Thought Leadership–Reputation Articles
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"Reputation Matters" White Papers seek to offer deeper insight on a wide range of topics we help clients address.
Forget The Hype: What Every Business Leader Needs To Know About Artificial Intelligence Now
Davia Temin, Bruce Molloy, Jayanth Kolla, Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, December 6, 2017
Artificial Intelligence – it’s on the lips of the leaders, and on the 2018 agendas of the board meetings, of almost every global company today. Directors and operating executives alike know, or think they know, that this “new electricity” is going to be the next transformative force of our world. To ignore it now could be fatal to their long-term competitive position, not to mention survival.
AI-powered companies that know what they are doing — primarily born in the Internet and mobile eras — have not only gained tremendous advantage in improved efficiency and increased profitability, they have literally changed the competitive landscape of successive industries. And they are continuing to do so, as they venture into new fields, challenging a whole new set of incumbents that are not AI “natives.” (Witness Google’s Launchpad Studio’s focus on healthcare AI startups, and Alphabet’s Waymo autonomous cars, to name only two.) […read more]
How Boards Should Handle a CEO Scandal
Chief Executive, October 24, 2017
It used to be that a founding CEO could be excused all manner of misbehavior by his or her board, as long as it was kept quiet and the bottom line was not negatively impacted. In my 20 years as founder and CEO of a boutique crisis management firm, I have dealt with well over 60 cases of CEO dismissal, and an equal number of case where the CEO did not get dismissed. It used to be that the board might either tolerate bad behavior, or publicly support a CEO while privately chastising him relentlessly. Regardless, he or she would stay.
More recently, however, given the outsized attention to serious CEO misbehavior, boards really have little choice—they must react, and act, quickly and decisively. In the brave new world of 24-hour news cycles and social media commentary that transits the globe at the speed of light, no CEO is invulnerable or—once found to be guilty of ethical violations—irreplaceable.
Boards need to keep ahead of the public humiliation and loss of reputational equity caused by major CEO misbehavior or malfeasance. If they deny, or stall, they run the risk of ruining their company and turning themselves into the targets of shareholders’ and the public’s bloodlust. […read more]
Uber CEO Kalanick’s Resignation Is Not The Best Answer
Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, June 21, 2017
I am sad that Travis Kalanick had to resign. As news of the Uber CEO’s resignation is digested by the world’s media analysts and leadership pundits, I would like to put forth a contrarian point of view – especially coming from such an outspoken advocate of gender equity in organizations. I do not think this is the biggest win that we who are interested in a bias and harassment-free workplace could have hoped for. Not by a long-shot.
Reformation vs. Resignation
Kalanick’s reformation would have been such a more powerful and optimistic story. It would have shown that, yes, personal transformation is possible, even among tone-deaf, frat-boy, start-up executives. And it could have shown that once a leader is made to, and allowed to, grow up, he or she can own it, and then transform a culture. […read more]
Dear Uber, Here Are 11 Ways You Can Fix Your Culture To Support Women Right Now
Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, June 18, 2017
To rephrase Madeleine Albright: There is a special place in heaven for men — and women — who help other women. But for Uber, and so many other organizations, their cultures are in need of an essential transformation before they even begin to find their place in the firmament.
Of course Uber is not the only company to sport a “bro” culture that can be antithetical to women executives’ presence, progress, and well-being. They’re just one of the most flagrant.
So, as Arianna Huffington and Eric Holder began to publicly reign in the executive office, and board, I began to think of what it would really take for Uber, and other organizations, to immediately empower, support and profit from the women in their workforce. I decided that this, drawn from over 25 years’ experience as a coach, reputation manager, and CEO dedicated to promoting women and girls’ leadership at every level, would be the topic of my remarks: 11 Ways To Support the Women in Your Organization and Life. I am pleased to share it with you today. […read more]
How United Became The World’s Most Hated Airline In One Day
Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, January 18, 2017
It’s no longer crisis as usual for United Airlines, or anyone else. Live social media posting has changed what you can get away with in a crisis — forever.
It used to be that if an airline made as monumental a mistake as United Airlines just did by causing a paying customer who had done nothing wrong to be dragged off a plane screaming, bloodying him up along the way in front of all his fellow passengers, they might still have gotten away with it.
After all, on a plane, passengers were basically incommunicado, so people couldn’t have protested easily, and they might not have been believed, especially if the airline denied it or called it an “overreaction.” The populace tends to believe its leaders in these situations, if compelling evidence to the contrary doesn’t exist. It rather makes one wonder about how many times such a debacle has happened before, and just not been caught on video.
