Dave Mona learned early on in his journalism career not to take himself so seriously.
The Minnesota Daily alumnus remembers one of his journalism professors being his harshest critic.
“I thought I was a decent writer, but he just took my copies apart,” Mona said.
When his first story at the Minneapolis Tribune ran on the front page, Mona received a “revised” edition in the mail from his old professor.
“It dawned on me that I hadn’t really escaped,” he said. “I had just moved on to another level and the University was still a part of me.”
Mona will attempt to impart some of that common-sense wisdom to a group of students at 11:30 a.m. today in the Carlson School of Management’s 3M Auditorium.
The Leadership Lecture Series provides community representatives with a forum to tell interesting stories about leadership.
Mona’s lecture, “Free Beer Tomorrow and Other Lessons in Life,” will focus on important yet simple lessons he has learned during his multifaceted journalism career.
The title comes from a sign he saw in a Wisconsin bar. Mona uses the saying as an example of having a sense of humor about what you do.
“(Mona) has a good sense of values both academic and general,” said Jerry Rinehart, Carlson School director of undergraduate studies. Rinehart worked with Mona through the University Alumni Association and describes Mona as a dynamic speaker.
After a 30-year career, Mona has become one of the most respected citizens of the Twin Cities. He divides his time between Shandwick Incorporated, a public-relations agency he chairs, and various volunteer work around the area.
Mona worked as a reporter for WCCO-TV while studying journalism at the University. After graduating, he worked as a news and sports reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune. Mona said the journalism school and the Daily were critical to his future success.
After five years as a reporter, Mona said he wanted to try something different. His journalism skills qualified him for public relations.
“I never dreamed when I was writing for The Minnesota Daily that I’d be an entrepreneur,” Mona said.
In 1981, Mona formed his own public-relations agency, which Shandwick International acquired after seven successful years.
“When you go into business, you better be darn good at what you do, because there’s a lot of competition out there,” Mona said.
Margaret Carlson, University Alumni Association executive director, worked with Mona last year when he was the group’s national president.
“His hallmark is that there are about 100 people in the Twin Cities area running large organizations, and they rely on (Mona) for advice behind the scenes,” Carlson said.
Mona also served as the University’s chief spokesman in 1998. Carlson said Mona is “critically important” to the University because so many school officials call on him for help.
Mona said the most important lesson is to focus on your strengths and find people who will pay you for it.
“People who do that tend to be the happiest and most content people,” he said.

Krista Poplau welcomes comments at [email protected]. She can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3221.