Greentarget

Greentarget

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If your firm is facing a crisis that’s about to make headlines, your first instinct is probably to try to make the story go away. That’s understandable. No one wants bad press or to see her or his firm’s name dragged through the mud. 

But you can’t stop reporters from doing their jobs. They are going to tell your story regardless of your feelings about it. And if you try to kill the narrative, your efforts could cause more reputational harm for you and your firm than the bad news itself.

As a senior leader, it is up to you to calmly guide your firm through the crisis with honesty, transparency and humility. There may be no way out, but there is a way through. And in our experience, the way through is eased by mindful appreciation of certain things that aren’t commonly found in your typical crisis playbook.     

Here are the seven truths you should remember when the next crisis hits.

1. The Press Coverage Is Going to Be Bad. You Can Only Make It Less Bad. 

If a reporter asks you to provide a comment for a story about a crisis at your firm, you can’t make the story go away, turn it from negative to positive, or avoid the likely ding to your reputation. The coverage is going to be bad. But you may be able to exert control over how bad it is by: 

  • Giving the reporter an interview. As counterintuitive as it may feel, now is not the time to shy away from the spotlight. Instead, engage skillfully with valid arguments and counterpoints that provide context for your side of the story.
  • Helping reporters get it right. Credible journalists want to be fair and accurate. Give them context and information that will enable them to separate fact from fiction.
  • Communicating directly with your audience. No matter how many people hear the bad news that’s about to break, remember: The world is not your audience. Spend the lion’s share of your energy communicating directly with your employees and clients and other stakeholders who matter most.

2. You’re Going to Feel Differently About This Crisis in Three Months.

So the press coverage was bad. You’re embarrassed and morale at your organization is low.  When facing such a scenario, it may feel like the stigma will last forever. But Wells Fargo is still making loans. United Airlines is still flying planes. And you can still pick up a Whole30 Lifestyle Bowl, with double protein at Chipotle in your brand new Volkswagen. These companies worked through significant threats to their reputation and you will too. The way you respond to the crisis will influence how long it takes for you to rebound. You need an authentic mitigation strategy and effective communication plan to regroup and redirect. 

3. Your Default Corporate Statement Will Cause Eyes to Roll. This Is the Time to Be Authentic and Vulnerable. 

In response to bad press, your lawyers and advisors will want you to release a statement that shields your firm from liability. Chances are it will sound overly formal and stilted, not address the underlying issue, and sound nothing like anything a human being would actually say. If you want to repair the reputational damage a PR crisis can cause, resist the urge to hide behind the pat holding statement. 

Moments of crisis require executive leaders to respond with transparency and accountability. Your employees, clients, and other stakeholders want to know you genuinely care about addressing the underlying problems that brought your firm to this situation. 

If you need to dispute certain details in the press coverage or the degree to which the organization is responsible, you can do that. (See no. 6, below.) But do so while expressing sincere regret for any missteps that occurred on your watch. Above all, communicate empathy and concern for anyone who was harmed or affected by the events in question.

4. Set Your Ego Aside. You May Be Embarrassed, but This Is Not About You.

Sharing statements that dodge accountability is not the only way to undermine effective communication. Your own ego and the desire to avoid personal embarrassment can also get in your way. A reporter’s questions are rarely ad hominem attacks. Even if they are, taking them personally risks clouding your judgment. To address the issues at hand, your vulnerability and willingness to listen are more effective because they are disarming. 

5. If Something Is Broken in Your Firm, Fix It.

Good things can come out of even the worst situations — but only if you’re willing to do the hard work of repairing what’s broken. To that end, don’t waste the opportunity this crisis affords. As an executive, you have the power and responsibility to get to the bottom of what’s wrong. 

Some problems are easier to fix than others. But even if you discover systemic issues, don’t give up until you unravel them. Ask your employees, stakeholders, and investors to help you identify and name your organizational shortcomings. And empower these same people to help you solve them.

Once you’ve done everything you can to address and repair the situation, communicate the steps you’ve taken with the press and with your internal and external stakeholders.

6. You’re Allowed to Punch Back if It’s Warranted.

You should do everything in your power to remedy situations for which your firm is responsible. But if a reporter assigns blame to you for things out of your control — or treats you with blatant unfairness — you should absolutely address it.

Do your due diligence first. Make sure you fully understand the situation and that you have your own facts straight. But then feel free to go on the record and dismantle the opposition’s arguments using clear, to-the-point communication. Don’t accept an unmerited hit to your reputation. And enjoy the warm feeling of satisfaction that this will deliver! 

7. You Need to Take Care of Yourself.

Leading an organization through a reputational crisis is not easy. The potential for overwhelming stress and exhaustion can’t be overstated. You need to take care of yourself in order to handle the situation in the best way possible. 

