How to survive a scandal

In the corporate world, just like in life, the good, the bad and the ugly shine through the cracks.

There will be times when specific comments, past behavior and opinions may cause chaos among co-workers, customers or the public eye. Left unattended, those incidents times may turn into a scandal, leaving businesspeople to survive independently and use whatever resources they may have at hand. The truth is, the key to surviving scandal is a good communication strategy. It is crucial to have a plan in place with steps to handle these sorts of difficult situations.

Well-intentioned leaders are often ill-equipped to handle the communication complexities hidden beneath a scandal. What seems like the right move typically backfires, and lost ground cannot be recovered. Emotions may come into play during this time, and they are your worst enemy. When we are emotional, we cannot think clearly, and if we succumb to our emotions at any point, we will be forced to do damage control. That is when you need to stick to this golden rule: Ignore your feelings, and do what’s right. For example: