Apologies

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Mr. Toyoda, just tell us what went wrong

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Today’s Congressional hearings about Toyota’s safety problems were deeply disappointing to those of us who hoped that the company would put its ongoing troubles to rest. Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, appeared in person to apologize to American consumers for the quality control issues that have dogged his company. It was a defining moment [...]

Even Tiger Woods is only human

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

It’s been an interesting few days, as I’ve found myself discussing Tiger Woods’ apology with interviewers from across the U.S., Canada and Europe. More than a few people have criticized the apology as being too “scripted” or dissed Woods’ delivery as too “wooden.” A handful of angry critics have refused to accept the apology [...]

Tiger gets an A- from me … but maybe not from the media

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Tiger Woods did a lot of things right when he finally delivered his much-anticipated apology. He said a straightforward “I’m sorry” to his family, his fans, the children who idolize him, his PGA peers and his sponsors. He took responsibility for his actions, expressed appreciation to everyone who has supported him in the [...]

Will Tiger Woods’ apology be effective?

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Tiger Woods has announced that he’ll make a public statement tomorrow apologizing for the actions that led to his spectacular fall from grace a few months ago. The event will be closely controlled, with only a few “friends, colleagues and close associates” attending in person and no questions from the media permitted. A [...]

What really tripped up Toyota?

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Seems as though almost everyone who writes about business has a theory about what landed Toyota in its current fix. Some pundits blame a failure of leadership in Toyota’s management, others claim that Toyota failed to stay true to its brand, and still others tag Toyota with the arrogance that comes from being a [...]

Toyota, what took you so long?

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Toyota Motor Corporation, former superstar of the automotive industry, is struggling to recover from a major hit to its reputation. The company has been dogged in recent months with a series of quality control problems: allegedly faulty floor mats, reportedly sticky gas pedals, and allegations that the braking systems on recently-issued Prius hybrids were [...]

Wall Street missed its moment during the Superbowl

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

So, how about those Saints? Regardless of which team you favored, this year’s game was terrific. It also broke records in another respect. This Superbowl was among the most-watched televised sporting events ever, and ads broadcast during the game have been all over the Internet ever since.
In other words, [...]

Who really deserves Rahm Emanuel’s apology?

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Hot-headed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been making headlines again. According to news reports, Emanuel lost his cool at an August meeting of White House aides and liberal groups, dismissing as “f—ing retarded” some attendees’ idea of airing ads attacking conservative Democrats who opposed the President’s health care overhaul proposal. [...]

There may be ethical issues with Haitian relief - give anyway!

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t know that the already impoverished nation of Haiti has been reduced to a mountain of rubble by an earthquake? The stories and pictures coming out of Haiti are absolutely heartbreaking. Hundreds of thousands have died, families have been separated, almost anything resembling a building has [...]

When everybody needs to apologize, somebody has to go first

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of appearing on Rev. Doug Bursch’s “Live From Seattle” KGNW radio program. Rev. Bursch asked me to come on the show to address a sorry situation in the Washington State Legislature. Seems that one bad-tempered legislator chewed out the staff of her party’s caucus. Several of her [...]

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