This new series will feature career advice from IPR ELEVATE Members. IPR ELEVATE is a diverse and select membership community of high-performing innovators and catalysts for growth, change, and advancement who support the mission and insights-focused work of IPR.

Joseph Czabovsky, Ph.D., has worked in media and public relations for over fifteen years. He began his career in event planning, media development, and creative video production in Los Angeles. He then moved into areas such as PR writing, creative media development, and political community relations. He obtained a J.D. from the Michigan State University College of Law and has been at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2012, initially as a Ph.D. fellow. Since 2015, he has been a professional/creative faculty member, meaning his work bridges the practice between applied research and industry. His area of focus is PR measurement, especially as it relates to niche and minority audiences. He’s been a member of IPR’s Measurement Commission for the last few years and has published market research with other IPR members, as well as many publications across professional, trade and/or academic outlets. 

What are your top 5 tips for achieving success?

1. Realize that most people are not like you                                                                                                                                                              No matter who you are in the world, everyone else has their own story and background. It’s easy to have blind spots in our business. It means many campaigns miss the mark if they assume other people will respond the same way to something that would have worked for you or your team. Read data and research. Meet and work with a diverse group of people to find out your own blind spots and assumptions that may likely be missing the mark.
2. Be yourself                                                                                                                                                                                                              And yet, building from the first tip, remember you have your own value and story as well. Bring your strengths to the table. Focus on those strengths and don’t be afraid to say when you have different thoughts on a project or task from the group.
3. Humility                                                                                                                                                                                                                When you’re overconfident, mistakes are likely to happen, or you may get set in your ways. Past successes can change to future failures as life, culture and other realities adapt.
4. Kindness                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Work is often grueling. People want to work with people that makes that process less painful. You may be an A+ person at the skills of your job, but if you’re not someone people want to work with, those jobs may not be there for you when you need them, especially when you’re going through career changes in life.
5. Make the free throws                                                                                                                                                                                                  A lot of success requires starting with the basics. Be on time for meetings. Turn things in when they’re due. Share your thoughts at a meeting. Shooting for perfection after the buzzer is less effective than giving your best shot within the standard rules of life. So, always aim to at least do the basic stuff right, especially during stressful or imperfect times. 

What is the most helpful piece of advice you’ve received in your career?

Wear sunscreen. The old Baz Luhrmann song says it all. While I heard the song as a teenager, a similar message was said to me by a professor in law school. For many, he came across as a grouch. And, frankly, he often was. But, upon our first break, he told us to wear our sunscreen and call our parents if we were still lucky enough to have them in our lives.

First, this story is a reminder not to judge people, as this seemingly grouchy man was secretly a kind mentor all along. Second, it’s a reminder to take care of yourself when you’re young and it’ll pay off later. If you burn yourself out, treat your body and mind poorly and say, “Just one more year, then I’ll start taking care of myself,” you may look back and have never done it. Finally, it’s also a reminder to focus on the things that matter, be it your own health, your family, pets or the like.

So, wear sunscreen.

What advice do you have for someone new to the industry?

Don’t be afraid to chase the shiny objects. Do things that sound exciting to you. Think about the things you’ve done in your life, especially what you liked to do in school versus what you didn’t like to do. You will always do better at things you like. So, go for them, even if they pay less or you don’t know where they’ll lead. Fibbing to yourself or the hiring manager just to get a job you don’t really want sets you up for failure, as your work product won’t be nearly as good, which leads toward a downward trend on your reputation and referrals. Instead, if you are always trying to do things you like, it will open more doors down the road, even if you don’t know yet what they will be. So, jump in, the water will be fine and see where the tide takes you.