On Friday, October 23rd, the School of Business hosted former press secretary, Reed Dickens. He was invited to come speak to APU students and the community about his journey from Louisiana State University to the White House. His overall attitude towards life was remarkable, and the story of his life was enough to get the students excited for their own future.
Dickens spoke directly about the time he spent in the White House with President George W. Bush. He expounded on his many travels, investments, and his business in crisis management. To say that Reed Dickens has dealt with some high profile customers is a hefty understatement. Professional athletes, celebrities, and politicians have been flooding his office ever since he opened his doors in 2005. The simple key to his business is speed and transparency, and although the concept seems elementary, it has proved widely successful in his business. Clearly many students will not deal with high profile crises while in college, but Dickens still encouraged the audience to apply the concepts of speed and transparency in their own lives.
One of his more pertinent and relevant points was the “Google effect.” This is the blogging and commentary effect on the news. In our society, there is no longer a factual news report, for news has become all relevant opinions and nothing is ever considered classified. Dickens concluded that everything would eventually be found out, and since the truth will come out of the legal process, investigative journalism, or the individual, the truth can never be hidden. Similar to our childhood lessens, Dickens reminded us of one of the golden rules- honesty is the best policy. He encourages his clients to be open from the start so in that way, the public would have more respect for the subject and there would be no reason to hide any information. Dickens has made his business off of these simple ideas and has become successful by acting them out.
The detailed lecture he gave on his business plan and objectives was interesting, yet his stories regarding his position in the Bush administration was one of the most entertaining parts of the night. He described his road to the white house as a lot of hard work and even more luck. His route is definitely not one that could be replicated easily. His business mind and life story thus far was truly a motivation to the students and staff in his audience.
~Sarah Harden
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