For those who saw the headlines about the case in which two PR people, Kathryn Kirton and Jamie Kaye, embezzled nearly £19,000 from their employer Activision, it is shocking stuff.
Shocking because of the appalling fraud carried out but equally shocking due to the judge’s response to the practitioners involved because of the industry they work in.
On sentencing Judge Hillen stated: “In the world of PR you are surrounded by luxury items. That is a reality for people working in that industry. What it surprising is that cases like this are happening more and more often in your industry.”
The judge also commented that the defendant Jamie Kaye had been “corrupted” by his world of work.
It is a fact that fraud happens in every sector – it is certainly not unique to PR. What experience Judge Hillen has had of our sector is unclear (perhaps he was basing his view on something the defendants said), but it seems to me he confuses reality with Absolutely Fabulous. A great TV show, but no more than that. Perhaps it was Kirton’s fashion purchases, luxury hotel breaks and parties that threw him a bit.
A couple of points then to make. The first being that the “glamorous and luxurious” world of PR is pretty much a myth. In a industry in which the average starting salary can be as low as £12,000 and in which expenses’ budgets are rare, the salary of most practitioners goes on their bills, not on trappings of wealth (although if you’ve earned them in an honest fashion, surely you can do what you want with your wages). Also, there is more to our industry than consumer PR, if that’s what the suggestion is.
Secondly, PR is an industry dominated by women. I can’t help but wonder whether the judge would have made the same comments, particularly in relation to the male defendant, if the opposite were true.
Finally, and most critically, the proposition in a high profile forum that PR-related crime is on the increase should be of concern to everyone within the sector. Speaking as the co-chair of the CIPR’s Professional Practices Committee, which handles all disciplinary matters, there is no evidence to suggest this is the case. On a more widespread industry basis, it is certainly yet to be proven.
CIPR members (which Kirton and Kaye were not) are required to sign up to a Code of Conduct, which sets out the standards expected of those who join the institute. This is enforced through disciplinary proceedings where necessary and very occasionally membership is withdrawn. Furthermore members are expected to follow a path of continuous professional development as they move through their career. As such CIPR membership is a badge of quality and a benchmark of best practice.
From our experience, practitioners are, in the most part, dedicated professionals who put the needs of their employers first. They are not superficial Bolly-drinkers who flash the cash more than others. This case is an unfortunate one, but the industry’s reputation should not be tarnished because of the behaviour of two individuals who have now rightly received suspended sentences for their crimes.
Using creative thinking to achieve business success
Andy Green’s Tubespiration
With daily pressures it’s no surprise that it can be hard to step back and look at your business with fresh eyes from time to time. Don’t panic though, help is at hand and maybe you’re just not finding the right time in the day to carry out this type of activity.
Tubespiration is where to look, a book about the London Underground and how it can help simplify your life and unleash your creativity. As the author Andy Green says, “the Tube map is a wonderful example of managing complexity… and your Tube journey a rare chance to practice masterful inactivity and use an imposed pause point in your thinking, allowing you to unleash your creative brilliance.” If you’re a North East reader and prefer to localise it, feel free to swap the word Tube for Metro throughout but take a look – Andy’s point is that you have two daily opportunities to take time out and consider how you can add further value at work or even at home.
Andy starts by observing that many of us are becoming more socially engaged, with the side effect that we disengage from the real world and faced with a mobile, tablet or computer screen, expect to constantly be entertained, occupied and informed. All very well, but when does this leave us time to think? Andy posits that commuting time is one of the best opportunities to allow our brains to wander free and be creative – and perhaps we should do this at least once a week.
As he puts it: “While you are travelling, you are free…to unleash your imagination, roam unexplored frontiers, or at least create thinking time for new ideas, new solutions, new ways of doing.”
What’s interesting is that Andy encourages you to reframe how you look at challenging situations and opportunities by asking what assumptions you are making, allowing you to unravel the elements that may be holding you back. He also provides a list of further questions designed to give real insight so that you can get to where you want to be ‘faster, cheaper, better and greener’. Critically he suggests that if the immediate answers seem easy, you’re probably not approaching things right. Becoming tolerant of ‘IdeaPoo’ (ideas that might not seem good on first impression but which should not be dismissed too quickly) is important.
Reading the book will show you how Andy has cleverly linked this all with the London Underground and how you can draw upon the various lines and stations to benefit your organisation by approaching it in a different and more creative way. For example he suggests one good way of navigating a challenge is by drawing a Tube map of your problem, from the starting point, through the stops and connections you need to make to your destination, looking at how you can simplify things along the way.
Andy’s ‘Harry Beck’ test is also worth applying. Despite the genius of his map design, Harry Beck was rejected at his first attempt. Andy therefore asks his readers how they respond if someone presents them with an idea that is different to how they usually do things. If they ignore them, tell them to go away, feel threatened, add it to the pending list or have limited expectations, there is definitely work to do. According to the author, “listening with a challenging but open mind, ready to change as a result of what you’ve discovered” is really where you need to be.
Ultimately Andy’s handbag-sized book is worth a read if you want to grow and become stronger by learning how to respond flexibly to and harness all the unexpected events that life throws at us day by day. It’s bite size, easy to read and a great reminder of taking time out as ‘incubation time’ during your commute, or if you’re me, when you’re out for a run or in the bath! What’s more, one of the side effects is that you’ll know more about the London Underground than you ever thought possible. Tubespiration costs £8.99 and is available via Amazon right now.