And how to limit reputational damage when they do!
It seems that hardly a week goes bv without another high-flyer being brought down by personal behaviour that also damages the reputation of their organisation.
And we’re not talking here about the former Prince, now plain Mr. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. That scandal is on a wholly different level.
But whether it’s in business or in politics, the roll call of smart and successful individuals whose private conduct has reaped damaging public repercussions, continues to grow, fuelled by social media’s armchair army of moral arbiters, rolling 24/7 news, the ubiquitous smart phone and the seeming ‘death of privacy.’
One week it’s the CEO embroiled in the now infamous ‘Coldplay Couple’ incident, next the boss of a Polish company lambasted on social media for grabbing the souvenir cap handed to a young fan by a tennis player at the US Open, then it was the CEO of global food giant Nestle booted out ‘with immediate effect’ after a whistle-blower lifted the lid on his affair with a younger female colleague and followed by the enforced departures of the Deputy Prime Minister and the UK Ambassador to Washington in rapid succession.
The common denominator in each case though is that it is the personal behaviour of the individuals that has blighted their professional careers and which required the organisations they represented to act to mitigate the damage to corporate reputation.
It is always a mystery that high profile individuals can witness their peers being hung out to dry in the court of public opinion for private indiscretions and then indulge in the very same behaviours themselves thinking they won’t be the ones to be found out.
They will. Nothing stay secret for ever.
It might not be immediately; often its someone wronged months or even years ago and privy to the ‘secret’ who subsequently sees the opportunity to exert maximum revenge by revealing the wrong-doing at the most sensitive and damaging moment.
We live in an era where the leaders of public and private sector organisations are encouraged to have an online presence that illustrates their personality and gives a positive human face to the company they head up
That can bring positive benefits to the individual and the organisation, raising profile and enhancing influence. But when private indiscretions are exposed, especially when they blatantly contradict corporate values, it can quickly and brutally bring ridicule or scandal requiring Boards to act quickly and decisively to best protect corporate reputation and commercial interests.
So, how best to act?
Here are the essential ‘do’s and ‘don’ts’:-
DO:-
- Before the looking to develop a public persona for the CEO the communications team need to ask the hard question; ‘Is there anything in your past or present private behaviours that would cause embassment to you or the company if it became known?’
- Panic is not conducive to good decision-making so if the worst subsequently happens, act calmly and think clearly.
- Gather ALL the known facts
- Get ahead of the story so you are seen as being pro-active – and not merely responding to – events
- Work with experienced specialists who can anticipate the narrative arc of the crisis and where the story is heading
- Cut off future headlines by addressing the difficult questions BEFORE they are asked
- Act decisively
- Caveat any statements with the phrase ‘on what we currently know’ so that you won’t be embarrassed by revelations that emerge later
- Do have a social media protocol in place
- Have a crisis communications plan that has identified and developed responses to risks caused by corporate failings or private wrong-doing
DON’T:-
- Allow facts to be dragged out day by day otherwise you will face ‘ death by a thousand cuts’ as the story runs and runs.
- Allow personal relationships or a sense of loyalty to cloud judgements when the wider interests of the organisation should take precedence
- Think that ‘ no comment’ means no story. If you don’t respond journalists will simply go to other sources who may not know all the facts and background and may also have ‘an axe to grind.’
- Most importantly of all – NEVER LIE. You will be found out.
As long as companies and organisations are led by humans, there will always be those whose personal indiscretions outweigh their contributions in the Boardroom. That has always been the case but in todays 24/7, social media driven environment the chances of those failings staying secret are much diminished.
Whilst clever people will always do stupid things, being prepared in advance gives the best chance of limiting future damage.
To find out more about our crisis communications services,
peter@squareoneconsultants.co.uk