We've gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess and haven't handled it well. How can we clean it up?
Maynard Webb
Founder, Webb Investment Network; Author ‘Dear Founder’; Board member Visa and Salesforce.
Q: We had a serious situation, and we did not communicate it appropriately. The press is highlighting what is going on and employees and vendors are concerned. What can I do to get us back on track?
-Founder of a software company
Dear Founder,
I’m sorry that you are going through this. There will be better days ahead, but you have to get through this situation and focus on fixing this issue now.
The most important thing to realize is that there’s no room for magical thinking here. It’s not going away. Furthermore, don’t be defensive and wish it to go away. Use the situation to get stronger.
Be truthful. Surprises are never good. When you have bad news, you have to think about how it will get out. People need to hear from you. Of course, it is never fun to have to admit something bad, but you have to take back control of the situation and present what you are doing about it.
You can’t just ask people to absorb bad news—that’s not a recipe for greatness or longevity. You must find a way to find progress and deliver some positive news.
My 10-steps for when you have to impart bad news:
1.????Bad news doesn’t get better with age, so don’t wait
2.????Determine how bad it is
领英推荐
3.????Take steps to mitigate the damage
4.????Figure out who needs to know (for example, customers, employees, the board, legal advisors and potentially law enforcement)
5.????Decide what to disclose
6.????Make sure the information comes from you
7.????Tell the truth, admit the situation, and own up to the seriousness of it
8.????Share what you are doing to resolve the specific issue and the changes going forward to avoid the situation again
9.????Set expectations, share what you know at this time and detail when you will be reporting information again
10.?Be prepared for people to be unhappy with bad news
Obviously, it is not fun to be in this situation, but you can come out of it. Use this as a springboard to building a stronger and more resilient company going forward.
Every week I respond to a new question. Ask me your question in the comments section.
Have experience in Graphic Arts, custom Artwork, Drawing, Watercolor
2 年I’m delighted to find a new place for reading important impressive subjects. Articles. Issues. Dislike the word issues. Sense of humour kicks in every time. What’s your issue ~ kidding of course. Thank you ????
Bachelor of Commerce - BCom from Nizam College at Hyderabad Public School
2 年????
thank you photoshop, the sneakers didn't get a spot ! ??
We were drawn into a nightmare scenario recently. A customer attempted to defraud us using a lawsuit as his instrument. Although the frivolity of the attempt was so plain to see and the case dismissed based on the complete absence of any merit, we were now a prime target for attack by a sensationalist periodical with some bandwidth in our industry, who considered us a competitive threat. You must be experiencing, as we did not only content out of context, but serious negative inferences. And just like yourselves, employees, clients and service partners were all very concerned, not to mention the astonishing loss of business. All due to the extent to which the press and media hearsay can devolve the truth. What is the answer? The answer is not the truth. You will be legally prevented from disseminating the truth. If you are in the trust business, that you are in the situation you are in is all they need to know regardless of the truth. The answer is positive action. Focus on whom you are as a company. Bury the event, truth and all as conclusively as possible with your brand value. Bury the event with content, messaging, initiatives and innovation that will reposition your brand by sheer weight of meaningful substance.
Student at Degree college darban
2 年https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3273003123013397&id=100009112258131