Think about the fundamentals that you need in order to stay focused and productive on a normal day. Do you typically run a few miles every morning? Write in your journal to keep yourself accountable to your goals? Eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and veggies? 

It’s tempting to forgo selfcare and other wellness routines during stressful situations. The “all hands on deck” mentality can even make you feel guilty for spending time on yourself. But all the added pressure and stress make it more important than ever to double down on the fundamentals so you can continue to function at peak performance. 

Your organization needs you to be at your sharpest to see it through to the other side of the crisis. So give yourself opportunities to take a break from the unrelenting news cycle and focus on the people, places, and pursuits that bring you joy. Doing so will help you carry the heavy burden of leading a firm through a high-stress season.

The good news is you don’t have to navigate this crisis alone. Greentarget has developed effective PR strategies for clients facing a variety of special situations. We’d be happy to help you, too — just reach out.

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Challenge

After the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned nearly five decades of precedent protecting the right to abortion, organizations and individuals faced a critical communications dilemma: whether—and how—to weigh in on a controversial ruling with profound legal ramifications that was igniting furious and emotional debate across an already divided nation.

In the days that followed, more than 2,500 female lawyers signed an open letter published in The American Lawyer that denounced the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Signatories also committed to providing pro bono legal services to organizations that support women’s access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion.

One male partner at global law firm Eversheds Sutherland was so moved by the pledge—and personally outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision—that he felt called to act and show his support for the pledge his female colleagues had made. He drafted an open letter that expressed solidarity and encouraged other male lawyers to join in donating money and offering pro bono legal services to organizations that support reproductive healthcare.

The lawyer intended to publish and distribute the letter himself, and was on the cusp of reaching out to The American Lawyer when the firm’s Director of Communications & PR got wind of the plan. While the letter was coming from the lawyer personally, it would difficult, if not impossible, to separate his action as an individual from any position the firm might take on the issue.

The communications director, while empathetic, knew an extra level of care and attention was required to navigate this sensitive topic. She immediately brought Greentarget in as a trusted advisor to provide counsel and support.

Approach

Greentarget’s account team connected with the partner to understand his perspective and goals for this letter. We also provided support to the firm’s communications team as they navigated internal politics around the issue.

Greentarget’s Content & Editorial team was quickly brought in to review and lightly edit the letter, ensuring that it was constructed so readers couldn’t take his words out of context. Within 24 hours, the letter was nearly ready for publication.

Next, we contacted the editor-in-chief of The American Lawyer to gauge her interest in running the piece. We made the strategic decision to reach out directly to the editor, instead of to a reporter, due to the high-profile nature of the topic and because the outlet had previously published the women’s letter that inspired this effort. That route yielded a quick response and agreement to run the letter.

Greentarget advised on a timeline for distribution of the letter via email to potential signatories – driven by the partner’s personal list of contacts – and created a process for collecting and updating signatures once the letter was live.

On June 30, the Eversheds Sutherland partner sent the letter to his contacts via email and LinkedIn, urging them to share and sign the letter.

Results

The letter generated a powerful response across the legal industry. More than 1,000 male lawyers signed it by the time it published in The American Lawyer on July 1, and that number more than doubled before the week was done.

An effort that started with one partner tapping his own network snowballed, ultimately generating hundreds of responses from partners, non-partners, men and women who used their personal networks to spread the word. Positive reactions poured in, overwhelmingly expressing gratitude to the partner for providing a platform for individuals to express their support in a public forum.

The lawyers who signed the letter represented a range of law firms – small, mid-size and large – and even included in-house counsel, ultimately reaching more than 164 different firms. Some signatories came from firms with strict no comment policies on the topic, demonstrating the societal importance of this issue despite it being a complex one for firms to navigate.

This effort was a resounding success. Eversheds Sutherland appreciated Greentarget’s guidance in helping the partner express his point of view on such a highly sensitive topic, while keeping the firm’s reputation with clients and internal stakeholders intact.

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Reaching your audience is simultaneously easier and harder than ever. On one hand, you have a host of digital channels and communication platforms on which to share your messages. On the other hand, it can feel impossible to cut through the digital noise long enough to compel your audience toward action. 

Every piece of communication you create needs to count. You must be crisp, clear, and persuasive in order to stand out. 

But how can you be sure your communications deliver the impact you intend? Research shows that humans lead with emotion first, then rationalize their positions using facts.

This is equally true in B2B and professional services settings where decisions are made in groups. Do you know how to tap into the emotions that drive your audience? 

