Should the CEO Eat Crow?

There is a range of responses and strategies that are applicable to address various crisis communication situations. I will share these strategies at the upcoming

Should the CEO apologise in a crisis?  Yes, if it helps to resolve a corporate crisis. History is replete with examples of corporate and political leaders who refused to publicly apologise or admit to personal or organisational missteps. The result is usually the drip-drip effect which eventually turns into a tidal wave that damages corporate or personal reputation and even cause the demise of a corporation.

Based on the nature of the business or industry, some CEO’s can get away with stonewalling. But for companies in the financial industry, for example, where reputational risk is high, it is imperative for the C-Suite to come clean without delay, as this brings danger.

Some years ago, my client, a highly placed government official, put his foot in his mouth by criticizing the leader of a critical stakeholder group –one of the largest groups of public sector employees in the island of Jamaica. The relationship between this influential group and the official was frosty and impaired public perception of the government.

The ice had to be broken. What communication strategies should be utilized? Initially mediation was done using an influential person as a go-between to smooth ruffled feathers on both sides. This somewhat thawed the personal antagonism between the government official and the group leader. But the perceived disrespect was also felt by the wider membership of the group.

The PR team embarked on a charm offensive. The government official publicly said favourable things about the group leader and the organisation. Then the official attended the organisation’s annual conference and made a public apology for the uncomplimentary remarks he had made initially. Not surprisingly, the membership of the organization forgave him.

People usually respond positively when you say, ‘I am sorry’. Yes, offering a mea culpa is a public relations strategy. But, first, we must get the inflated egos of CEOs out of the way and resist the advice of the legal department against appearing to admit guilt which could attract litigation. The legal and comms teams must collaborate in creating and implementing the communication plan and strategies.

READ MORE