Earlier this week, Bob Parsons, the CEO of GoDaddy, decided it would be a good idea to shoot an elephant and post graphic video of it on his blog. The move drew ire from animal rights groups and the general public, who lashed out at Parsons and his brand, severely damaging its public image.
It begs the question, what do you do when your CEO (or another high-level executive) completely screws up, and puts your brand image in jeopardy? How do you protect the company? More importantly, how do you stop customers from leaving in droves?
Here are a few crisis management techniques to keep in mind if that day ever comes.
1. Don’t Spin It, Don’t Fight It
Someone screwed up. Own it and move on. Trying to defend an indefensible act will only make it worse, and spinning it just makes you look that much more guilty. If you own what you're doing, you might lose some customers, but at least you won't lose your principles.
In the same vein, fighting with your detractors in an online forum (such as your own blog or a social media platform) never has a successful outcome. If you want to contact your detractors directly, do it, but it's not recommended. Know that anything you email or post is public the second it leaves your computer.
2. Divert Attention Away From Your CEO
If your CEO continues to make gaffes on a regular basis, or his lifestyle simply doesn’t align with your company’s image, trying to change him is pointless. Rather, try and focus on the things your company does we ll — hopefully there...
