Reputation Management
Reputation Management
Much of my personal practice deals with managing perception surrounding both personal and corporate brands. In working with professional athletes, politicians, brash entrepreneurs and overly confident executives there is little in the way of crisis that I have not experienced over the years. I have dealt with everything from Federal investigations, felony convictions, sexual indiscretions to just plain-old poor judgment. Sometimes crisis can be thrust upon an unwitting and/or undeserving target and other times it is self-inflicted. Regardless of the cause, when crisis strikes the appropriateness of the response can have a dramatic impact on the future of a company and/or individual. Make no mistake…crisis management is mission critical to corporate and professional sustainability.
My personal belief is that nobody is perfect, but it is often my job to make them appear as such…Everyone makes mistakes and from time-to-time conducts themselves in a manner that they regret, it is just that some people’s baggage is more public than others. I have witnessed the mismanagement of trivial mistakes which have taken very prominent public figures to their knees, and I have handled exceedingly difficult circumstances such that barely a ripple was felt. In most cases, it is not the indiscretion that is an issue, but rather how it is dealt with that determines public opinion.
While there are certain key principles underlying successful crisis management, it is certainly far from a formulaic process. Each individual instance of crisis requires a completely unique strategy engineered to fit the context, environment, constituencies and a virtual plethora of other potential issues that may be encountered in managing the perception and risk of crisis. The following guidelines are meant to give you a basic framework for dealing with crisis:
1. The truth is your friend: No matter how tempting it may seem do not travel the delusional path of the cover-up. The truth will always eventually come out and your problems will only be exacerbated by layering mistake upon mistake and lie upon lie…
2. Anticipate and insulate: When it comes to crisis management the best defense is a very prolific offense. Where possible you need to seek out potential areas of conflict, crisis and risk in order to effectively neutralize a threat before it becomes a reality.
3. Impulsivity is not your friend: Never, and I repeat never, speak to the media if not prepared. No comment is better than an off-the-cuff comment of frivolity. All members of your management team should be media trained prior to making any public statement (whether in crisis mode or not).
4. Get professional help: Just as a defendant who represents himself is said to have a fool for a client, a person/entity at the center of a crisis that attempts to solve their own problem deserves the outcome they are likely to receive. When the stakes are high seek the counsel and advice of a subject matter expert who knows how to walk from one side of a mine field to the other without getting blown-up.
5. Passivity is not your friend either: Sticking your head in the sand and hoping a crisis will blow over is a recipe for disaster. Aggressive, confident, proactive and rapid response is always a better choice than not taking any action whatsoever. Left unattended most problems will only grow in severity and add to the potential for lasting damage.
6. Understand the real issues: Get to the root of the issue as quickly as possible. Often times what appears to be a crisis is really just the calm before the storm. If you miss addressing the real issue out of the gate you may not get a chance to recover…It is critical to understand all of your constituencies as well as the media’s real interest in the story.
7. Cover all the bases: Never rely on the media to exclusively deliver your message. The media is only one delivery channel and effectively managing perception is based upon influencing all channels. Create allies who have a vested interest in your success and utilize all back-channels to influence the desired outcome.
8. Think long-term: Don’t win the battle and lose the war. Your credibility and brand are rarely worth risking over a short-term gamble. Resist the temptation to bluff unless your can bear the fall-out if you’re hand is called.
9. Monitor your results: A crisis is rarely a static event…problems tend to be very fluid and can rapidly evolve and/or escalate. It is imperative that you know where you stand at all times and consistently evaluate your position and strategy relative to the risks and rewards at stake. Never allow yourself to get locked into a strategy that paints you into a corner you don’t want to be in.
10. Go for the win: At the end of the day, the best way to manage a crisis is to create a win…With all risks and controversies come opportunities if you understand the subtleties of crisis management. Controversy usually involves more than one party and where there are multiple parties involved there are multiple interests to be leveraged and needs to be addressed.
The world is not fair and the business world is most certainly not fair. You will face a variety of crisis situations during your career and how you handle them will impact your ability to achieve your goals, protect your interests and secure your future.
Reputation Management - To learn more about this author, visit Mike Myatt's Website.
