Having worked in high tech public relations since 1976, I’ve collaborated with nearly 200 chief executive officers, from the biggest egos at the largest global brands to eager beavers at VC-funded startups. 
 
What jumps out is how few of them were great at making public relations programs better.
 
Ten percent of my CEO group were dreadful. These are the easiest to recall because they were self-absorbed and arrogant, myopic and bullheaded, belligerent and autocratic. Some of these CEOs ruined their own companies. Others lost their personal reputations -- visibly and publicly -- due to fundamental personality flaws. Some were crooks thrown into the slammer. 
 
80 percent of my CEOs were middle of-the-road from the point of view of  “making the PR effort better.” I don’t know why this amazes me. It shouldn’t; after all it follows the time-proven 80/20 rule.
 
It’s not that these middle-of-the-road CEOs did anything horrific, it’s just that they never put any real skin in the game to make public relations better. While they usually did what we needed them to do, they never did it with exuberance.    
 
The remaining 10 percent of CEOs stand out in my mind’s eye as clearly as the dreadfuls, but fortunately for a better reason. These CEOs were enlivening, vigorous leaders who worked hard to make public relations better.
 
My best CEOs shared five attributes: enthusiasm, personal humility, straightforwardness, class, and a belief that great media coverage is earned, not deserved.
 
One of my favorite CEOs was an engineer by training. I call him Mr. Engage. He was most comfortable hanging with his software development teams, but once we pulled him out of the R&D labs, he lit up the room with his technical and competitive knowledge. He made PR programs better by becoming intellectually engaged in media interviews. He didn’t just go through the motions, he shaped discussions. He disagreed, pushed back, offered refreshing points of view and always kept the discussion lively. He didn’t suffer journalistic fools lightly and was a great match for the toughest editors. They respected him and great editorial coverage followed.
 
Mr. Credibility has endeared himself to customers, employees and the media because he tells it like it is, the good and the bad, and isn’t myopic. When something isn’t right with his own product, he shares this with reporters. Conversely, when his company and/or products are clearly better than the competition, he isn’t shy to say this either, but does so in a way that proves his opinion is rooted in fact not hype. Mr. Credibility sees the competitive forest clearly and doesn’t live in a “my company is always great” world. He makes his company the undisputed leader by keeping it vigorously focused on earning customer trust by delivering products that exceed expectations. He makes the PR program better by being perceived by the press as a valued, trustworthy resource who is shaping the industry, not just his company.
 
Ms. Investment is a natural at representing her company. While she makes a dynamic impression, the substance is there to back it up. She enjoys getting out and meeting new people and intuitively understands the importance of building relationships one person at a time. She’s patient and will meet with all levels of reporters, knowing full well that today’s cub reporter will become tomorrow’s editor-in-chief. She makes a PR program great because she’s always willing to invest her own personal time to plant seeds and nurture them.
 
Mr. Focus is quite unique. Unlike so many CEOs who want it all (or are satisfied for only a brief period of time), this particular executive continually pushes back to make sure PR efforts will deliver needed value. While he is passionate about focus, he is also one of the most energetic and engaging CEOs I’ve ever worked with. He will listen with excruciating patience and his expectations are adjustable. He makes the PR program better by truly understanding how public relations works, getting personally involved, pushing back, and focusing himself -- and us -- on the most important things.
 
Mr. Genuine headed a Fortune 50 company and personally made tens of millions of dollars but never let this consume him. He didn’t have a big ego, and was amazingly serene and genuinely personable. He made each and every person feel like they were the only person in the room. He did this by being patient and a great listener. He transformed his company from highly political to open and fair. He made the PR program great by subsuming his own ego and being able to take advice from his internal communications team and external PR firm.
 
If you have the opportunity to collaborate with a truly great CEO, enjoy the ride and remember to leverage your asset to the fullest. It’s a rare moment in a long career, one that will remain as indelible as an early morning run down a fresh powder trail.

by Andy Beaupre