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« Previous Entries Next Entries »So, what’s the big deal with apologies?
Monday, August 4th, 2008Recently, a friend asked why so many of my blog posts focus on various aspects of apologies. “It seems so narrow,” she said. “Are apologies really all that important?”
You bet they are.
As a practicing attorney, I’ve had over twenty years’ experience dealing with other people’s problems. (Let’s face it – regardless of how much they like [...]
How ethical is “gotcha” journalism?
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008The late Edward R. Murrow, one of America’s most legendary journalists, once said, “we cannot make good news out of bad practice.” Lately, I find myself wondering what Murrow would think of the “gotcha” game that passes so often for news in America. We all know the drill: it started with Watergate. Washington Post reporters Bob [...]
Should “New Yorker” magazine apologize to the Obamas?
Monday, July 14th, 2008This week’s New Yorker magazine cover, a cartoon depicting Presidential candidate Barack Obama in Muslim robes and his wife, Michelle, as a gun-toting terrorist, may have been intended as a satire, but the joke fell horribly flat. The cartoon is titled “The Politics of Fear” and, according to the New Yorker, “combines a number of fantastical [...]
Chef Emeril Demonstrates How Trust Enhances Your Business
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008A few months ago I took the opportunity to recommend Stephen J.R. Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, for anyone who wants to strengthen their business and personal relationships. Covey’s book makes the case that increased trust cuts red tape and increases the speed of business. Here’s an example to demonstrate just how right Covey [...]
How to Apologize to an Unhappy Customer
Monday, June 9th, 2008A few weeks ago, I had occasion to attend a two-day meeting in a hotel that had just opened for business. Unfortunately, the overeager owners had jumped the gun, opening the hotel before it was fit for human habitation. The unfinished lobby looked like a war zone, one of the two elevators was out of [...]
Don’t promise your customers what you won’t deliver!
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008A friend’s recent hospital stay provided an unfortunate example of how not to treat your customers and clients. My friend, who had been sick with an especially nasty strain of the flu, was hospitalized for about a week with the expectation that he would be transferred to a rehabilitation facility following his hospital stay. That’s when the trouble [...]
Does The New York Times owe Senator McCain an apology? I think so.
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008After reading yesterday’s post in which I questioned some of Senator Clinton’s campaign tactics, a friend took me to task over lunch today for failing to challenge The New York Times’ article insinuating that Senator John McCain might have had a “romantic” relationship several years ago with a female lobbyist. (Two anonymous former McCain aides apparently [...]
Boards should encourage candid communications
Saturday, January 26th, 2008My recent posts have discussed CEOs’ responsibility to present bad news to their Boards fully and fairly. No discussion of that duty would be complete, though, without an examination of the complementary responsibilities of the Board. CEOs are much more likely to be fully candid if Board members create an environment where bad news can [...]
How to deliver bad news to your Board (or anyone else)
Thursday, January 24th, 2008My last post discussed a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that contained this warning: CEOs who sugarcoat bad news when dealing with their Boards run the risk of losing credibility over time. It’s never fun to be the bearer of bad news, but here are some tips that can help management tell the hard [...]
A good reputation is your company’s best asset!
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008Wall Street Journal columnist George Anders published an article last week titled, “As Economy Slows, Reputation Takes on Added Meaning.” That article boils down to two principles. First, while a booming economy can cushion the harm a bad reputation does to your business, in leaner times a bad reputation can do serious damage to your company’s [...]
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