Giving Thanks and a Piece of Social Media Pie

Looks like we have a terrific meme happening through Kami Huyse, Rob Lagasse and now Geoff Livingston, who has tagged moi. They are all discussing what they are thankful for and giving us some terrific thoughts on people who really helped them along the way.

I’ve been very blessed the past 12 years in the PR world to work for myself, go first hand through the IPO/.com bubble, end up at a global PR agency and now at a mid-size agency that is truly embracing the social media realm and letting me run in the direction I’m heading. There has always been one constant however through all of these adventures; my wife. Save for a few months, Regan has always been there pushing me a long. First as a really good friend and now as my wife of four years.

You are all thinking that I took the easy path on this one right? “Why not thank your wife, means a bit more turkey on your plate tomorrow.” First off, I’m the cook. Secondly, this is about someone who introduced me to negotiation skills, The 48 Laws of Power, Jim Collins and internal confidence to succeed.

I’m thankful to Regan for pushing me to:

• Run my own shop for 2+ years, where I discovered how to run a business, create a website and network.
• Contain my excitement and focus on my job the day Al Gore, then running for President, held a debate in the lobby of my company and it was my job to make sure it all went smoothly.
• Keep myself in check when we were all way over valued on paper (phew).
• Make the move to Porter Novelli when I did because I was missing professional development, allowing me to start my current amazingly gratifying run of several years working with Len.

I’ve been so blessed with so many influential people in my career, but Regan has really been my mentor.

This year I’ve been really lucky to also make so many new contacts and friends because of social media. I wanted to tag a couple more folks for this meme for various reasons:

Doug Haslam: I’ve only met Doug a few times, but they have been quick and informal. However, through Twitter, his blog and his podcasts I’ve learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to succeed in new media and to take my own risks on this blog an other outlets.

Bryan Person: Bryan and I started communicating over Twitter many months ago and it has continued throughout from his blog, podcasts and social media breakfast. Bryan is one of the most engaging individuals I have come across on the social web, his excitement for social media has invigorated me several times when I’ve been a bit on the down side and my thanks go out to him.

Scott Monty: This is the blog I go to no matter what is on my plate. Scott throws it down hard and is honest with his opinions and his suggestions. This is most likely the blog I refer to most with colleagues after Brian Solis (already tagged by Geoff) and Geoff.

Susan Etlinger: Susan is a colleague in our San Francisco office who blogs for our corporate blog and in a few other places. Susan is one of the most well written bloggers in the PR space, at a time when good writing skills have diminished. She has been a constant source of encouragement for me the past year, even if she doesn’t realize it (she will now) and I thank her.

Later today I’m going to be posting my planned Thanksgiving post that is a bit on the cheekier side. But one last bit of thanks to Geoff Livingston. I haven’t even met the man in person, yet he has become a very influential person in my career, influencing my writing, my speaking and my thinking. Thanks Geoff!

/kff