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In March 2022, Elon Musk tweeted: “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” 

Musk answered his own question a few weeks later when he made a formal offer to purchase the publicly held social media platform and take it private. A self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” Musk’s goal is to remove many (if not all) of the Twitter Rules the platform uses to moderate user content. He might even restore the banned accounts of controversial figures like Donald Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Some fear changes like these could unleash unprecedented levels of hate speech, harassment, and misinformation.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Musk will follow through on his offer or walk away from the deal. And sure, there’s a chance he could change Twitter for the better. But regardless, his arguments about free speech and public spaces merit close consideration.

Here’s why Elon Musk is wrong about Twitter — and a few thoughts about how authorities can and should respond.

Historic Town Squares Were Carefully Regulated

Let’s assume that Elon Musk is right — that Twitter functions as a digital town square. Even if that’s true, he’s missing a critical detail. While town squares are public spaces, they are not — and never were —  free from government oversight.

Modern town squares evolved out of the British concept of the village green or town common. In the Middle Ages, villagers who didn’t own land were permitted to raise crops, care for their livestock, and buy and sell goods in these public spaces. Many common areas also featured bogs where commoners could cut peat, an important heating source equivalent to modern-day public utilities.  

But did villagers have unfettered access to do whatever they wanted? Could they consume public resources without limits? Of course not. Use of the village green was carefully regulated by overseers in charge of distributing this precious shared resource. 

That’s because without rules, common spaces risk succumbing to “the tragedy of the commons.” This 19th century economic theory argues that individuals who consume a shared resource by acting wholly in their own interest — and at the expense of every other consumer — will ultimately degrade and endanger that resource. This is especially true when there are no guardrails in place to prevent anyone and everyone from consuming the resource.

Put simply, town commons exist to support commoners collectively. Any single individual’s rights — or that of one group — cannot supersede the common good. As such, community standards must be applied. So if Twitter really is a town square, rules and regulations are a justifiable and even essential part of the equation.

The Right to Free Speech Isn’t Absolute

The second part of Elon Musk’s tweet argues that the limits Twitter imposes on free speech undermine democracy. Again, his thinking is flawed. 

As most of us can recall, the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.” The First Amendment is solely concerned with protecting Americans from government overreach. As such, the right to free speech guarantees us the freedom to speak truth to power and hold the government accountable for its actions. It does not give us the right to say anything we want whenever we want to say it. 

We can’t yell fire in a crowded building. We can’t spew hatred toward members of protected groups without consequence. And no one has the right to stand on someone else’s front porch and scream profanities. 

The First Amendment simply does not extend into the private sector. Plenty of institutions, corporations, and entities can choose to limit speech within their spheres of influence. Universities, private businesses, civic organizations, and religious institutions may all impose limits on what their members and constituents say.  

To that end, all social media platforms, including Twitter, are well within their rights to place limits on speech as they see fit. If Musk is concerned with upholding democracy, he should take his quest elsewhere. The government doesn’t own Twitter, and therefore Twitter’s stance on speech has no bearing on the health of our democracy. Elon Musk cannot make Twitter any more free from government interference than it already is. 

Why Should Authorities Care — And How Should They Respond?

Elon Musk is right about this much: Important conversations take place on Twitter. And because of that, it’s crucial for authorities to step into this arena and shape smarter conversations. 

The challenge here is that true authority is getting lost in the noise, and the public’s respect for bona fide expertise keeps diminishing. Thanks to the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation in a highly polarized environment, it’s becoming harder and harder to break through the digital clutter and capture attention.

But authorities must try. 

Directing a smarter conversation involves putting several elements of our Authority Manifesto into practice, including:

Without the influence of authoritative, fact-based points of view, the public could very well experience the tragedy of the commons in a whole new way. 

Elevate Smart Conversation on Twitter and Beyond

Time will tell whether Elon Musk will actually buy Twitter and implement a no-holds-barred approach to speech on the platform. Whether he does or not, your professional services firm has a role to play in demonstrating true authority and elevating the conversation for your audience and society at large.

But to direct a smarter conversation, you need to first create and hone your unique positions of authority. We’d love to help. 

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At Greentarget, we’ve formed a small working group that is advising clients on communications considerations surrounding the Supreme Court’s imminent ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Based on the inquiries and conversations we’ve facilitated thus far, we’ve created a discussion guide, which can be downloaded below, designed specifically for the unique dynamics professional services firms must navigate in their communications considerations.

We hope you find this tool useful in your ongoing discussions.

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Over the past two years, reporters have increasingly turned to online video calls as convenient ways to conduct interviews with faraway sources. The result has been an influx of opportunities for business leaders to engage with the media and establish themselves as authorities in their areas of expertise.

To take maximum advantage of this, one must be ready to not only interview with reporters, but do so via Zoom or similar programs. These interviews come with their own set of challenges and considerations…but don’t worry: we’re here to get you and your firm prepared.

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