Unforgiving

When burdens stalk you, don’t just hope for the best.

Life is relentless. Or so it often seems.

If you’re an employee, you get a break. Just show up when you’re told and leave when your shift’s over.

Not so if you’re a boss. Especially not if you’re also the owner. Burden stalks you. Is everyone doing what they should? Is the job being completed properly and on time? Decisions must be made, and they are no respecters of clocks or calendars.

You must keep business coming in the door.

Every employee’s family relies on you. Stumble, and they all suffer.

You can’t afford mistakes. They create distractions, waste resources, and cause missed opportunities.

Neither can you permit your reputation to be put at risk. It’s your most valuable asset, personally and professionally. You’ve spent years building it, but a single misstep can undermine it.

We can all rattle off examples of reputations that’ve been ruined once they’ve hit the media.

Others occur out of the limelight but are no less critical in their own universe. Power plays within companies and nonprofits. Culture clashes during a merger. Labor issues that threaten to balloon. Struggles within dysfunctional families. Bad choices in your personal life that ruin you professionally.

How you communicate your message will dictate the outcome.

If you win, those who matter will know, and you will get the respect you deserve. If you lose and the issue is public, you will become a punch line. If you lose and the issue is private, you will have less power to stave off the next struggle.

Weakness is never an object of ambition.

That’s why we protect our reputations fiercely and pick our fights carefully.

You not only want to win the battle. You want to win the war.

How do you get where you want to go? The least painful path is often the worst choice.

Decisions by your legal and Reputation Management team must be based on full disclosure and realistic assessments of the situation and your options.

No secrets. No time for wishful thinking, or for hoping for the best. Life rarely works out that way.

For a deeper glimpse into our world, see our book on Amazon, A Lawyer’s Guide to Crisis PR: Protecting Your Clients In & From the Media.

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You can reach Roger Gillott and Eden Gillott directly at 310-396-8696.

Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.