Words of wisdom on keeping everyone happy
One of our fondest sayings here at Bernstein Crisis Management is, “reputation is your most valuable asset”. Of course, it’s also your most vulnerable asset, constantly at risk of damage from countless angles.
What exactly decides your reputation? Well, besides the obvious, like how you treat your stakeholders and the quality of your product or service there is a lesser known factor, one highlighted in this week’s Crisis Management Quotable, from author, speaker, and Goodwill Ambassador for World Peace, Bryant McGill:
“Unfortunately, your reputation often rests not on your ability to do what you say, but rather on your ability to do what people expect.” – Bryant H. McGill
We’re not saying that it doesn’t matter if you stay true to your word, because it very much does. However, doing what people expect will not only prevent crises, but help you to resolve them more quickly to boot.
How do you know what people expect? The power to put yourself in others’ shoes is a valuable one for crisis management, but the very best one is to ask them! Luckily for you (and us!), it’s easier than ever to ask a few stakeholders how they feel about an issue thanks to the power of social media and ‘net communications in general.
Know what people expect, tell them you’re going to do it, then execute. That’s how you keep your reputation intact.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
Jonathan L. Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.
Erik Bernstein is vice president of Bernstein Crisis Management. Erik started with BCM in 2009 as a writer and subsequently became social media manager for the consultancy itself as well as for a number of BCM clients before moving to the VP position.