personal reputation

Is it me or is there an article every single day about how to manage your online reputation, particularly if you are a job seeker. I know that I get Google Alerts as to when anything surfaces on online reputation but I don’t think I can read any more. For instance, today I got another one and I took a deep sigh. How many times do people have to read that they should do a Google or Bing search of their name to see how they are being talked about online? How many times do people have to read about buying their name on a domain site or be positive online and off? Oh well. I think I figured out the answer. “A lot.” Obviously people do not follow these simple rules because otherwise there wouldn’t be a demand for this information. And from my experience with job seekers, many people do not think twice about how often employers check out candidates online (I think that 70% of employers check online).

So I get it. But I can still ask the question. I guess it is just me.

Chris Perry (@cperry248) who is our digital communications president, wrote this really good post on Forbes about social CEOs. I am taking the liberty of repeating his 5 must-dos for CEOs wanting to get social or even considering it.

I would probably add one more and that is to find yourself a buddy who can read your Tweets as a sounding board when you first get started. I think that that second opinions can save oneself from having a red face and worth the try until you feel comfortable enough to try it alone.  And maybe it’s worth having a buddy just as good practice when it comes to Tweeting or even Facebook.  They might not be good golfing buddies but hey, this is a new age. Take his advice. It is seriously good.

Here they are…..straight from Chris.

Realize you shine bright in social mediums.

Social media participation is a public appearance where everything is on the record. Assume that comments will be picked up by the press as well as examined closely by your customers, staff and others watching your company. Speak and act accordingly.

Recognize your role as Chief Narrator.

Social platforms like Twitter aren’t a sounding board for a CEOs innermost thoughts; they’re an extension of other modes of communication you use as the lead executive of your organization. There’s great opportunity to share thoughts on your company or industry issues that get amplified through networks that reach employees, investors, customers and the press. As with existing communications efforts have a plan in place as you engage.

Anticipate social remarks being a part of a permanent public record.

Avoid posting or tweeting on topics that you would never discuss aloud in a public forum. Badmouthing competitors, going too deep into personal affairs or speaking about divisive issues is not the way to go. Don’t be gun-shy when engaging online, but anticipate that what you say will generate the same reaction as if it were published in the press.

Don’t court controversy if you can’t take the heat.

Opinions on relevant industry issues and current events that affect your business are fine. But steer clear of statements that might be controversial – unless you want to be at the center of the storm. Off the cuff remarks can have a massive ripple effect to be managed your staff, PR team and others tied to the issue after the fact. Pause for a moment in private before you go public.

Despite the inherent risks embrace your humanity.

Words of caution don’t mean you can’t let your personality shine through. In fact, this is one of the best ways CEOs can engage on a deeper, more human level with stakeholders. Personal insights into what it’s like to lead an organization show authenticity. Just remember that there are limits to what’s appropriate to share.

Any leader looking to engage through social media can harness the power, or suffer from the peril, of the medium. While it provides a forum for new interaction, new communications policies have similarities to traditional media guidelines.

Keeping that in mind will help you participate in ways that adds value, not headaches, to your organization.

The other day I received this note in my email inbox. It is a handsome note from CEO Millard (Mickey) Drexler at J.Crew thanking me for my purchases over the past year. The text is below. It is beautifully designed. But I wanted to point it out because it certainly is a nice touch to add to J. Crew’s reputation….thanking customers. I am not a big customer.  The note to all customers shows a lot of class and humanity. Here’s the text if you have trouble reading the pix.

We know there are a lot of choices when it comes to where
you shop, so on behalf of the entire team, I want to personally
thank you for being a J.Crew customer. As we head into 2012,
our most important mission continues to be providing you with
the very best in design, quality and service. We look forward
to seeing you in the new year.

If there is anything we can ever do better, please don’t hesitate
to let us know: 24-7@jcrew.com.

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY.

Mickey

The new year is fast coming up. I put together my thoughts on reputation trends to expect in 2012. It is on the HuffingtonPost site.  Take a look and let me know what you think. Happy pre-Xmas day.

Sad day when you see the former head of McKinsey — Rajat Gupta – charged with insider trading that could lead to 11 years in prison. This happened yesterday during the Raj Rajaratnam Galleon trial. Here’s a quote-to-go for the day:

“You don’t get on the board of Goldman Sachs without having accomplished alot in your life and having a great reputation. But having a great reputation doesn’t give you a free pass to violate the law. Nobody is above the law, no matter how good their reputation is.” (Reed Brodsky, prosecutor)

A lot interests me about the Rupert Murdoch and News Corp unfolding crisis. But two things are on my mind. One is a quote that I have used from Murdoch in articles or such: ” Reputation’s worth more than the last hundred million dollars.”  The second is that Murdoch has not used the “reputation” word in his comments although the only female in this drama, Rebekah Brooks, has. She said the following in her resignation letter: ”The reputation of the company we love so much, as well as the press freedoms we value so highly, are all at risk.”  Let’s see who uses it next.