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I was corresponding with a colleague earlier today who was inquiring into my experiences with crisis management, and after reviewing my e-mail to her I thought the subject was worthy of being published in today’s post. In the current always-on, real-time and often invasive world of media coverage any company is only a slight faux pas away from crisis mode. It is not really a question of if your organization will encounter a crisis, but rather it is a matter of when and how often a crisis will occur. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on how to successfully navigate a crisis…
Much of my personal practice deals with managing perception surrounding both personal and corporate brands. In working with professional athletes, politicians, brash entrepreneurs and overly confident executives there is little in the way of crisis that I have not experienced over the years. I have dealt with everything from Federal investigations, felony convictions, sexual indiscretions to just plain-old poor judgment. Sometimes crisis can be thrust upon an unwitting and/or undeserving target and other times it is self-inflicted. Regardless of the cause, when crisis strikes the appropriateness of the response can have a dramatic impact on the future of a company and/or individual. Make no mistake…crisis management is mission critical to corporate and professional sustainability.
My personal belief is that nobody is perfect, but it is often my job to make them appear as such…Everyone makes mistakes and from time-to-time conducts themselves in a manner that they regret, it is just that some people’s baggage is more public than others. I have witnessed the mismanagement of trivial mistakes which have taken very prominent public figures to their knees, and I have handled exceedingly difficult circumstances such that barely a ripple was felt. In most cases, it is not the indiscretion that is an issue, but rather how it is dealt with that determines public opinion.
While there are certain key principles underlying successful crisis management, it is certainly far from a formulaic process. Each individual instance of crisis requires a completely unique strategy engineered to fit the context, environment, constituencies and a virtual plethora of other potential issues that may be encountered in managing the perception and risk of crisis. The following guidelines are meant to give you a basic framework for dealing with crisis:
1. The truth is your friend: No matter how tempting it may seem do not travel the delusional path of the cover-up. The truth will always eventually come out and your problems will only be exacerbated by layering mistake upon mistake and lie upon lie…
2. Anticipate and insulate: When it comes to crisis management the best defense is a very prolific offense. Where possible you need to seek out potential areas of conflict, crisis and risk in order to effectively neutralize a threat before it becomes a reality.
3. Impulsivity is not your friend: Never, and I repeat never, speak to the media if not prepared. No comment is better than an off-the-cuff comment of frivolity. All members of your management team should be media trained prior to making any public statement (whether in crisis mode or not).
4. Get professional help: Just as a defendant who represents himself is said to have a fool for a client, a person/entity at the center of a crisis that attempts to solve their own problem deserves the outcome they are likely to receive. When the stakes are high seek the counsel and advice of a subject matter expert who knows how to walk from one side of a mine field to the other without getting blown-up.
5. Passivity is not your friend either: Sticking your head in the sand and hoping a crisis will blow over is a recipe for disaster. Aggressive, confident, proactive and rapid response is always a better choice than not taking any action whatsoever. Left unattended most problems will only grow in severity and add to the potential for lasting damage.
6. Understand the real issues: Get to the root of the issue as quickly as possible. Often times what appears to be a crisis is really just the calm before the storm. If you miss addressing the real issue out of the gate you may not get a chance to recover…It is critical to understand all of your constituencies as well as the media’s real interest in the story.
7. Cover all the bases: Never rely on the media to exclusively deliver your message. The media is only one delivery channel and effectively managing perception is based upon influencing all channels. Create allies who have a vested interest in your success and utilize all back-channels to influence the desired outcome.
8. Think long-term: Don’t win the battle and lose the war. Your credibility and brand are rarely worth risking over a short-term gamble. Resist the temptation to bluff unless your can bear the fall-out if you’re hand is called.
9. Monitor your results: A crisis is rarely a static event…problems tend to be very fluid and can rapidly evolve and/or escalate. It is imperative that you know where you stand at all times and consistently evaluate your position and strategy relative to the risks and rewards at stake. Never allow yourself to get locked into a strategy that paints you into a corner you don’t want to be in.
10. Go for the win: At the end of the day, the best way to manage a crisis is to create a win…With all risks and controversies come opportunities if you understand the subtleties of crisis management. Controversy usually involves more than one party and where there are multiple parties involved there are multiple interests to be leveraged and needs to be addressed.
The world is not fair and the business world is most certainly not fair. You will face a variety of crisis situations during your career and how you handle them will impact your ability to achieve your goals, protect your interests and secure your future.
Reputation Management - To learn more about this author, visit Mike Myatt's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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