Crisis Management: Dec 2006/Mouth

By Don Anthony

Talk about a good time to study crisis management, it seems of late like we've gotten a full-blown graduate course. First there was Mel Gibson's infamous anti-semitic tirade, George Allen's racially insensitive term, John Kerry's botched (yeah, right) joke, Mark Foley's emails, Michael Richards's on-stage meltdown and even more recently, Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick's double-barrelled finger salute to dispirted fans. Even Pope Benedict's quote from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor resulted in unrelenting outrage by Muslim groups.

As personalities, there's a constant fear of letting the wrong thing slip. Forget just the potential fines or suspension, how about blowing a career? It's happened. A closer study of damage control applied by some of the above celebrities and politicians is quite revealing. This, plus actions taken by jocks who rebounded by similar missteps. Having followed this closely, plus with input from a number of personalities, here are some tips that could prove quite usefull to you in the future. Hopefully, you'll never need this advice, but I'm sure the above nameed thought the same:

1) Admit You Screwed Up As Quickly As Possible: The longer you wait, the more you're screwed. Senator John Kerry told college students that if they studied hard and got a good education they wouldn't end up in Iraq. His first reply was he wasn't going to back down from his dissenters and owed no one an apology. Finally, perhaps after those around him reminded him of the fateful words "I was for the war, before I was against it," he quickly changed his response and called it a botched joke. End result: He pretty much blew his chances of ever being a viable national candidate again. John Allen probably waited too long too long to apologize as well. Okay, so deep down you know you didn't mean something a certain way, if the press reports it another way, that's the way it's perceived. You're better off sucking it up, admitting you blew and take your blows. The public is very forgiving. Especially, if they think you made a genuine mistake. Stalling works the other way. As Al Peterson, talk editor for Radio & Records suggest: "Go to the Rush Limbaugh school of crisis management. Own up to your mistake. Take action to correct it and then move on with your show."

2) Seek Help: Mel Gibson immediately went into rehab, so did Mark Foley (and we didn't even know he had a problem). Michael Richards is now seeking anger management help. Congressman Patrick Kennedy did the same last year. Some years ago, a couple of personalities who let a racial slur slip on the air and got canned, found the job-market rough-going until they entered sensitivy training. Again, the general public is not only forgiving, but understanding as well. They recognize that people have problems and prejudices, but if they act to remedy them, it shows they want to mend themselves, not just the publicity.

3) Get Mediation: No sooner had Michael Richard's infamous tirade made YouTube's top 5 before he was appearing on Letterman, via satellite, thanks to his friend Jerry Seinfeld. Getting others involved in the mix either as mediators or as people who vouch for your character, will often take some of the sting out of the criticism or public scrutiny. Remember, the public is primarily focused on this one action. Outside of your fan base, this becomes the soul of your identity. With people who know you best, who are respected or trusted by the public, their involvement represents an assurance that you're not as bad as the media makes you out to be.

4) Connect With Those Whom You Offended: Mel Gibson quickly went before Jewish groups, Michael Richards took calls from Jesse Jackson listeners on his radio show, Even Pope Benedict, against heavy protests, is trying to visit heavily Muslim countries to repair his misunderstood words. What people read and hear in newspapers and on TV can never translate one's true remorsefulness as when you speak directly to them.

5) Get Back To What You Do Best As Soon As Possible: Time is an amazing healer, but refocusing the publicÕs attention on what you do best, and not your missteps is a huge step in repairing the past. Mel Gibson is out with his newest film "Apocalypto," and it appears to be a hit. No, this won't erase the public's memory of what he said or did, but it will get weighed in balance. Perhaps the best example of this is former President Bill Clinton. After his dalliance(s) in the Oval Office, still invoked "I did not have sex with that woman" line, he was giving a hardline state of the Union Address. Within days, his approval ratings were riding high again.

Let's be clear, the more grave the crisis, the harder the comeback. On occassion, the odds may just be too big to overcome. One thing's for certain, the public is typically very forgiving of those fess up to their screwups and show genuine remorse. Perhaps the best advice is staying clear of missteps altogether.