RE-invention – hard but no way around it

Sometimes it takes a combination of time and reconnection with old friends and colleagues to see the past clearly.

I recently reconnected with PR agency veteran Barbara Kohn, who worked for years with Brodeur Worldwide. We chatted on the phone about our love for cats and our mutual history of technology PR in Silicon Valley.

After we talked for a while, Barbara decided to write the Globalpress Connection story. Reading it, I learned more than I even knew about how I re-invented my business a few times over in the last 20+ years. She points out that many of our peers are no longer around, going out of business in one bust or another. Others are hugely wealthy because they sold out to multi-national agencies, or they exited the business because they were sick of pitching and chasing the media. Still others just left because they found other passions.

Maybe I have found my life-long passion in this global PR business, trusting myself enough to adapt and re-adapt with changing conditions. But as I get older I too dream about finding someone to lead Globalpress with me into the next re-invention phase. I think the next wave is just around the corner – multimedia, social media, online TV or whatever it might be.

How have you re-invented your work and life over the years? What new patterns and perspectives have you noticed as you view your past career from the perspective of the present? And for those of you associated with the technology world, what do you think the next waves will be in our industry? I would very much welcome your comments.