In the News–The Media
America’s Leadership Crisis: Davia Temin
Richard Davies, How Do We Fix It?, March 30, 2018
With turmoil and never-ending drama in the White House, and record numbers of departures from top levels of the Trump Administration, it is safe to say that America is facing a leadership crisis.
This episode’s guest, Davia Temin, looks at how leaders can avoid the mistakes and embarrassment that could ruin their reputation, lead to their downfall and cause their employees and associates great harm.
She speaks from a place of deep experience and passion about the crucial importance of ethics, honesty and diversity, as well as the need for leaders to communicate quickly and clearly, especially in times of crisis. We learn about the do’s and don’ts of crisis communications as well as the benefits of coaching and training. […read more]
Zuckerberg built an instant gratification machine — but took his time addressing the trouble it’s caused
Jena McGregor, The Washington Post, March 22, 2018
After Mark Zuckerberg broke his silence Wednesday about the mushrooming Cambridge Analytica scandal, it’s hard to argue the Facebook founder and CEO has said too little.
Zuckerberg wrote a 935-word Facebook post Wednesday where he said “we have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you,” outlining steps the company was taking following blockbuster reports about user data being scraped without their consent. He sat for interviews with the New York Times, Wired, tech publication Recode and a rare on-camera interview with CNN.
But despite the Facebook post and parade of media interviews, crisis experts argue Zuckerberg’s personal response came much too late.
“The higher the stakes, the quicker you want to plant your flag,” said Davia Temin. “And these stakes are arguably the highest of any crisis we’ve seen in a long time for a corporation.” […read more]
3 Important Lessons From Facebook’s Deepening PR Crisis
Ari Zoldan, Inc., March 22, 2018
Facebook hasn’t exactly been sitting pretty in the court of public opinion, even if many who were holding its feet to the fire over unscrupulous “fake news” stories and Russian-bought political advertisements were still using the social media platform. But the storm was perhaps breaking, and brighter skies — or at least neutral ground — seemed on the horizon.
Then Cambridge Analytica happened.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a statement that amounted to an acceptance of responsibility, and promised that the company would be making changes to its data security policies.
However, the response came four days after news broke of the scandal.
“In today’s world, I believe you have 15 minutes to address some kind of crisis when it emerges over social media,” Davia Temin told MarketWatch. Customers don’t like to be left in the dark. A quick repsonse is key to rebounding. […read more]
Crisis of the Week: NBC News Faces Questions After Lauer Firing
Ben DiPietro, The Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Journal, December 12, 2017
NBC News is in crisis after it fired longtime “Today” show anchor Matt Lauer after he was accused of sexual misconduct. The move came hours before the magazine Variety published a story detailing some of Mr. Lauer’s alleged actions with female staffers. The day after the firing, two more women came forward to accuse Mr. Lauer, who apologized and said: “Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
NBC News President Andy Lack issued a statement on Nov. 29, saying the “detailed complaint” against Mr. Lauer was a “clear violation of our company’s standards.” He said the priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe, adding “any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.” At the time of the firing, the network said it didn’t know of any complaints against Mr. Lauer during his time at NBC, only to later say no complaints had been made to “current management.” Mr. Lack sent a memo to staff on Dec. 1, saying the company is reviewing Mr. Lauer’s prior behavior and that it needs to “build a culture of greater transparency, openness and respect.”
The experts break down how well NBC News handled this crisis from a communications standpoint.
“NBC’s handling of the Matt Lauer affair is a fascinating example of the almost-triumph of alt-fact and spin,” said Davia Temin. “In the end, though, it turned out to be a serious breach of public trust.” […read more]
NBC Fires Matt Lauer for “Inappropriate Behavior”
Richard Quest, Quest Means Business, CNN Money, November 29, 2017
U.S. TV anchor, Matt Lauer, was fired by NBC news after a complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
Forget the drawn-out Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey. With Matt Lauer, it all happened very quickly. The complaint was filed against Lauer on Monday. The investigation took place on Tuesday. And he was fired last night. The speed shows how seriously companies are now taking sexual harassment claims.
“It’s about time. Finally…through some conglomeration of social media, more women around, finally it is being taken seriously, and not a wink, wink, nod, nod,” said Davia Temin.
“I think that you can probably assume from the quickness with which Matt Lauer was fired that there was some real proof there. We don’t know what they saw. They’re not sharing everything. It’s not total transparency. Nor should it be. But there’s probably an awful lot of proof there. So, what I would say to you is, it’s not time yet. It’s not time for the pushback when we’re still just starting to hear what the real problem is.”
“All I can say is, it’s about time that they start looking the right way now. Let’s not castigate them for that yet.” […read more]
Navigating the United PR crisis
Amara Walker, CNNi, April 11, 2017
Amara Walker talks with public relations expert Davia Temin about United Airline’s handling of their latest crisis that sparked worldwide outrage, in which a passenger was dragged off the airline when he wouldn’t give up his seat on an overbooked flight, and how they can recover from the blow to their reputation.
