the marketing and communications teams working under the same overarching vision with a unified narrative. I also saw firsthand how seemingly disparate efforts in aggregate could affect a company’s perception and, ultimately, reputation with stakeholder audiences.

How I have been applying these insights to my in-house role:

• Connecting the dots for the executive leadership team to offer a broader lens to challenges.
• Breaking down silos to create integrated communications and marketing campaigns that span stakeholder audiences.
• Ensuring our narratives capture a more inclusive picture of the breadth of our work and tell stories that show external impact.
• Bringing teams together from other departments focused on overlapping audiences to coordinate strategies.

Culture of experimentation

The pace of change in the PR world has accelerated over the years, particularly with the introduction and expansion of generative artificial intelligence tools. On the agency side, being bold and creative while keeping pace with change is not only an expectation, but it is also why companies tend to hire firms. Over the years, I was able to adapt, try new tools, and channel my creative energy.

Yet so many in-house communications teams face barriers that prevent them from using the same level of creativity. These teams are often viewed as risk averse and less innovative. What I have observed is that they are typically inundated by an overwhelming number of non-strategic requests while having to navigate so many internal dynamics, which can stifle creativity.

To keep up, the key is to prioritize company objectives while creating a culture of experimentation without consequences. It all comes down to psychological safety. Does my team feel like they can bring up edgy or non-traditional ideas without judgment?

It has been a joy to see my team come up with creative concepts and try new things. We are comfortable failing as we know the upside can be huge. We also see every effort as data. We will evaluate what works and what does not and optimize future campaigns.

Proactive news engine

One of the best skills I built at PR agencies is how to cold pitch the press without existing relationships. My client work often spanned multiple industries simultaneously, which meant I was constantly switching beats. While the media landscape is constantly evolving, what has not changed is what makes for a compelling, newsworthy story. Those years of experience honing my pitching skills and picking up the phone have served me extremely well.

When I joined my organization, we were only making a few announcements a year and occasionally responding to reactive media. I shifted our strategy to build a bench of spokespeople who can provide timely expertise on breaking news and creative a proactive news engine. As a result, we are now seen as a leader in several priority areas. I am applying those same lessons and skills to help my organization navigate the fractured media landscape.