Do As I Do, Not As I Say!

Yet again corporate America comes ashore with another stark example of why "behavior is all that matters."  Hat tip to Shel Holtz for the "ship to shore" inspiration and reminder that solid moorings are required for a stellar reputation. 

Not to single out Wells Fargo, with whom I have had a 40 year relationship, it's behavior where the reputation rubber meets the road. It is how you act and not what you say that drives image and brand. The Wells Fargo Board's tardy response to its latest crisis is or should be a a wake up call to the enterprise that behavior not platitudes is all that matters to reputation. 

True North navigation should have signaled the following response:

• The board and its chair and CEO should have led the fiasco's aftermath with an honest and straightforward response to the disclosure. 
• The CEO should have been out there and the spokesperson. He should have been on the bow of the ship speaking the company's apologies and strategy to make things right. 
• The Board should have been visible from the dock, assuring stakeholders swift action and answers. 

• Supporting staff should echo the leader's apologies and action moving forward. And employee should be informed in real time, all the time.
• Management leaders should not have accepted bonuses and remuneration until the board completed its investigation and due diligence. 
• Had the response been swift and thorough, Congress would not have needed to hold hearings. The information would have been out there for all to see, hear and react.

Abject lesson: "Do as I do, not as I say." Behavior in the C Suite needs to change. Ego must go. Agendas must focus on customers and employees first. The public must have respect, truth and light. Right the ship!



Aspire to Higher - Benchmarks for a PR Pro

This post first appeared in Spin Sucks.  

Much continues to be penned on the role of public relations and how the field has changed throughout the years. It is the subject of lively discussion as popular as “what came first the chicken or the egg.”

Everyone has an opinion on who is the lead dog in the race for hearts and minds in the reputation game in the 21st century. Is it PR, marketing, advertising or some other function? And what does 2016 hold for the field and for public relations pros?

Public relations, for the foreseeable future, is essential to building trust with people who have a vital stake in an organization’s operations and success.

It is critical to fulfilling an organization’s missions and responsibilities. Public relations is the conscious in the board room. And if you don’t believe that, fasten your seatbelt, the ride will be rocky.

The fact is PR is all about building and sustaining relationships.

Always has. Always will.

The demand for public relations professionals has never been better and 2016 will likely accelerate the need for folks who are, “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

Benchmarks of Successful PR Professionals

Here are some of the most powerful characteristics successful PR professionals will need to be going forward:

• PR professionals are activists, seeking to engage, enlighten, and energize an organization’s constituents. They are not gatekeepers between their companies and the media.
• PR professionals advocate not just for their organizations, but for their organization’s constituents and stakeholders. This adds the important role of presenting the stakeholder’s interests and views to management. It is all about representing all those with a stake and making them understand their inherent obligations.
• PR professionals are strategic content developers and storytellers, helping their organizations formulate key messages that resonate with stakeholders and are coherent with the corporate culture and nature of the organization.
• PR professionals help an organization build mutual trust by encouraging and fostering transparency and integrity throughout the organization.
• PR professionals are counselors who actively advise and guide organizations in honestly communicating and behaving in the best interests of society and its constituents such as customers, employees, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate.
• PR professionals are enablers and connectors, helping organizations stay grounded, stay human, and stay sensitive to the needs and desires of their communities.

In essence, the role of today’s public relations professional is akin to being the conscience of the organization, being ever vigilant to ensuring that the organization is “doing the right thing” and not just saying the right things.

What do you think are the benchmarks of successful PR professionals?

Career Lessons from Bridgegate: Don’t be a Savior or a Martyr

Time and again we are witness to crises of major proportion that often are unbelievable and defy a thinking person's logic. Bridgegate is one such example. How on heaven's green earth would anybody with an ounce of intelligence think that they could get away with creating a traffic jam on a major artery between New York and New Jersey and not get caught.  Moreover how could a senior executive in government service on the scale of New Jersey be so dumb as to think this was a good move for the Governor. Retribution, I suggest, is a dangerous playmate.

The career lessons learned from this debacle are rich, robust and many.  Here are just a few.  

 

Don’t be a savior or a martyr.  Be loyal but not stupid. Always have the boss' back but not at the expense of your moral compass and personal integrity.  Before you sacrifice yourself or try to save the day, let your conscious be your guide.  The life you save may be your own. 

 

Ethics rules.  Personal ethics matter. Ethical behavior is de rigueur for any career and critical to career survival and growth.   At the end of the day, all you have is your credibility.  Stay honest.

Play fair. Politics in the office can never end well. It is poison in the workplace and will never help you get ahead. Instead as we know from bridgegate you will very likely lose your head.

 

Retribution is a dangerous game. It never ends well and almost always comes back like a bad penny, harming the originator.  Your career and good reputation are not worth the risk.  If you have a beef, state it, discuss the dynamics, generate a solution and get past it.

 

Fess up. If you crossed the line in the sand on ethics or even made a mild faux pas, admit, apologize, fix and move on, all the wiser.

 

Run a tight ship. Manage your career well and with rigor. Follow your moral compass and always do the right thing. Be honest and open. One of the side benefits is you need never stretch the truth or orchestrate highway havoc.

 

Learn the lessons of history.  How many examples does the world need to benefit from faux pas of the past?  The books are littered with example after example of screw ups, indiscretions, bad behavior and man’s inhumanity to man.  Let’s start benefitting from lessons learned people.