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Apologies
« Previous EntriesDon’t manage impressions
Saturday, January 7th, 2012Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, I want to touch on a subject that’s been bugging me of late. Recently, I’ve been called upon to deal with a group of professionals who didn’t handle a sensitive situation particularly well. Their behavior offers a lesson that smart businesspeople would [...]
Chicago anchorwoman’s Santa apology flopped!
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011Chicago Fox anchorwoman Robin Robinson probably wishes she could hide out at the North Pole after encouraging parents not to let their kids believe in Santa. “Stop trying to convince your kids that Santa is Santa,” Robinson said to cohost Bob Sirott during a segment on December 2nd. “That’s why they have these high [...]
Johnson & Johnson’s latest apology rocks - literally!
Thursday, December 8th, 2011Johnson & Johnson has long enjoyed an excellent reputation when it comes to public apologies. During the Tylenol tampering incident in the 1970s, J&J set the gold standard when it recalled millions of bottles of Tylenol even though there was no evidence that anyone at the company was responsible for contaiminating the product or [...]
Solve known problems!
Friday, August 12th, 2011Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s focus on a mistake that many businesses make. Here’s where the trouble starts. Something bad happens - a visiting vendor falls on a broken step, an employee is bullied by a colleague, a customer’s complaint goes unaddressed because of an unnoticed [...]
Rupert, you just don’t get it!
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011Sorry to keep returning to the hacking scandal in the U.K., but there’s so much fodder there! I’ve been watching Rupert Murdoch’s legendary arrogance fade away as the tales of reporters behaving badly at his British papers continue to mount. After initially being “annoyed” by all the bad press, Murdoch has finally acknowledged [...]
It’s time for apologies between the U.S. and Pakistan
Monday, May 9th, 2011Tensions are growing between the U.S. and Pakistan in the wake of the Navy SEAL operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Pakistan is reportedly angry that the U.S. conducted a covert military action on its soil. It’s a valid complaint, though it should be noted that: a) the operation struck only at bin [...]
Why won’t NATO apologize for civilian airstrikes?
Friday, April 8th, 2011Today’s post departs from my usual practice of offering advice on how to keep your business out of court on Friday because of another news story that has really grabbed my attention. No, it’s not the looming shutdown of the federal government - that will happen or it won’t. What boggles my mind [...]
Don’t look at vicious idiots - it only encourages them!
Thursday, March 24th, 2011Waltz king Richard Strauss once famously quipped, “Never look at the trombones. It only encourages them.” His witticism came to mind this morning as I read news coverage of George Lopez’s attack on Kirstie Alley’s premiere performance on Dancing with the Stars.
I didn’t watch the show, but I’ve seen day-after clips [...]
Groupon’s Apology - Too Little, Too Late?
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011Recently, Masters degree candidate Jamie Davis offered to make a guest post on my blog. I thought he did a terrific job, and hope you’ll agree. Here’s Jamie:
As noted in Ms. Bloom’s book, apologizing is an art. And just like any art, it requires a sense of timing and purpose. The best apologies [...]
Did David Wu really have to apologize?
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows that I’m a great believer in the value of apologies. I frequently tell clients that, when there’s any question about whether to apologize or not, it’s usually a good idea to bite the bullet and do it. After all, nobody’s perfect, and it’s [...]
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