Four Things Highly Visible Leaders Should Consider

I’ve seen many media outlets fall in and out of love with charismatic personalities. When they’re in love, they book the person for back-to-back interviews. When that love wans, they may move on to who they perceive is the next best thing. Similarly, I’ve also seen political parties and platforms benefit from Black women’s outspokenness, and in some cases, later, unceremoniously discard them.

I’ve also seen a host of high-profile Black women win elected office and later face retaliation. This includes New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell who seems to face one controversy after another. For these reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jasmine Crockett. I want to see Crockett do well, and I fear her increased visibility could backfire. Here are four things Crockett and other highly visible leaders should consider:

Being highly visible isn’t always a good thing.

Being highly visible may be good from the standpoint of running for office, but it can be dangerous in other regards. When a person is highly visible, they attract fans and detractors. They also face more scrutiny. Further, at some point or another, people get curious and when they get curious, they’ll begin digging into all facets of a person’s life. I hope Crockett is prepared for the underbelly of media attention.

Media attention is intoxicating but it may not permanent.

Media attention is intoxicating; the more a person gets positive media coverage, the more they want positive media coverage. The problem is many in the media are always looking for the next big thing. When they find it, they often singularly focus on that person – sometimes at the exclusion of other equally capable voices. Highly visible leaders should use their season of increased exposure to strategically to build their base.

There is an opportunity cost for anything we do.

For those who may not know, media engagement and outreach are time-consuming. It takes time to prepare for media interviews. It takes time to get to and from in-person interviews, and it takes time to be pitched for media interviews.

Additionally, for broadcast media interviews, some shows require a pre-interview, where the person being interviewed will do a mini-interview with a show’s producer. If a person is doing, let’s say, three interviews a week, for weeks on end, they are likely giving up something to make space for those media appearances. To be clear, it is important to participate in some interviews. The key is balance.

Going off script is risky.

While audiences love it, I sometimes worry when legislators go off script. When Crockett went viral for calling Marjorie Taylor-Green a “beach blonde, bad built, butch body,” I feared the comment was insulting to some in the LGBTQIA community. When she called Gov. Greg Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels,” I was stunned because the remark felt offensive not just to Abbott but to other persons who use a wheelchair.

Most recently, in an interview with CBS News about efforts to expel Democratic legislators for denying quorum, Crockett referred to President Donald Trump as an “orange orangutan.” I get that President Trump regularly trades in personal barbs, and perhaps, Crockett is the Democratic response to him. But I still struggle with whether personal insults move us closer to  the broader work of strengthening democracy.

Visibility can help one’s personal and professional brand. But it has its risks. I hope highly visible and impactful leaders appreciate the downsides and adjust accordingly.

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer,^® is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.