NBC is in hot water after a short video to open the Emmy Awards on Sunday. The video was of a plane crashing and its intention was to spoof the ABC television show Lost. But hours earlier a plane had crashed in Lexington, Ky., and killed 49 people.

NBC apologized for the video saying it was prerecorded and it was not meant in any way to poke fun at those killed in the plane crash in Kentucky. But while its intentions were good, the final outcome was not.

Many believe that the video should have been scratched from the opening of the awards ceremony. But others were not so offended because they clearly saw the ties to Lost and not to the Kentucky plane crash.

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This past weekend I headed out to Wee Waa (deep in NSW cotton country) visiting a good mate of mine. He’s also a media grad, but he’s back working the family farm.

We had an extremely interesting conversation about job satisfaction – and more importantly where that satisfaction comes from.

As we drove around his property, he’d point out to me the products of his labour. Crops planted, fields ploughed, metal welded, etc. His point was that he gets a great deal of satisfaction from being able to look at the work he’s done and see the final result of his labour.

He works with his hands to create something real, and he can look at the final result of his labour with satisfaction. Meanwhile, I work with my mind to create ideas and influence – and the end result of my labour will occur in someone else’s mind.

While I can see some of the outputs I create in my work: media releases, podcasts, successful pitches – I can’t see the final outcome. If I’m trying to influence someone else’s thinking, I can never actually see this happen. I guess it’s tied in with the fact that we can’t really measure PR, there is no black and white way to see the end result of our work.

At this stage I do get a great deal of satisfaction from the work I do. I get a buzz when a story gets picked up, I’m proud when I clearly communicate something difficult, getting positive feedback on a podcast puts a smile on my face. But, will this last? I’m sure my 500^th media release won’t be as exciting as my first, so what measures can I take to be sure that I’ll remain satisfied with my work?

This is more of a question for our Forward investors and experienced types who visit the site. Where does your job satisfaction come from? Is it a positive media hit? Is it a happy client? Or is it a measurable strategy where you’ve reached your objectives?

Technorati Tags: PR, public relations, job satisfaction, career advice

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