Update…

7-16 Just read that Murdoch said that the da mage to News Corp’ reputation  is “nothing that will not be recovered” and that “We have a reputation of great good works in this country.” More to come.

CEO Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic on Reputation Recovery below. Definitely a reputation quote to keep. Branson was asked here about reputation in response to the phone-hacking scandal:

“Your reputation is all you have in life – your personal reputation and the reputation of your brand. And if you do anything that damages that reputation, you can destroy your company,” Richard Branson said.

“…and it’s going to be very difficult for that brand to ever recover.”

If you regularly read my blog and know our work on Socializing Your CEO, you know that I follow social CEOs or other executives. Well, this story was not what I was thinking about when we first starting calling for more CEOs to use online technology.

 

“I am not proud of my actions and have made a visit to the Vancouver Police Department, over the weekend to turn myself in.”

The Vancouver riots have highlighted how we are all discoverable and all our actions are forever on display online.  Many people who participated in the riots over the Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins have begun to publicly apologize, particularly after being caught on tape or in photos and posted online. They are painfully trying to recover their reputations for participating in the disturbing looting and bad bahavior that grabbed headlines all over the world. Here is a newscast  from CBC that caught my eye because it was identified under the title Reputation Recovery, the theme of my second book.

The quote at the start of this blog is from a young woman who apologizes for her actions. She continues, “The pants are being returned.  I have made mistakes and I have learned from them.  The aftermath has been a tough ordeal and I let my emotions get in the way of my original apology.  But I take full responsibility for my actions and understand that it is nobody else’s fault but mine.  I am truly sorry for my actions and am ready to accept the consequences, including the public backlash.”

We are all public. Not much more to say.  Hard way to learn one of life’s latest lessons. Hopefully, the rioters will repair their reputations and care for them like never before.

  How much does charisma affect leadership reputation today? It seems to be an age old debate. Too much? Too little? Just about right? When we asked this question years ago in my research on how to build an enduring and long-lasting CEO reputation, we learned that it is was important –  better to have than not have.  Charismatic leadership is not what you say but how you say it.  It’s not just what leaders communicate that makes them charismatic; it’s what they elicit from others. I think I read this somewhere and it stuck in my mind.

Among the new breed of CEOs today, a quieter charisma is now more important. It is not about CEO celebrity but building CEO credibility. Maybe we should call it “slow charisma.” Credibility or authenticity coupled with charisma can be electric.  When you see it, you know it. However, it is not all there is to leadership. Leadership also includes sound judgment, ethical conduct, the ability to listen and serve others. Lets not kid ourselves.

The Economist just wrote an article about what we can learn from Lady Gaga and Mother Teresa about leadership. Apparently there is a lot to learn.  The article infers that brilliant and flawless communications helps enormously, particularly with these two charismatic (in their own way) women.  Here is an excerpt.

Mother Teresa was a “PR machine” who, whether talking to a dying leper or a rich donor, “always left her imprint by communicating in a language the other person understood”. Lady Gaga is “one of the first pop stars to have truly built her career through the internet and social media.  Lady Gaga has what Messrs Anderson, Kupp and Reckhenrich call “leadership projection” and a layman would call charisma. The authors think this is because she tells “three universal stories”. First, a personal story: who am I? (She stresses that she was the weird kid at school, but driven to be creative.) Second, a group narrative: who are we? (She calls her fans “my little monsters” and herself “Mama Monster”, and she communicates with them constantly via Facebook and Twitter.) And third, a collective mission: where are we going? (She promotes gay rights and celebrates self-expression; she tells her fans that together they can change the world.)

Lady Gaga has the “ability to build emotional commitment” in those she leads, says Mr Reckhenrich. This ability is increasingly valuable in today’s business world, he believes. In “The Fine Art of Success”, a book he and his co-authors released last year, they examine it at length. They are now working with Egon Zehnder, an executive-recruitment firm, to figure out how to identify whether candidates for top corporate jobs have the ability to “project leadership” the way Lady Gaga does.

Charisma can be critical when a leader has to deliver an important message, whether the individual has it or not. I think former President George W. Bush demonstrated charisma when he faced the nation after 9-11, both on television from the oval office and when visiting the site of the World Trade Towers site in New York City. All eyes were on him and he delivered, as required.  However, that charismatic leadership soon faded with the war in Iraq and debacle of Hurricane Katrina because the empathy, emotional connection and authenticity were AWOL.  Former President Clinton has it in spades. President Obama has it and especially when he puts it to good use.

In this day and age, it is not enough for CEOs to bark orders or to manage the bottom line only. Being able to deliver meaning and purpose along with a dose of slow charisma and empathetic communications is required. It is a tall order, I know.