What Kenny Rogers can teach us about reputation management
Your charity's reputation isn't one to gamble with
Siobhan Meaker, co-founder of Better Strategic Consultancy, explains why a little wisdom from Kenny Rogers might be just what charity leaders need when the going gets tricky. I've been working in communications and reputation management for more than 25 years, so perhaps taking professional inspiration from Kenny Rogers was always where I would end up…And while I'm fairly certain he wasn't thinking about charity reputation management at the time he recorded The Gambler, there's a decent framework in there.
Know when to hold. You've established the facts, considered the impact and you're confident your decision was fair, responsible and consistent with your values. You don't have to respond to every criticism. Sometimes standing by a well-considered decision is exactly the right thing to do.
Know when to fold. You've got something wrong. Or perhaps you've learned something that changes your understanding. Acknowledging that and putting it right isn't weakness. Digging your heels in simply because you've already taken a position rarely ends well.
Know when to walk away. You've listened, explained your position and addressed any legitimate concerns. But the argument continues. You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to, particularly when engaging further achieves precisely nothing.
Know when to run. And no, not away from responsibility. But towards urgent action when people are at risk, serious misinformation is spreading or something needs putting right. Sometimes that means investigating, apologising, reporting concerns or changing what you do. A beautifully crafted statement won't fix poor behaviour.
And that's really the point. Reputation isn't what you say about yourself. It's what people experience of your organisation. It's built through your decisions, your culture, your relationships and how you behave when things get difficult.
The fact that somebody is angry with you doesn't automatically mean you've done something wrong. Equally, following your policies doesn't automatically mean you've done the right thing. Good reputation management requires judgement, a clear understanding of your responsibilities and the confidence to make decisions you can explain and stand behind.
So perhaps dig out your crisis communications plan and ask yourself whether it would actually help if something happened tomorrow. Who decides? Who needs to know? What would make you change course?
Better to have those conversations now than on a Friday afternoon with six people editing the same statement and a trustee querying the third sentence.
Claire and I had a lot of fun exploring this in our latest One Thing Better episode, Don't Poke the Bear. Claire brings her experience as a former charity CEO to the discussion, and we explore the pressures on leaders, the temptation to respond to everything and why deciding to say nothing can sometimes be the most sensible decision you make.
And if your organisation is wrestling with a difficult issue, or you'd simply like to be better prepared for one, this is exactly the sort of thing we help with at Better Strategic Consultancy. You can set up a free call to have a chat here.
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