The underestimated power of reputation

I had a very interesting conversation with a colleague yesterday on a topic that is of concern to all PR and marketing people but of very little concern to the C-level folks. That would be reputations. Now of course if you were to ask a CEO how important they viewed reputation of course they would answer that it is of critical importance and is their organization's most valuable asset. But the simple fact of the matter the two of us concluded is that the reputation is the furthest thing from the mind of the CEO and other executives unless something goes wrong or there is the potential for them to look bad personally.

I recall how many bad decisions are made by CEO's from Ken Lewis at Bank of America on back to Jeff Skillings and Ken Lay at Enron. The question you have to ask yourself is, where these people thinking of corporate reputation when making their decisions? The answer is a fairly obvious no! Like most corporate folks, they are focused entirely on the short term and on delivering results that matter for the next quarter or two at most. If you look at most senior level executives they are themselves MBA's or are surrounded by them.

The saddest thing you find at most business schools is that they teach that all situations can be managed and they lack a fundamental view of business ethics. As a result, senior executives do not worry about the results of their actions because they believe anything can be "managed," and they also believe it to be the job of marketing and especially PR to manage any crises that should arises. While crises management is absolutely within the realm of PR, it should be seen in the same light of health care in that the best way to deal with a potential situation is to ensure that they never take place.

Well I had to run yesterday before the big AM thunderstorm hit and what a boomer it was. The past 30 days have been totally miserable and it came as no surprise to me that Boston has had 12 consecutive days of rain! This has been a totally miserable period and I can't wait for the hordes of mosquito's that will come during the next few weeks. I can't say why but this weather has me in the mood for fried clams. I have already made more trips to the Red Wing in Walpole on July 2 than I did all of last year.

On the Red Sox news, last night was quite as the Sox had an off day but thanks to the Seattle Mariners the Sox now have a 3 game lead on the Yankees. I couldn't help but notice in the few innings I caught of the Yankees game that there were loads of empty seats in the "fat cat" section of the new Yankee Stadium, but in the parts where the real fans sit, hardly a seat could be found. Typical of the way the owners see the fans and very well outlined in a book I just read called "Bottom of the Ninth. "

It shows how in the late 1950's and early 1960's there was a plan for a third major league which the American and National leagues were sure to crush. But the new league was offering ideas like revenue sharing and free agency as well as a strong commissioner which the major leagues did not want. However the National Football League was ready and willing to use some of the suggestion and as such quickly passed baseball in popularity and has never looked back. Check this book out!

Heading out to build a company

Well today I brave the dreary weather and head into Boston for what should be an interesting conference on using design and architecture to build safe homes for people as they age. It is ironic that in our world focused on IRA's and 401K's that so little attention is paid on what one will do when they retire or more importantly, how they will retire. Sure some people will say they want to live on the 9th hole of some golf course or maybe move to Florida, but very few people stop to think if they are buying a home that will meet their needs as they age?

Would you buy a car that has no brakes? Would you fly an airline that has the wings wrapped in duct tape? Would you buy a hot dog that the vendor drops on the street? Of course not. Yet people think nothing of buying a $5,000 Bannister because they like how it looks. The key issue as our baby boomer generation ages is that we do not have enough institutional care rooms to take care of them nor are there enough health care providers to help them. That is one chapter in the tome that is the sad book of American health care.

Now if it would only stop raining perhaps I could wax philosophical about something more pleasant. The news this morning said this will go down as the third dimmest or least sunny June on record. I don't doubt that! Tomorrow is supposed to heat up but not necessarily be any sunnier. What I wouldn't give for a nice warm and sunny summer's day!

Well at least one summer occasion is working out. The Red Sox continue to win. Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay were the big bats for the Sox last night against the Washington Nationals. First of all ,I believe that moving the old Montreal Expos to Washington was a stupid move. The Baltimore Oriole's are the team for D.C. and the market isn't that big for two teams. Second, if the Expos had good owners and not people didn't care about the team or the market then they could have made a go of it. The rare teams that were O.K. drew great crowds. In D.c. they still have bad ownership, terrible fans and a worse team. They are not going anywhere! Oh and speaking of not going any where Manny Rameriez is playing AAA ball to get back in shape. He's not worried about the Dodger's fans because everybody loves him. How nice!

Well there is a committee meeting tonight at B.C. where I hope to get an answer as to why they did nothing to promote the wonderful Cleansweep program. Generally B.C. only cares about money and how to make more of it. That ideal was put on display this spring where a stupid fundraiser was trumped to the point of being spam and worthy programs where ignored. Once again more reason not to give money to B.C.

Lastly I just read a biography of Roger Clemens called "The Rocket that Fell to Earth." A tremendous book and one that shows how the hubris and ego of Clemens caused him to loose any and all respect he built up in during his career. It also gives many examples of Clemens acting as a good person but at the same time always putting his own needs first and foremost. Clemens is not demonized by the author but is held accountable for his actions.

How hard can it be?

I find it funny that some people get paid lots of money to do their jobs poorly and yet like cockroaches somehow survive all layoffs and reorganizations to continue doing a terrible job. I laughed this morning when I saw that I had an email from a major Boston company. That's odd as the subject was "Updating You on Your Interview Status." Equally odd was the fact that I had not interviewed with this company in several years and certainly not at any point during the last few weeks.

Well "my" email started off with "Dear Ms. Allen, thank you for taking the time to meet with us regarding the XXX position. After careful consideration, etc, etc." The etc. are mine. Well I had to laugh at what was very poor human relations management I did feel a twinge of guilt. Obviously, this woman interviewed with this company and is probably wondering what's going on. The email does not allow for response so I am stuck as I would like to let them know so they can correct their mistake but since we live in an impersonal age, there is no chance to do so. Sadly, HR is often the weakest link in an organization, yet has the most important function.

Today seems like day 900 of rain in Boston. I watched a show on TV last night about albino animals that 99 percent of the time would have done nothing for me. But with this weather, I couldn't help but enjoy the irony of watching about animals who don't see the sun for days, weeks even years at a stretch! Both ironic and appropriate at the same time. How I would love to see blue sky again!

What a tragedy in Washington D.C. yesterday with the Metro and what I hear now is 7 to 9 people dead. I hope it's not another case of an operator on the cell phone or texting. Boston was for once ahead of the curve and banned these activities and not only should they be banned for operators of public transportation, all drivers should not be allowed to use cell phones when driving.

I finished reading Under The Royal Palms a behind the scenes type expose of the crowd in Palm Beach. It had great reviews and I have to say that upon reading it I was disappointed. I think that any journalist should remain independent and offer real perspective which was lacking. This is a totally fawning profile of these people. Trust me and don't read this waste of paper. Mourn the trees killed to make it. Well even though summer came in on Sunday, Thursday is when it really shows up! I hope so!!!

Oh special kudo's to the blind gentleman who walked the entire Appalachian Trail! I could do more than a mile on it and he did all 21oo miles plus!