Leadership, Messaging, Views on News, public relations • March 20th, 2008

Eliot’s greatest err: his response

by wispundit

To err is human, to forgive divine. But Eliot’s greatest err, his crisis response, might not allow for forgiveness.

Most politicians and executives, I believe, think of the potential for a crisis as a low-probability, high-impact event. In fact, if they took five minutes to list potential vulnerabilities that could sink them, the list would lead them to a different conclusion. The probability of crisis is high, regardless of profession. The probability of survival is low without being prepared and understanding how to deal with the different stakeholders during a crisis. A few points to consider — with your attorneys and public relations counsel present — if faced with a crisis:

• Admit wrongdoing and apologize.
• Fix the wrong.
• Communicate plans to avoid it happening again.
• Execute on those plans.
• Provide stakeholders with progress reports along the way.

Spitzer, a.k.a. Mr. Clean, steamrolled many people during his ascent to power. Because of his persona, the slightest whiff of impropriety spelled certain, irreversible doom in his public life. If, however, Spitzer was able to follow the steps above, he could prevent the story from continuing to make headlines every time a morsel of information surfaces.

For the sake of his family, who might provide the only possible source of forgiveness, these steps could be worth their weight in public relations fees.

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