Former University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie was charged with drunken driving early this morning, his third alcohol-related arrest while driving.  Billy, Billy, Billy.  Do you ever want to coach again?
    
In recent years, Gillispie has become one of the hottest coaching in the country.  In this decade he has taken two weak basketball programs, University of Texas at El Paso and Texas A&M, to the NCCA tournament.  Sure, UTEP was good in the Don Haskins era, but the Miners are far removed from national prominence.  

He left Texas A&M for a dream job (if your dream job is one with zero security) at Kentucky, one of the best basketball programs in history.  He was fired after two years, but Kentucky fans have unrealistic expectations and they just didn’t like him in the first place.  But what does he do now?

There comes a time when the risk outweighs the reward.  Can Billy Gillispie lead your team to a national championship?  Yes.  Would he celebrate by drinking a handle of whiskey and cruising down the freeway at 100 mph with his eyes closed?  Probably not, but one can’t rule it out at this point. 

Billy’s got problems.  The best thing he could do would be to issue a public apology for his reckless and irresponsible behavior.  He also should seriously consider alcohol counseling and treatment.  Upon completion of treatment, he should join forces with former Oklahoma State coach and recovering alcoholic Eddie Sutton and speak to college kids about the dangers of drunken driving.  These are simple steps that could save his career and his life.

So, Billy, if you want to coach again, you need to get your life back on track.  If you must drink, hire a driver.  You have more money than 90 percent of Americans.  It’s time to grow up and do what you were born to do: Coach.

A committee of Tulsa businessmen seems to think Tulsa is an Olympic city.  

When addressing the Tulsa City Council, this group expressed its desire to bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to our great city.  I love the outside-of-the-box thinking, but really?

                                  

                                    Michael Jones, Tulsa Olympic Committee member

The 2020 Olympic-capable Tulsa would need to be the 2009 Tulsa on steroids with a heavy dose of HGH.  Our city is growing in leaps and bounds and was just named the number one place to live in the country, but Tulsa simply does not have the necessary infrastructure to accommodate such a large-scale event.  There aren’t enough hotels.  The airport would need a complete overhaul.  A stadium would need to be built, which would be useless at the end of the event.  Are these people crazy?  

With that said, if Tulsa is to make a bid (which will only happen if Chicago isn’t awarded the 2016 Olympics), I want to be a part of it in some capacity.  The right PR professionals sending the right messages to the right people could make this interesting – and successful.  Is it a long shot?  Yes.  Should we write it off as impossible?  Absolutely not.  

Some Oklahoma sports journalists think this is a publicity stunt.  That may be true, but the best stunt of all would be bringing the 2020 games to our fine city.  I wouldn’t bet against Tulsa just yet.

At Monday’s staff meeting, I was asked to do the “Credo Credit.” This is a weekly activity where one staff member highlights and personalizes a particular part of STF | PR’s Credo.

Our firm has been buzzing with client activity, which brought my attention to the amazing leadership going on all around me.  Not hierarchal structures or authoritarian demands, but genuine, thoughtful leadership that aims to support others and make them want to be the best they can.

Our credo reads:

We believe our employees are the reason for our success. We believe in celebrating their achievements and rewarding them for high levels of performance.

As an intern, I did not expect to be treated as “part of the team,” but the people here immediately made me feel like a valuable member of the staff.

Never did I expect such high-powered employees of an esteemed firm to be so gracious to one another. I am continually receiving emails and hearing comments congratulating some employee on something great they did. Large or small, it seems that no task or effort goes unnoticed.

This is my kind of leadership. Few people realize this basic lesson: A machine cannot function unless all its parts are working- so each deserves as much attention and care as the next. The best kind of leadership is support. If you encourage others, they will never feel underappreciated (and they will be more likely to respond to any constructive criticism.) They will never harbor resentment toward their job, and their performance will only continue to blossom.

I encourage all organizations- and independent citizens- to consider the way you treat others. Do you recognize their hard work? Do you build them up? Do you make them want to reach their potential? If you do, then you have permanent allies and hard workers. If you don’t, then perhaps you ought to rethink your methods.

Today is my last day working here, and then I must return to school for my final semester. I am glad for the experience that I’ve gained and excited to finish my degree, but I am sad to leave a place that places such value on good leadership.

I leave here recommending this firm to others, and hoping that one day I might return.

Now, what better PR is there?

I recently had the opportunity to sit-in on a crisis media training session for one of our clients. It was a great learning experience.

In the crisis training, STF| PR’s media-savvy leaders taught the do’s and don’ts of media relations, the legal rights of an interviewee and tips on how to make the interview a success. They also ran through several well-known crisis communications case studies, such as Tylenol.

First, the participants ran through scenarios and gave mock interviews without having received any tips. Then, after all the tips and information were presented they were given a second mock interview. In just a few hours the participants morphed into confident media spokespersons for their company.

In the realistic corporate world, businesses have to prepare for the possibility of a crisis. They also have to ensure that several employees, not just the ones in the PR department, are adequately trained to handle the media inquiries. No one wants a crisis, but it is better to be proactive and prepared. Responding quickly and accurately is the key to effectively handling the situation.

With social media and real-time information sharing being the norm these days, it is important to be crisis-ready. If you don’t have trained, media-ready staff available, you might end up having your crisis reported by the wrong people with the wrong information being presented.

I guess the old saying is true: You have to expect the unexpected.

For years golf fans have been divided when it comes to John Daly.  Some love him.  Some hate him.  But, everyone loves waiting to see what crazy stunt he will pull next.  

John Daly began his professional career in 1987 and joined the PGA Tour in 1991.  His meteoric rise to fame began the year he joined the tour, after winning the 1991 PGA Championship.  People were enamored with his long-distance drives he crushed off the tee.  He was a prodigy, but with fame came pain, grief and despair.  

Alcoholism, gambling addiction and failed marriages transformed Daly from one of the biggest stars on the tour into one of the most disgruntled and loathed professionals.  His image seemed to worsen every time he opened his mouth – on or off the golf course.  He was forced to play golf in Europe for six months because the PGA suspended him. 

Recently, however, he seems to be taking all the right steps to improve his image.

I just began following John Daly on Twitter and was stunned when he quickly followed me back.  After reading through his tweets, I soon realized he was a very likeable and sincere person.  His tweets are often entertaining, whether he’s describing a rib injury or posting pictures of holes on exclusive golf courses.  Although I haven’t sent any direct messages his way (he has thousands of followers), I feel I know him and have formed a relationship with him. 

I can’t speak for everyone, but I have formed a more favorable opinion of him through his strategic use of social media.  He may be paying someone to tweet for him, but it is money well spent.  How often do you get to see pictures of Tiger during a British Open practice round in real time?  If you follow John Daly on Twitter, you could have seen one earlier this week.