Resiliency is a Habit. PR Pros Need to Master It.

Marc C. Whitt:

If there was ever a time public relations professionals needed to master the habit of resiliency, it is now.

Most of us would agree that today’s professional landscape can feel topsy-turvy. Communications professionals are often navigating a constant barrage of challenges—rapid change, organizational pressure, reputational crises, workplace conflicts, and shifting expectations. Some days are manageable. Other days? Well, can I get a witness?

In truth, nearly every public relations professional will eventually face the winds of change and challenge. These moments can bring confusion, anxiety, stress, doubt, frustration, embarrassment, burnout, or even job loss. You may experience internal conflicts within an organization, professional setbacks, or the painful realization that colleagues you once trusted have chosen to step away.

Unfortunately, few of us enter the profession fully prepared to manage these storms when they suddenly appear. Yet these moments—difficult as they are—often become defining points in our careers.

The key is resiliency.

Resiliency is not something that appears overnight. It is a habit—one that must be learned, practiced, and refined over time. Masterful public relations professionals understand this well. They know that adversity, while uncomfortable, can stretch, shape, and strengthen them. In many ways, the very challenges that test us the most can become the experiences that ultimately prepare us to lead, advise, and serve more effectively.

But here’s the critical point: adversity only builds character if we allow it to.

Without resilience, difficult experiences can leave us bitter, disillusioned, and disengaged. With resilience, however, those same experiences can transform us into wiser, stronger, and more capable professionals.

Let’s be honest. From time to time, everyone in our profession takes a bit of professional “shrapnel.” The goal, therefore, is not to avoid challenges—because that’s impossible. The goal is to become battle-tested rather than battle-worn.

Resilient professionals bounce back. Not always immediately, but steadily and purposefully.

Now, let’s be clear. A resilient communicator is not some comic-book superhero capable of deflecting lightning bolts and vanquishing villains without breaking a sweat. Resilient professionals are real people with real emotions who face real challenges. They may feel disappointment, hurt, or uncertainty—but they move forward with courage, determination, and the inner strength to recover and grow.

Sometimes that recovery requires what might be called a season of mourning. During this time, we reflect, heal, reassess, and consider our next steps. That season can be healthy and necessary. But it should never become permanent residency.

Living in the graveyard of self-doubt—pointing fingers, assigning blame, or burning bridges—will not move a career forward.

Instead, resilient professionals focus on rebuilding. They establish a course that leads them toward renewal, growth, and rejuvenation while remaining authentic to who they are.

Over the years, I’ve observed that resilient public relations professionals often share several important traits. Among them:

1. Be optimistic.
2. Be confident and courageous.
3. Be self-aware.
4. Seek a mentor—or two.
5. Be willing to learn and rejuvenate.
6. Maintain a good sense of humor.
7. Be flexible and adaptable.
8. Count your blessings.
9. Don’t burn bridges—rebuild them.
10. Seek solutions.
11. Trust your gut instincts.
12. Remain sociable.
13. Schedule “me time.”

These habits help professionals stay grounded during turbulent moments and maintain perspective when challenges arise.

Ultimately, resiliency is not about avoiding change, challenges, or problems. In public relations, that simply isn’t possible. Instead, resiliency is about facing those moments with determination, confidence, grace, and grit.

It is about learning from difficult experiences rather than being defined by them.

And perhaps most importantly, it is about bouncing back with renewed purpose and optimism—determined to become a better professional tomorrow than you were yesterday.

That is the hallmark of a masterful public relations professional.

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Marc C. Whitt is an award-winning public relations professional, bestselling author, and student-focused educator with over four decades of experience in higher education and nonprofit communication. He invites STRATEGIC readers to follow and connect with him on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/marcwhitt).