Post-Epstein, at the early stages of AI, each of us needs a Reputation Risk and Protection Playbook for today’s tell-all world
The question every public, semi-public, or even fiercely private figure must be thinking about these days is whether their private lives will bear up under today’s public scrutiny.
Be they quiet indiscretions or major reputational breaches, today we have few secrets left. Given the capabilities of AI to sort through massive sets of data, coupled with the public’s voracious appetite for scandal and judgement, sins of the past are being uncovered, sins of the present are being called out loudly, and sins that never even happened are being manufactured.
Jobs, marriages, citizenship, board composition and leadership roles of all kind hang in the balance. But there’s little discernment between seriously harmful, indefensible actions and fixable human error. Worse, there’s little mercy to be had, only public shaming. It’s reputational warfare: an ugly moment showcasing almost a blood lust that’s playing out in front of us.
Reputational Warfare
Whether it’s Epstein, Diddy, the CEO on the kiss cam jumbotron, Ghislaine Maxwell, the former CEO of Kohl’s, or hundreds of others, the days of “boys will be boys” excuses are receding. People are not only being held accountable for their misdeeds, the public appears to relish bringing everyone down, bad and good actors alike, including children, students, spouses, rivals, and leaders of companies and governments.
Reputations are being damaged with cause and without, as large numbers of those accused live in a reputational twilight.
Why?
Free-Floating Anger
There is a huge amount of free-floating anger around the globe these days, stoked by a chaotic, crisis-driven environment. Covid only fueled the dislocation. AI is taking it to new levels of virality. And the Epstein files are proving the case. Anger and blame can be attached to almost anyone and anything. No matter what the perspective, kindness appears to have gone walkabout, and destructive behaviors are ever-present.
Some are even saying that the truth just doesn’t matter anymore – if something is articulated, or put on video, our brains believe it to be true whether it is or not, Your Brain Lies To You.
That means we are all vulnerable to reputation assassination, whether or not it is based on the truth. What can we do if it happens to us or those we care about? How can we prevent ensuing disaster?
Following is a 20-point “Reputation Risk and Protection Playbook” we have put together to help you begin to structure your thinking and start your reputation protection process, both professionally and personally.
Reputation Risk And Protection Playbook
- Identify any reputational vulnerabilities you may have already. Given the risk we all face, the best course is to start here to get in front of these issues.
- Conduct your own deep dive (with or without help) into what is being said publicly about you or your organization on- and off-line, and how that varies from the truth as you see it. Do this at least twice a year to create a baseline, and be alert if the baseline shifts.
- Monitor major issues more frequently – monthly or weekly, or even daily or hourly in fast-moving situations.
- If danger is serious and imminent, immediately work with your lawyer to come up with a legal strategy. While this may vary significantly from a reputational strategy, legal vulnerability should win over all others. However that does not mean in every instance. Use your judgement, knowledge, and gut to evaluate all the advice given you. The buck does stop with you.
- If your risks are not legal, depending on what you find, start with these issues to begin to forge a strong, trustworthy reputation for yourself and your organization that counteracts allegations of wrongdoing. Do good, be good, and if you can, become a voice of insight and reason.
- Develop messaging on tough issues that is resonant, persuasive, and true. If you can, proclaim your truth publicly.
- Do not lie.
- Don’t believe that everything will just end when you want it to. That’s magical thinking. Buttress your best self at every opportunity, and when challenged, move quickly to respond with powerful, truthful messaging.
- Do not repeat accusations against you in words or documents. Repeat your responses, positively, instead.
- Don’t be afraid to apologize. That old adage that real men (or women) don’t say they’re sorry is long disproven. If you have been wrong, admit it (unless your lawyers say no), apologize profoundly, and make reparations wherever you can. Be all about the fix and the lesson, not the transgression.
- Assemble your own cabinet of trusted advisors, friends, experts, and crisis managers. These folks should be able to channel support, recommendations, and great judgement your way. They can be powerful advocates. Reciprocate whenever you can.
- Make sure you associate with those who will bring you pride and happiness, not trouble. Seek to do the same for others.
- Always have a great lawyer at the ready to help you control the consequences of a false narrative and not become a victim to it. Make sure he or she is highly professional, experienced, skilled, kind, and brilliant. They are out there, and can make a huge difference. So can crisis strategists, of course.
- Toughen up! Cultivate a thick skin. Find the emotional strength to face uncomfortable, even insupportable, facts and fictions. And continue, even when confronted by a shaming, unforgiving public. Know that reputations today can be brutal, but they are also evanescent, changeable, and often fixable if you have the right intentions.
- Make sure you stand for something, personally and publicly. Use this moment to summon your moral courage and higher powers. This is where real resilience begins.
- Refine your own story – make sure it is true, compelling, human, and in some way uplifting.
- Think of your highest self (psychologists call it your ego ideal) and channel that in words and actions, even when, or especially when, attacked.
- This country loves stories of redemption. It will almost always forgive and root for a comeback kid. But it will crush the unrepentant sinner who does not ‘fess up. (aka Prince Andrew). Be the comeback kid.
- Cultivate forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things you can ever do, but one of the most critical. It shines a light on all your actions.
- Don’t give up on yourself or let others do so. Redemption and forgiveness are possible not only in the confessional, but in the public zeitgeist – if you are willing, wise, and courageous enough to face the situation.
In the end, compassion for others and for yourself is the most powerful reputation protection tool you can have. People do remember the good guys, and give them some slack. Use this to focus more on others than yourself, on the fix not the problem, and on how you can help colleagues and friends as others have helped you.