KPMG’s Bill Michael Resigns After Telling Staff to ‘Stop Moaning’
Recently, we were asked to comment on the story below. Our quick analysis: it’s not like he said something accidental, or something he didn’t mean. His words clearly expressed his beliefs. And those beliefs were not consistent with the values of KPMG – and appropriate action was taken. From Mark Sweney & Joanna Partridge writing in […]
What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership
From Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams writing for the Harvard Business School: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” — Admiral James Stockdale. In August, while most developed […]
Goodell Super Bowl Pre-Game Interview Showcases PR Fundamentals
Nicole Schuman at PRNews writes: From a PR standpoint, highlights of CBS’s Super Bowl pregame show didn’t come from Miley Cyrus’s concert for essential workers or the moving piece celebrating the 30th anniversary of Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem. It came from a simple interview that many viewers may have missed while preparing […]
The Stupidity Defense
From our esteemed colleague, Dr. Peter Sandman: It comes up in my consulting at least once a month. Something bad has happened on my client’s watch, and now the client has to own up to it. The key question (or at least one key question) is why it happened. And the principal contenders for best […]
When Should You Correct Fake News on Social Media Sites?
by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications The tempo of client calls we field about dealing with social media misinformation continues to increase. Our mantra has always been: Stridently correct factual errors the second you see them posted. But what if you get wind that a disgruntled former employee or a special interest group is planning to […]
One-Dose Two-Dose Vaccine Risk Communication: Another Impossible Thing to Believe Before Breakfast
From our esteemed colleague, Dr. Peter Sandman, one of the country’s foremost experts in the field of risk communications, comes this clear-eyed assessment of the way government officials are talking about the COVID-19 vaccine, not with clarity but with a multitude of confusing messages. If you agree with Dr. Sandman’s observations, we hope you’ll consider […]
After the Capitol Riot, What Is Your State of Preparedness?
From David Pounder, writing for Homeland Security Today, about the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 with lessons learned for business owners and other non-governmental organizations: What happened on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol had a surreal feel to it. While there were a lot of concerns and indicators that a large […]
Political Action Committee & Personal Political Contributions Revisited – Might This Be Only of Passing Interest?
The National Law Review By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications After publication of our article in the National Law Review on January 16, Political Action Committee & Personal Political Contributions Become the Next Reputational Challenge for Law Firms & Their Clients, we heard from an attorney from a large firm who raised the issue of “staying […]
Will You Require Employees to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine?
Jackie Wiles, writing for Gartner: As your organization considers its vaccination strategy, think carefully about what you plan to communicate to, and ask of, employees. As COVID-19 vaccination distribution begins, organizations everywhere have critical decisions to make about their vaccination policies. A Gartner poll of more than 100 HR leaders shows that most will encourage, […]
Tips for Communicating Internally and Externally in a Divided Country
From Nicole Schuman and Seth Arenstein writing for PR News: There’s no question that the country is divided. That was so before the Nov. 2020 elections. Perhaps more so now. Last weekend (Jan. 9-10) pollster Frank Luntz surveyed 800 people who voted for the president in November. His findings illustrate the country’s political divisions. Most, if not […]