A friend of mine always said this one-liner, “I need to know what the facts are, so I know what lies to tell.” As cool as this sounds, I always knew he was just being facetious… But the scary thing is not everyone realized he wasn’t serious.
It’s great as a slick line for a movie, but lying is dangerous as a rule to live by. Stick with the truth.
With more than 50 years of experience, we’ve seen time, and again that lies have worse effects than the original thing that landed you in trouble in the first place.
Lies will always come back to bite you, you’ll lose your credibility as a result, and your reputation will take a hit as a result. You’ll be better off telling the truth, but only if you do it effectively.
Reputation is your most valuable asset, and you should do whatever you can to protect it.
It takes blood, sweat, and tears to build your reputation — but only a moment to destroy it. Its loss can threaten the viability of your business. There’s a reason goodwill (brand recognition and intellectual property) is a key factor when valuing a business.
Resisting the temptation to keep telling lies is crucial to protect your reputation.
And since you don’t have a time machine, we strongly advise you to avoid getting yourself into hot water or digging yourself into an even deeper hole by lying. There are other ways to save your reputation.
Check out A Business Owner’s Guide to Crisis PR: Protecting You & Your Business’ Reputation to learn the tips and tricks you need to protect your reputation.
How partnering with a PR firm can guide you through the process of managing your reputation in a crisis:
When your back’s up against a wall, it’s understandable to feel the urge to say or do anything to get you out of there. But you need to resist the urge to switch over to the Dark Side, and remember there are always other alternatives to trying to lie your way out.
By partnering with a firm that’s experienced in handling sensitive situations, they’ll understand the nuances of what to say and not say.
Some firms may take you close to the line, but not over it. There are things you can say or do to soften the glare and shift the spotlight.
While it’s not possible to undo a problem entirely, if a situation is handled properly, it can make it less painful at the moment and less damaging down the road.
On the other end of the spectrum is divulging too much. In this article, we share a story about how an executive almost destroyed his company’s reputation by taking transparency a step too far and answering questions nobody asked – a mistake you should never make.
But if the damage has already been done, don’t lose hope. By partnering with the right PR firm, you can rebuild your business’ reputation.
So if your reputation isn’t where you want it to be, call us at (310) 396-8696 to see how we can partner with you to rebuild your business’ reputation.
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Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management.