The Catholic Church and its propensity for hiding sex crimes under its robes

BP and its failure to deal with the Deep Horizon explosion before the fact (and after it, for a time)

Penn State and its protection of its football program over the protection of young children

The BBC for the sexual misconduct of 81 staff — half of which still work for the broadcaster (so much for the “integrity of the source”)

The US for the Great Recession, which put us all at grave risk, leading to the destruction of wealth as well as human dignity, due to the loss of millions of jobs

You can tell a crisis from a run-of-the-mill problem, or even scandal, because, figuratively speaking, a crisis cuts into the flesh and bone of a company or person. Invariably, it makes us look into the abyss – into ourselves – to see whether we still are who we thought we were.

From where I sit, the greatest danger lurking inside a crisis is not recognizing it for what it is, which leads to a kind of crisis inside the crisis, or simply, the crisis crisis.

The crisis crisis happens when you claw your way through it by hook or by crook. You survive it, but you don’t change. And then, what? You’re doomed to repeat it. A crisis ignored, skirted, or denied is cancerous. It may recede for a time but it will be back, stronger, and more virulent than ever. That is the inevitable result of a crisis crisis.

Don’t let this happen to you. What I mean by “this” isn’t necessarily having a crisis. Sometimes, it’s inevitable, especially for people. What I am referring to is not allowing a crisis crisis to occur, whether it is in relation to your company or yourself. If a crisis hits, see it for the seminal event it is. Make the most of it, even as you work to overcome it. See it as an opportunity to learn, to change, to grow. 

The post The crisis crisis appeared first on Larry Ackerman.

How often have you heard well-intended executives and other high-ranking leaders (priests, coaches) say these words — their goal: to ‘protect’ their institutions from embarrassing publicity, which might muck up their brands.

Talk about misguided measures. At the core of every successful brand is integrity — it’s the only thing that generates trust in whoever your customers happen to be (consumers, investors, college football players, alumni, parishioners). Mess with integrity and you mess with the value of your brand, whether it’s your company’s or your own.

My nominees for most egregious brand follies winners in recent memory are: Penn State, Toyota, BP, Olympus and the Catholic church. Who comes to mind for you?

No doubt, there are more, lurking in the shadows of decency, waiting to shoot themselves in the foot and blow millions in dollars and good will, not to mention trust.

Here, in brief, is how not to become a brand follies nominee: 1) Next time you’re faced with a tough call that might cost the company money in support of its values, write the check, 2) Be real. Share a story or two about when the organization didn’t get it right, but went on to fix the problem, and 3) Take stock of all issues that could potentially rock your corporate boat and figure out how to address them, directly, now.

And your nominees for the next round of brand follies are…?

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The seeds of Tiger Woods’ undoing were sewn years ago – and they had nothing to do with him being the king of golf. 

Tiger’s father, Earl, apparently told his son, over and over, that he would be a catalyst of change in the world, that he was “special,” that golf was his vehicle to greatness. Bad parenting. All Earl did was inflate Tiger’s ego – and self-image – beyond reasonable human bounds. Earl was manufacturing a God – a perfect being, whom all others would adore, not just admire.

Tiger took it all in and became the icon he was “meant” to be – almost. Somewhere inside Tiger-the-God lay Tiger-the-human, just waiting to reclaim his rightful place in the mortal world. And that he certainly has done.  

I feel sorry for Tiger. He’s lived a lie most of his life – “I am holier than thou” – and now that lie has been exposed. Now, he has to face his mortal self, and that may take some time.  

Tiger’s self-reverence went to his head, starting, most likely, at a very young age. And it consumed him from the inside out.  As much as he may be the poster child for the dangers of self-made celebrity perfection, he’s not alone. There are others – other sports figures, politicians (God knows!), CEOs, and just plain folk, who lose touch with who they truly are, set impossible standards for themselves, create God-like personas, and set themselves up for inevitable failure, shame and embarrassment. It’s not worth it.  

If Tiger can achieve a more realistic understanding of himself – his earthly, rather than his “saintly,” gifts – he stands a chance of re-engaging people in positive ways. With his fame, he might indeed get people to listen to his more humble, but important message: Be yourself, know your limits as well as your strengths, keep both feet on the ground at all times. If that happens, redemption will be his – and Tiger might actually become the catalyst of positive change in the world his father wanted him to be.

The post Down with “God” – The Problem with Tiger Woods appeared first on Larry Ackerman.

What’s not been seen or said, so far, is this: Any person who is so hell bent on beating people up in the name of “good,” who bullies from afar and uses his post to tear others down, no matter how noble the cause, is hiding something. Not just from us, but from himself. Whatever Eliot Spitzer was trying to prove by his aggressive tactics reveals a man out of touch with himself, on a tear in order to be acknowledged, recognized, validated.

Spitzer’s indiscretion only showed him to be human; his relentless pursuits of the seeming bad guys, however, points to a man who lacks a clear sense of his own identity. Eliot Spitzer basically invented “Eliot Spitzer.” He didn’t discover him. The best analogy at hand is the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz: lots of smoke and mirrors on the outside, lots of terrifying, tremble-inducing shinanigans, but behind the curtain, just a small man pulling lots of levers to keep the act alive.

If Spitzer is to find redemption, he’ll need to deal with more than his wife and kids. He’ll need to deal with himself, and in a way that will call for a lot more courage than he’s demonstrated so far.

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