They are afraid they’ll be sued if they admit
a mistake. The fact is, the mistake has
already been made whether they admit it or
not, and they may get sued anyway. Learn a
wonderful lesson from Johnson & Johnson
when they had the tainted Tylenol disaster.
They were so up-front about the problem
and what they were going to do to fix it, that
their brand ended-up even stronger than
before the problems.
Avoid rationalizing or excuses
Think of a spouse trying to explain to their
husband or wife why they were unfaithful.
No matter what the reasons, stating them
will only make it look like you’re trying to
justify your actions. It makes things worse..
Don’t go there.
Protect the underdog
If one of your employees messed-up don’t
mention the individual by name. Everyone
knows that person’s reputation has been
ruined. Instead you can refer to ‘the
individual concerned’. It shows that you
are trying to protect them from more public
humiliation. That doesn’t mean they won’t
be held accountable. It just means you
won’t kick a person when they’re down or
embarrass their innocent family any more
than they already are.
Refocus on the big picture
Explain that you are committed to doing
better as an organization. Remind everyone
how long you’ve been in operation and
your organization’s mission to bring value
and improve the lives of the people in your
world. Explain how you want to re-earn
their trust. Then describe what you’ll do
immediately to help the people who were
adversely affected. Finally, outline the steps
you’ll take to prevent it from recurring.
Bottom line – in every organization there
are human beings who will make mistakes
and bad choices. No organization is immune.
Those brands and individuals who earn the
greatest respect are not those who avoid
embarrassment: it’s those who learn the
skills to best-handle these unfortunate events.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeff Mowatt is a customer service
strategist, award-winning speaker,
and bestselling author. For more
tips, training tools or to inquire
about engaging Jeff for your team
visit
16
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Winter 2014
Influence with Ease
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