I just read an e-mail in which Amazon advertised for a Public Relations Manager in Seattle.

What caught my attention was these words:” Amazon.com is seeking a skilled, motivated, and customer obsessed Public Relations Manager”.

Customer Obsessed!

Is that not what organizations need? But, not just customer obsessed. How about stakeholder obsessed?

If an organization derives its reputation from the way it is perceived by its various stakeholders, then surely stakeholder obsession should be the order of the day. That obsession should include focus and management of the interface, relationships, engagement and communication between the organization and its stakeholders.

I teach a particular program that can be very helpful in this regard. The Stakeholder Reputation program is a two day training seminar that explores the impact of stakeholder management, relationship building, communication and engagement on the reputation of the institution.

You may wish to consider this program as an intervention for managers so as to raise their level of stakeholder management expertise and awareness. As psychologists teaches, awareness precedes behavior change.

Awareness precedes Obsession.