A Disaster or an Opportunity

I have always been fascinated by the way an organization describes a mistake. Some come right out and say, “Yes, we messed up and we accept responsibility for what happened.” Others play the blame game and try to pass off their mistakes on others. Regardless of where the blame is placed, the one thing that strikes me as interesting is how an organization puts the opportunity spin on it.

The opportunity spin is something that challenges us to think about issues in a different light. Mistakes are made and how we react to them can determine how we appear to the rest of the world. What do you think about an organization that states an issue is a great opportunity to learn and make changes? Sounds much better than telling the public that they screwed up and don’t have a clue what should be done next.

In addition to changing the way the public views your organization, turning a disaster into an opportunity will also put a different spin on a situation for your team. When everyone is running around wringing his or her hands in despair because they messed up, this creates chaos and doesn’t do much to address an issue. Something as simple as a word choice of “opportunity” can take a little of the fear out of a situation and drive everyone toward a positive result.

Do you see a disaster as an opportunity for future success or just a disaster?

 

When We Get It Wrong

“We got it wrong.”

This line has been thrown around repeatedly over the last couple of weeks in light of the recent scandals involving NFL players. It seems as if there have been numerous news conferences with those in charge pontificating how they made a mistake and changed their stance on an issue. I am curious how the leadership of these organizations really feel. Were these admissions of wrongdoing all about re-thinking a situation or the result of getting torched in the court of public opinion?

What happens when we get it wrong within our own organizations? Keeping quiet and wishing it would go away is typically not the best way to negotiate the way out of a public relations nightmare. Taking a different stance on an issue because a very bad video goes viral doesn’t instill confidence that your organization is telling the truth. In the case of the NFL scandal involving Ray Rice, in my opinion it just looks like the NFL is saying, “Whoops, we didn’t mean for you to see that.” How many people actually believe that anyone within the NFL did not see this video prior to TMZ making this public knowledge? Or worse yet, after viewing the previously released video where Ray Rice is dragging his unconscious fiancée out of an elevator, no one questioned it or thought to dig deeper into this situation for additional information?

Ignorance is bliss – right? When a scandal erupts how many times have we heard from the leadership of an organization that they simply didn’t know what was going on? Unfortunately, this excuse is used far too often when dealing with bad behavior. We didn’t have the video, we didn’t see that document, no one told us…and the list of excuses go on. Ignorance can only get you so far before you appear as if you have no idea what is actually going on within your organization, or you simply look like a liar.

I’m not saying that changing your mind about something after further examination of a situation is the wrong thing to do – we all make mistakes. I applaud any organization that can be forthcoming and transparent in dealing with a difficult situation. At one time or another we all get it wrong, how you choose to lead moving forward is the true test of leadership integrity.

 

 

 

What Personal Life?

It seems like every week a new scandal erupts that is fueled by social media. You say or do something incredibly stupid, it is plastered all over the Internet and your career and reputation is in shambles. Recently, the public was incensed by the remarks made by Donald Sterling, soon to be former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

This infamous conversation has been played out over and over again in the court of public opinion, however it would not be admissible in a court of law as it was obtained without Mr. Sterling’s knowledge. While his comments provided the world with a glimpse into his perception of life, one might think the conversation he had in this particular instance would have been much different than his actual method of expression had he known he was being taped. Every person on the planet has his or her own views, feelings, prejudices, and opinions, most of which are not on display to the world. When an individual’s personal thoughts are carried out in a very public way, it becomes like “Pandora’s Box”, it is out there for everyone to see and there is no way to put it away out of sight.

This leads us to wonder where are the boundaries between personal and public life? Where do we then draw the line between living our lives versus “big brother” watching us? Unfortunately the wonder of the smart phone coupled with the social media phenomenon, no one can truly escape being incognito.

Do we behave differently knowing that anyone at any time could snap a picture and send it flying warp-speed into the world, forever linking you to something stupid or embarrassing? Just spend a few minutes online and I believe we could safely say no! Many might argue that a personal life is separate from their public life, and what they do on their time is their business. And yes, I do agree with this statement however, technology has evolved to a point where we have given up some of our autonomy. 

The next time you feel the need to make a disparaging remark about someone or dance on a bar, you may want to ask yourself is this action worth losing my job or risking my reputation?