2. Must Reads

Must Reads

“When turmoil rules, go in.” — Lao Tzu

There is so much to read, so much to know, so many sources to follow. And the volume of news and information just keeps growing exponentially. How to keep up? Even more, how to rediscover the serendipity of learning something new and interesting for its own sake?

Here, for your enjoyment and interest, are the articles Temin and Company considers “must reads.” They are primarily on the topics of reputation and crisis management, the media, leadership and strategy, perception and psychology, self-presentation, science, girls and women, organizational behavior and other articles of interest.

They are listed below with the most recent articles first, and to the side, by category.

We hope you enjoy them and would appreciate your comments. And whenever you have any favorite articles for us to add, please let us know so that we might include them for other readers to enjoy.

There is so much to read, so much to know, so many sources to follow. And the volume of news and information just keeps growing exponentially. How to keep up? Even more, how to rediscover the serendipity of learning something new and interesting for its own sake?

Here, for your enjoyment and interest, are the articles Temin and Company considers “must reads.” They are primarily on the topics of reputation and crisis management, the media, leadership and strategy, perception and psychology, self-presentation, science, girls and women, organizational behavior and other articles of interest.

They are listed below with the most recent articles first, and to the side, by category.

We hope you enjoy them and would appreciate your comments. And whenever you have any favorite articles for us to add, please let us know so that we might include them for other readers to enjoy.

Reassessing The Role Of Empathy In Tech: Between Zuckerberg’s “Feeling Your Pain” And Musk’s Creating More Of It, What Works For Layoffs?

Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, November 30, 2022

“Kind, creative, and smart is the motto at Snapchat…Looks like that went out of the window right away when things started going bad,” wrote one worker after CEO Evan Spiegel announced the layoffs of 1,200 employees this year.

As more and more tech layoffs are hitting before the holidays, the real question is — are empathy and “emotional intelligence” truly sustainable as business practices in bad times as well as good? Or have we just been paying them lip service?

Over the last year, TechCrunch estimates over 85,000 tech sector workers have been laid off from 35 companies, with more to come. Twitter, Meta, Amazon, Stripe and Salesforce have each adopted different strategies on how to do it. But none of them have gotten it “just right” yet. And some have gotten it mightily wrong. […read more]

Southwest’s Silver Lining: Memories of Gaffes Fade Fast

Ryan Beene, Bloomberg, December 29, 2022

Southwest Airlines Co.’s 2022 nightmare before Christmas is unlikely to inflict long-lasting damage to the carrier’s reputation if management compensates customers and makes good on vows of operational changes, communications and management professionals say.

In recent days, social media has been flooded by angry Southwest customers after storms and shaky computer systems forced the airline, the largest domestic carrier in the US, to cancel more than 13,000 flights. Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan has issued multiple apologies while employees work overtime to clean up the mess, which officials in Washington vow to scrutinize.

“It isn’t enough for even a well-meaning CEO to give his word,” Temin said. “It has to start a real series of events and change.” […read more]

Companies offer to help employees seeking abortions. It’ll be tricky.

Taylor Telford, Washington Post, July 2, 2022

Corporate rules of engagement on social issues have shifted dramatically in the past few years, amid public pressure on companies to take stands on everything from police brutality and racism to climate change and voting rights. The fallout from the end of Roe v. Wade is forcing corporations to redefine their vision for social responsibility yet again, according to Davia Temin, chief executive of Temin and Company, a crisis management firm.

“It is illuminating who we really are, what we stand for, how we are changing, when we take a stand, and when we remain silent,” Temin said.

This time, corporations have largely avoided the sort of impassioned letters to employees and stakeholders that they usually put out while weighing in on key social issues, Temin noted. Instead some companies moved swiftly to expand their health-care plans despite the uncharted territory.

“What corporations are doing in a pragmatic manner is they are coming up with solutions for their people — because, of course, some of their employees are extraordinarily upset,” Temin said. “Instead of the persuasive and heartfelt letters, you’re getting action.” […read more]

Big Employers Say They’ll Pay for Abortion Travel After Roe Reversal

Jeff Green and Matthew Boyle, Bloomberg, June 24, 2022

Some of the most recognized companies in the US indicated that they would extend coverage of out-of-state medical care, decisions that will cover more than a million employees after the Supreme Court overturned a half-century-old ruling that protected abortion rights.

Bellwether corporations from the worlds of finance, media, technology and health care said they would bankroll travel for workers who need access to safe, legal abortions and other procedures. The court’s decision overturned a decades-old precedent that backers say reshaped the modern economy by increasing opportunities for women.

“This is the hottest of hot potatoes,” said Davia Temin, founder of New York crisis consultancy Temin and Co. “Because companies are commenting on social issues more than ever before, the need to do the same around abortion is swirling through corporate America.” […read more]

CEOs Speak Up

Diane Brady, Forbes CxO, June 14, 2022

Leadership is an always-on task these days…. So how do you find success heading into the second half of an unpredictable year? Resilience, with a dose of courage.

Resilient leaders push for real change…. Where there there are threats to hard-won equality, leaders are expected to take action, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek discovered earlier this year.

Leaders are also expected to add their voices to public debate. Davia Temin, a New York-based reputation strategist and leadership consultant, argues that “in a world where everyone is demanding their own voice, people expect the companies they work for, invest in or do business with to do the same.” The result, she says, is that brands have become like individual personalities that need to be articulated at the top and reinforced by action. On top of that, she adds, “there are moral imperatives that people in the C-suite respond to as human beings.” […read more]

A million thanks

A million thanks … Your advice ended up being profoundly spot on.”

—Crisis Client dealing with an ongoing, entrenched issue