A journalist recently smeared an organization I admire. Give a reporter a storyline, unearth some anecdotes, then generate supportive charts, and you have a front-page story. The article’s implied conclusions fit the liberal thirst for examples of regulatory capture, which are situations in which self-regulation by an industry creates supposedly lax regulation. Yes, the selected stories were true, as was a damaging chart. But the graphic required selecting definitions that favored the storyline. And the mistakes in the story would not necessarily be apparent to lay readers. Experts advise you be prepared for reputational damage before it occurs. Best practice is to understand where damage might come from and take steps to improve your brand to minimize risks and strengthen relationships to reduce damage. There is a reason why smart leaders hold proactive, off-record informational sessions with major influencers and invest in corporate…
“Lions and Tigers and Cyber Threats, Oh my!”
The first mistake companies make while trying to protect their digital assets is to believe they can be secure. “Forget aspiring to full protection. Hacking is black magic engaged in by a ton of bad guys from Russia to Romania whose citizens do not necessarily view them as the bad guys,” Eric Cornelius shared at Fusion 2017. Cornelius serves as the Director of Critical Infrastructure and Industrial Control Systems at Cylance, a software firm that predicts, prevents and protects its clients, many of them Fortune 1000 companies, from cyber threats. “What you can do,” he argued, “is understand and then manage your cyber security risk from sophisticated threat actors who aim to steal your data or disrupt your business.” Cornelius gained my undivided attention when he explained exactly how one of these bad guys gets past a company firewall and steals the crown…
50 ways to lose your customers
Singer-composer Paul Simon’s classic song “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” is about an emotionally torn man who “struggles to be free” of his wife. He learns, from his mistress, “The answer is easy if you take it logically.” Her advice? “You just slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. You don’t need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free.” Companies usually don’t want to slip out the back, leaving their customers feeling dumped. But companies can unconsciously induce their customers to say goodbye to the company’s brands – in ways as swift and sure as the song’s recommendations. I won’t bore you with fifty ways, but here are seven sure-fire mistakes leaders make that lead their customers to “slip out the back” or “make a new plan.” 1. Placing profits before people and customer experiences. Financial outcomes are…