Sharing my professional bucket list

Write a book. Have it published.

That would be at the top of my professional bucket list. It’s been a dream of mine for a while. I go back and forth between nonfiction and fiction. I’d love to write about corporate cultures. I find it fascinating how little attention companies pay to them and how big of an impact they have on brand perception. At the same time, I’ve wanted to write an epic underdog sports novel ever since the first time I saw the Rocky movies. Just in case you were wondering, I have now seen each of them more than 500 times. “What is keeping him up, Bill, I don’t know?”

You might be wondering why I’ve got bucket lists on the brain. No, I didn’t just watched the overhyped Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman movie. The flick was decent. But I’ll take Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men and Morgan Freeman in Shawshank any day.

The reason I’m blogging bucket lists today is because of my friends Arik Hanson and Heather Whaling. It started earlier this week when HW earned her client, Zaarly, a front page story in the Wall Street Journal. She Facebooked that she could now cross a front page WSJ placement off her bucket list. And that led to this post where Arik shared his own bucket list and asked others to share there’s.

What I noticed in the Facebook and blog comments was how supportive everyone has been toward each other. Congrats for crossing an item off the list. Or encouragement to achieve the next goal. That support is a microcosm for why I value the relationships I’ve built through social media so much. And it’s why I’m sharing my professional bucket list here. And hope you’ll share yours too.

2. Find the cause I’m most passionate about to devote volunteer PR services to. I’ve had the privilege of helping out nonprofit boards here and there. But I’m still looking for that cause I can latch onto for a lifetime.

3. Sell in and manage a offline WOM brand ambassador program. Almost everyone in PR can talk your ear off about influencers. Not enough of us are focused on our brand’s real fans — the ambassadors. See the Fiskateers or Markers Mark.

4. Have a panel selected for SXSW. This is the second year I’ve presented and received a no-go. Already thinking about ideas for 2013.

5. Become an agency partner. I’m not that big on titles. But to make agency partner, you have to be a team player. Someone colleagues and clients can trust. That’s important to me.

6. Make someone laugh every day. Work is too stressful and life is too short not to have some fun while we’re at it. Making people laugh is an important part of my job, IMO.

7. Keep writing.  An article for Harvard Business Review. A post for Mashable. And turn Justin Case You Were Wondering into an AdAge Top 200 blog.

8. Do work for Southwest Airlines. We all have brand crushes, right? Ask anyone in my office. Southwest is mine. I love everything the brand stands for and would love the opportunity to work with the people at Southwest someday.

9. Help a client transition effectively from silos to integrated marketing communications. This one is happening currently. Very exciting and rewarding to watch.

10. Be a mentor. I would not be where I am in my career without my mentor and others who have taken the time to teach me and share their experiences. Whether it’s through teaching, speaking or just being a positive manager, I want to provide that type of help and guidance for someone(s).

As I started writing, I found out that I’ve had this list in my head for a while. But it’s still evolving. What’s on your list? What do you need help crossing off?

Related posts: