Reggie Boot Camp

Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010

When a solider enlists in the Army, he is sent to boot camp as a way to transition from civilian life to solider life. Upon enlistment as a trainee at DSPR I was deployed to Reggie Boot Camp: a transitional program from student to up-and-coming PR professional. Although nobody has yelled, “drop and give me 20,” so far, being a trainee and a solider have a lot in common.

Rank & Privilege
There aren’t any Sergeant Majors at DSPR but I’ve found it’s important to know who pulls rank. There’s David, Reggie and Sam, the managers and associates, but who’s next? It’s been helpful to learn the ranking system here so I know who to ask what. As we were told on our first day, “you don’t need to ask the founders where the pencil sharpener is.” Good advice. We’ve been encouraged to ask questions, but more importantly, to ask the right person, depending on the question.

Core Values
The U.S. Army values personal courage, duty, honor and selfless-service. Reggie also prides himself in running a company that values trust and support from fellow employees as well as one that understands that people are not work machines. For example, during our second week at DSPR a trainee came into the Studio sick and was sent home to rest and recover. Understanding the core values and management style that a business bases their operations on has enabled me to better understand why we do things a little bit differently at DSPR.

Soldier’s Handbook:
New recruits receive a 581 page pocket guide to the Army. In the forward it states, “This handbook addresses both general subjects and selected combat tasks. You must know this information in order to be an effective soldier.” Reggie must have been in the Army. Our first day at DSPR we were given a training guide and the Trainee Survival Guide. The documents held answers to FAQs of new trainees. Instead of an Army PT test, there’s a rumor we have a quiz coming up on the contents of our handbooks.

Drill Instructors:
Army drill instructors prepare soldiers for combat. Sarah and Amanda are our drill instructors. At Reggie Boot Camp they’ve made trainees do things they didn’t want to, but that’s part of the learning curve. Both have received field promotions after being in our combat boots and sincerely want us to succeed. Perhaps some trainees think they’re being mean, but in reality they’re teaching us good habits to bring to our first real job.  

Rifles & Guns
In every industry there’s jargon. In the Army a man only calls his weapon a rifle and never a gun. Similarly, DSPR has its own lingo. There are no brainstorms, only Kongs. There is not a conference desk, only a pong table. We don’t work in an office; we’re at the Studio.

Battle Buddy:
In the last phase of boot camp soldiers pair together, creating a battle buddy alliance. The duo works together in the final challenges to complete missions. Working together and effectively communicating is key; there is no competition between battle buddies. David told us the first day at DSPR that enlistment at Reggie Boot Camp is not a competition. He reminded us that when we leave DSPR, five of our fellow trainees will be professional acquaintances or good friends.

This week completes my first month at DSPR. So far, my PR and marketing skills have started to become toned and ready for battle. Maybe next month my six-pack abs will start to show.