But today all that changed. Live footage of the assault of an innocent passenger by security personnel was captured and immediately posted on social media around the world, instantly making United one of the most hated companies in the world. […read more]
The 9 Worst Ways To Brand Yourself
Leadership, “Reputation Matters” Forbes, January 6, 2017
Are you getting tired of all the content-less “content marketing” that pervades the internet in order to “brand” professionals as thought leaders? I know that a lot of the HR heads and CEOs I work with are.
They see this explosion of self-branding “lite” as insubstantial and overly self-promotional. And while the internet does afford everyone a platform to air their thoughts, when done poorly it can backfire and actually take away from your professional reputation and brand equity, instead of building it up.
Unlike a celebrity profile, an executive reputation or brand is forged when you truly stand for something and the totality of your work product, presence, writing, insight, and professional and personal actions support that stance. Whether it is as an A++++ player, a subject-matter expert, a breakthrough strategist, or an inspired leader, these are brands that are built up over time and execution, and validated by the opinions of others, including the media.
True content marketing is leveraging the unique ideas, expertise, opinions, and insight of employees not for the employees’ sake, but to raise the reputation of their organizations.
It is possible for corporate or non-profit professionals to successfully position themselves in public as thought leaders, but not for everyone and not in the wrong ways.
So, to help you avoid some of the pitfalls of over-self-promotion and under-delivery, here is my list of the nine worst ways to brand yourself in 2017. […read more]
Ancient Wisdom For The New Year: The 36 Chinese Stratagems For Psychological Warfare
Leadership, “Reputation Matters,” Forbes, January 2, 2017
2017 is the perfect time to learn some new leadership and coping strategies for the battles ahead — in business, politics, war, and life.
Last year we found out just how wrong we can be in our collective assumptions — and how much we don’t know about what others are thinking, or doing behind the scenes.
Whether it is because the Internet allows us to only hear from people who think like we do; polls relying on “Big Data” can be wrong; we are convinced of the wisdom of the crowd, even when the crowd is being manipulated; or we are just plain gullible — it is time to realize that leaders need to listen to and learn from those who think differently from them. […read more]
Forging Thought Leadership into a Titanium-Strong Marketing Tool
Dean Rotbart, Monday Morning Radio, March 23, 2015
This week on Monday Morning Radio, Davia Temin tells listeners how to forge thought leadership and reputation management into titanium-strong marketing tools – both for yourself, and for your company or products.
Davia is interviewed by Dean Rotbart, co-host of Business Unconventional, the one-hour radio newsmagazine that aired weekly on News/Talk 710 KNUS AM in Denver. […read more]
To listen to the full article, click below.
To download the podcast from iTunes, Click Here.
What They’re Saying About You When You’re Not In The Room — And What You Can Do To Influence It
Leadership, “Reputation Matters” Forbes, April 4, 2016
When you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu, former Governor of Texas Ann Richards used to say. She may have been referring to politics, but this is equally true in the worlds of business, academia, and nonprofits.
The biggest decisions about your career are often made when you’re not in the room. Whether it’s a decision about if you’ll be hired, promoted, or fired; whether you are put forth by a headhunter to a selection committee and then asked to join a corporate board or become a university trustee; whether you make Managing Director or are passed over; are awarded tenure; or offered the CEO slot, your professional fate is often determined in closed rooms where people are talking about – and evaluating – you, without the benefit of your input. […read more]
Advice To Martin Shkreli: 9 Ways To Stop Being The Most Hated Man On The Planet
Leadership, “Reputation Matters” Forbes, February 8, 2016
We all have a little Martin Shkreli in us. That unrepentant 2-year-old voice we’ve spent a lifetime burying deep within, every so often comes screeching out: I won’t be good; I don’t want to do what everyone tells me to do; Nobody understands me; I won’t be quiet or go to my room, I’m just going to wail – so there.
And we all, occasionally, wish we could let our worst natures out at work: Congress, you’re imbeciles; Boss, you’re wrong – and a jerk – and I quit; Colleagues, stop pandering to the boss and get a life; Shareholders, you are SO gullible…
Perhaps this is why we are so fascinated by Shkreli’s shenanigans – if you can call moves to raise a life-saving drug from $13.50 a pill to $750 a shenanigan. But he’s young and a little cute, and we keep feeling that, unlike Donald Trump, there may be some hope left for this guy if he can just get his head on straight. […read more]
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"Reputation Matters" White Papers seek to offer deeper insight on a wide range of topics we help clients address.