To watch the interview on CNN, CLICK HERE.
Crisis of the Week: Williams, NBC Between Iraq and a Hard Place
Ben DiPietro, The Wall Street Journal’s Risk and Compliance Journal, February 17, 2015
NBC News, anchorman Brian Williams and NBC parent company Comcast Corp. are the subject of this week’s crisis. Mr. Williams first removed himself from the network’s nightly newscast–and later was suspended without pay for six months–following his admission he may have “misremembered” whether a helicopter he was flying in during a reporting trip to Iraq was attacked by missile fire. The resulting criticism prompted the network to launch an internal investigation, still ongoing.
The experts were asked to evaluate both the statements of NBC and Mr. Williams. How effective was each in handling the crisis? Where did their statements fall short? What did they do well? What should they each do next?
Davia Temin, chief executive, Temin & Co.: “NBC/Comcast was swift and perfectly on-point in their crisis response to Williams’ admission of lying. [NBCUniversal Chief Executive] Stephen Burke’s comments were textbook, and the six-month suspension without pay and Williams’ name taken off the program have demonstrated that NBC shares the public’s sense of outrage. This is only mitigated by the possibility that they knew of the lie beforehand.” […read more]
Why female CEOs are staying quiet on activist investors
Caroline Fairchild, Fortune, February 12, 2015
Do activist investors really see women CEOs as easier targets? That’s the question that media pundits and experts alike are abuzz with as six prominent female CEOs fend off bids from aggressive activist investors. Most recently, GM CEO Mary Barra is feeling pressure from an activist who is trying to get on her board. She joins Pepsi’s Indra Nooyi, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, DuPont’s Ellen Kullman, Mondelez’s Irene Rosenfeld and HP’s Meg Whitman who are also under pressure from the likes of activists.
With only 25 female CEOs in the Fortune 500, it’s hard not to pause and question if gender targeting is really going on. But rather than join the discussion on whether or not they think these activists are targeting them on gender grounds, all the executives are staying quiet. None of the women have come out publicly on the issue and all of them either denied Fortune’s request for comment or didn’t respond immediately. Why?
Call it good common sense. Becoming the “poster child” for any issue — gender aside — when your company is under pressure to perform is the last thing any CEO should do, a group of experts told Fortune. Commenting publicly on the issue would not only put these women in a position of weakness, but could encourage activist investors to see their gender as a barrier to them being an effective leader.
“Chief executives are interested in maintaining both their power and reputation,” said Davia Temin, the founder of Temin & Co., a crisis-management firm. “There would be no benefit in acknowledging your gender. In fact, a lot of detriment could come of that. A female CEO doesn’t need to remind anyone else that she is a woman seeking the very same leadership goals as a man.” […read more]
Crisis of the Week: Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut
Ben DiPietro, The Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Journal, December 15, 2014
This week’s crisis assignment is nuts—literally. We asked our experts to look into how Korean Air Lines Co. handled the incident in which Cho Hyun-ah, a company executive vice president—and daughter of the airline’s chairman—ordered a plane that was set to take off back to the terminal after one of the flight attendants failed to follow the airline’s protocol for serving macadamia nuts.
The incident, which required the plane to return to the terminal and delayed takeoff by 20 minutes, led to extensive criticism of the airline, the resignation of the woman and an apology by the airline’s chairman, Cho Yang-ho, who said the incident reflected on his failures as a father. It also led to a sharp increase in sales of macadamia nuts.
Davia Temin, president and chief executive, Temin and Co.: “Mixed messaging rarely works when issuing an institutional apology. And since, these days, perception usually trumps reality, it really doesn’t matter much whether the mistake made was nuanced–the apology can not be. To assuage rampant public outrage on social media, and this new ‘mean age’ we are all living in, a public apology must be clear, seemingly heartfelt, and unequivocal. That is exactly what Korean Airlines did not do.” […read more]
The CEO apology, in 14 tweets
Jena McGregor, The Washington Post, November 21, 2014
When Uber CEO Travis Kalanick rattled off a series of 14 tweets Tuesday afternoon, most of the attention was on what he said rather than how he said it. While Kalanick may have intended to apologize for the controversy that erupted after one of Uber’s executives suggested digging into the personal lives of journalists, he was chided for the sorry-not-sorry nature of his remarks.
Yet his decision to issue that apology via a “tweetstorm” — a series of tweets on a single subject — was also a head scratcher. Using a series of tweets, rather than a single one that links to a blog post or press release for more information, has become an increasingly popular vehicle for corporate communications. But that might be misguided.
Davia Temin says she generally likes the idea of executives using a tweetstorm: It has a feel of spontaneity and authenticity, and the flood of comments can prompt greater visibility for the CEO’s remarks. If an executive is using it to lay out a position or discuss an industry issue, it can be “a brilliant use of the medium,” she says. “People report on a tweetstorm more than a blog.” […read more]
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