I want to be trustworthy. And I thought this was a great list of what it takes for others to put their trust in you.

We are inclined to trust leaders…

• who are self-aware
• who take responsibility for their role in the relationship
• who demonstrate that they consider the best interests of others rather than just themselves
• who do what they say they will do
• who practice the values they tell us are important to them
• who listen and respond to our needs and interests

Wow… may God help me to be a person like this.

How do I know?

On company websites of all sizes, I find typos, outdated information, vague details, and very little about the people who work there and the products or services they sell. Sometimes its even a chore to find a phone number – hard to believe, but true!

Ironically when I make it through the red tape to appropriate person to interview for the article — usually a marketing director or CEO — then I am often sent a capabilities brochure on the company. These brochures are amazing: great photos, interesting text, and all the proof that this is indeed a professional company.

So why is it that the boss cares more about a printed piece stored in their backroom than the website which is available to entire world in one click? Because that’s what they see. They aren’t looking for information about their own company. They are looking to hand something to someone they meet. And yet, if they actually went to their own websites on a regular basis, I think they would be shocked at the less than professional image they are projecting.

So if you are part of a company, go to your website. Pretend that you are a first-time visitor. And if you can’t, ask someone else to check it out for you. Get their honest opinion. Then consider: what image do you want to project to the world?

Uh-oh, I thought: PR disaster. Some auto-billing mechanism is creating a havoc.

Sure enough… The city of Attleboro, Mass. sent a nastygram to a 74-year-old blind resident threatening a lien on her house if she didn’t pay her water bill balance of 1 cent.

To make matters worse, the city was unapologetic and blame-focused when questioned by the newspaper. My mouth actually dropped open when I read the city’s spokesperson’s statement on the whole mess.

Read and be in shock: City Collector Debora Marcoccio said, “My question is, how come it wasn’t paid when the (original) bills went out?”

Yeah, how dare an elderly blind woman mess up her payment by a cent!

I was appalled as a communicator. How hard is it to apologize? The spokesperson only needed to say that the city’s water billing system has faults and that they would immediately settle the account, forgiving the 1 cent mistake. An apology supplemented by swift action would have saved the day.

The homeowner pointed out that paying the bill would cost her 42 cents just for the stamp. Not only does the city of Attleboro look like its made up of a bunch of jerks, but it’s also being made a laughingstock by the national AP newswire.

What a kind word–and action–would have done to save this city’s reputation in this situation.

Read the full article.

I’ve done it on the cheap and with a big budget. And, since I only had one video class in college, I learned from experience…and from my incredibly talented crew of video editors, videographers, and directors.

Plus, most of the videos I created played in front of a crowd of 500+ people, and there’s nothing like a live reaction to know if the video is a success or a flop. Luckily, I experienced more successes than flops!

Video Creation Tips:

• Have a point: what is the action you want the audience to take or the piece of information you want them to remember?
• Keep it brief: Five minutes of video is an eternity. It doesn’t matter that you spent 3 days shooting the footage. Be ruthless when you cut.
• Cut ruthlessly: Remove anything that doesn’t move the video forward.
• Consider the audience’s perspective: It’s not all about you.
• Boring is boring: If it puts you to sleep, no magic can make it interesting.
• Entertain: Be funny (or fun) if you can.
• It’s a video for a reason: Provide as many visuals as you can.
• Set the tone: Music is really important.
• Make it flow: Have a plan and work on the transitions. People remember stories as long as they’re brief.
• Be considerate: Make people look good.
• Go for quality: Hire a good editor and videographer or learn to be the best yourself.

Videos are a powerful medium; I hope you get the most bang out of your buck!

Author and PR Exec Leslie Gaines-Ross of Weber Shandwick shared how a company’s reputation can be destroyed in seconds during her presentation, “Reputation Management – Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation.”

Gaines-Ross started out by shocking us: only 2 of the top 10 companies from Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies remain at the less than a decade later. And…over three-quarters (79 percent) of the world’s number-one most admired companies lost their crowns over the past five years in their respective industries.

Wow.

Reputations can evaporate like water.

So what reputation perils are around the corner for your business?

• Executive wrongdoing
• Security breaches
• Environmental violations
• Product recalls
• Regulatory noncompliance

Gaines-Ross mentioned a great quote by Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway (whose company which has survived on the Top 10 Most Admired list): “If you lose dollars for the company by bad decisions, I will be understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless.”

Reputation safeguards:

• Scenario planning, what if…
• Surveying media
• Monitor the media
• Monitor issues in industry
• Embrace open-door policy
• Spectrum of near misses
• Keeping your antennae alert
• Inventory of case study, how did try handle it?
• Build a base of advocates: journalists, govt, etc
• Avoid no comment

Gaines-Ross pointed out that reputations can be rescued with the appropriate actions. She shared the outline for this recovery process, as discussed in her new book, Corporate Reputation: 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation.

The 12 steps fit into a four-stage model:

Stage four (Steps 10-12): Recover (sustain reputation for long-term)

Stage one: Rescue (minimize the damage)

• Step 1: Take the Heat-Leader First. When companies hit a tough spot, CEOs should be visible and not delegate dealing with the crisis to a lower executive.
• Step 2: Communicate Tirelessly. Keep giving updates and new information (like Jet Blue with recent stranded passenger issue).
• Step 3: Don’t underestimate your critics and competitors. Many companies are surprised at how well organized their critics are.
• Step 4: Reset the Company Clock. Instill a sense of urgency about the forward action that needs to take place to repair the company’s reputation.

Stage two: Rewind (identify what went wrong)

• Step 5: Analyze What Went Wrong and Right. Once the situation has stabilized, reflect on what brought the company to this point. Also, identify distress signals. Avoid predictable surprises. Don’t let early warning signs go undetected: lower-level people often try to sound the alarm when something’s awry, but the message frequently never makes it to the top until it is too late.
• Step 6: Measure, Measure, and Measure Again. How else will you know where you stand? The book has a great list of questions for companies to answer and measure.

Stage three: Restore (rebuilding reputation)

• Step 7: Right the Culture. Usually the company culture could use a tune-up to be poised for reputation recovery. (Usually this involves cleaning house!)
• Step 8: Seize the Shift. Gaines-Ross says a surprising number of crises can be traced to shifts in the business climate that leaders missed. Where is your industry going? Are you getting left behind?
• Step 9: Brave the media. If you have a relationship with the media before the crisis, you’ll have advocates. If not, there’s no one to defend you. Example: Merck – no media relationships, BP – good media relationships.
  Everyone is a publisher. And those words last forever on the Internet.
  Invent new pipelines: 52 of Fortune 500 are blogging. For an example, check out the GM Fastlane blog.

Stage four: Recover (sustain reputation for long-term)

• Step 10: Build a drumbeat of good news with a strategy of small gestures.
• Step 11: Commit to a marathon, not a sprint. Building (and restoring) your reputation is an ongoing effort.
• Step 12: Minimize reputation risk. Stay ahead of the curve and plan for the worst case scenario.

And I’d like to add my own two cents about reputation:

• Do the right thing in your company and you are more likely to stay out of trouble. Too often leaders and boards turn a blind eye to unethical business practices because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of correction.
• Be proactive. If you are not sending out any messages about the good things you are doing, what do people have to talk about when your company is discussed? Only what others are saying. Don’t allocate your reputation to your competitors, industry publications, or stock brokers.