Barbara Paynter – Page 3 – Paynter Communications

The wisdom of sharing bad news first

Earlier this week, a high school teacher from the public school district where I live was arrested in a local park and charged with sexual battery. He is accused of having sexual contact with a student.

First, let me clarify that we are not working on this situation but have worked on many other cases where someone in authority is accused of inappropriate behavior with children. And since friends and neighbors know what I do, several have approached me over the past few days to ask my opinion about the school district’s response. I, in turn, ask what they think.

What’s interesting is the difference in perception. Those who do not have children in the high school tend to be satisfied with the district’s response. But parents of high school students have expressed frustration about the lack of information from school officials. This reinforces two primary principles of good crisis communications:

Communicate first with those who are most affected by the situation. If at all possible, share the news with them before they learn about it in the media. This will increase your credibility with these critical audiences.
Humanize your communication. Provide opportunities for face-to-face interactions and two-way conversations. It’s important for students, parents, faculty and staff to ask questions and share their concerns. Even if you can’t answer many of their questions – and there are limits to what you can say in a criminal case – share what you can and explain that you can’t share details without jeopardizing the investigation. And, of course, do everything you can to protect the privacy of the victim(s).

There is no “one size fits all” strategy in a crisis. However, it’s important to think beyond the media and remember that you have spent decades building relationships with your stakeholders – in this case, the victim, parents, faculty & staff, students, alumni, and so on . When something bad happens, finding ways to address their concerns must be a top priority. You may not be able to answer every question but at least give them an opportunity to be heard.

The Times They Are a-Changin’

The illustrious New York Times recently ousted Executive Editor Jill Abramson after less than three years on the job, and replaced her with Dean Baquet, the managing editor. Of course, journalists love to write about their colleagues, so widespread reporting began immediately. Two illustrative pieces were delivered in widely disparaging form – NPR’s David Folkenflik told the story in a series of tweets while Ken Auletta published a more traditional three-part series on the New Yorker’s blog.

The emerging story line was that Abramson angered her boss by hiring an attorney to re-negotiate her compensation after learning that her male predecessor had earned more. (The Times denies this.) In response, Publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., issued a statement saying Abramson’s management style was the cause; that he had “heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision-making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues.” Wow!

Abramson, meanwhile, delivered the commencement address at Wake Forest University and, by all accounts, took the high road and focused her attention where it should have been – on the graduates.

There is a certain amount of irony in a major news organization bumbling the announcement of a sudden change in leadership. Surely Sulzberger knew that firing the organization’s first female executive editor would require some explanation. And certainly the New York Times would never allow another important institution to get by without explaining why it had fired a senior leader – someone who, from the outside, looked very successful. As CNN reported, “The paper won eight Pulitzer prizes during her brief tenure… Signups for digital access among readers increased. The company stock doubled during her tenure, performing better than the rest of the stock market.”

We have helped numerous clients manage sudden leadership changes. Typically, the board or management team does not want to give a reason, protesting that it’s no one’s business. But without a reasonable explanation, speculation and rumors fill the vacuum. No organization should risk the kind of PR conundrum Sulzberger found himself in, leading to reputational damage for both the leader who was fired and the organization that fired her. It is much better to agree in advance to a reasonable explanation and part ways graciously, with the reputations on both sides intact or even enhanced.

Private comments, public outrage

By now, everyone – sports fans and non-fans alike – is aware of a recorded conversation in which LA Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling made offensive, racist comments about African Americans to his former girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Sterling objected to photos Ms. Stiviano posted of herself on Instagram with African-American men – including retired superstar Magic Johnson and Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp – and told her not to bring black guests to NBA games.

Since the tape became public, Sterling’s words have been condemned by everyone from President Obama to Oprah Winfrey to Michael Jordan. His coach and players tried desperately to distance themselves from their owner. Advertisers abandoned the team, and even the performer who was to sing the national anthem bowed out on Tuesday. Finally, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ended speculation, confirming that the voice on the tape is Sterling’s. Silver banned Sterling from the league for life and issued the maximum fine of $2.5 million.

This is another case of a private conversation – presumably in a private home – causing public outrage. Ms. Stiviano apparently recorded conversations without Mr. Sterling’s knowledge, then uploaded them for the world to hear. This certainly isn’t the first such incident – remember Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant and Michael (“Kramer”) Richard’s racist tirade? Neither career has recovered from the self-inflicted damage.

While most of us don’t own professional sports franchises or have Hollywood careers, anyone who cares about his/her reputation should take these lessons to heart. In these days of cell phone cameras and recorders, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, private behavior doesn’t always remain private. When offensive words or actions are caught on tape, they can spread across the Internet – and across the world – with lightning speed and cause irreparable damage to your reputation.

Donald Sterling offended not only his coach and players but his fan base. An apology could never undo that kind of damage. For the sake of his team, he had to go. The best scenario would have been for him to apologize, announce that he would sell the team, and then disappear from public view. In lieu of that, Silver had to act decisively – even though, as Mark Cuban pointed out, removing an owner for something he said sets quite a precedent for professional sports.