Fess -up: Nobody
appreciates a liar. Denying your mistake and hoping it will go away will never
serve you well. Neither will trying to place the blame on someone else. There
will always be a reporter willing to dig up the truth and make you look even
worse. Admitting and taking full responsibility for your mistake is the first
step in rebuilding trust with the public.
Apologize: Offer
a sincere apology. Say how terrible you feel for having caused so much grief to
others. If you don’t mean it, then you are a psychopath and no one can help
you. Stop reading here.
Pay restitution to
victims: Use all financial resources available to you to provide
compensation to those who suffered because of your actions. This is a very
important gesture and a must-do; no matter what. If you don’t pay, then you are
not owning the mistake and no one will trust you ever again.
Send out a good will
gesture: Now that you have made such a serious mistake, you need to rebuild
people’s confidence in you. Do whatever you need to do to make people confident
that you will never make that mistake again. If you don’t do this, you will
look like a narcissist.
Become known for
better things: While your mistake may have had a tremendous impact on you
and others, you don’t want it to be the first thing people think of when they
think of you and your brand. Do great things to demonstrate your ongoing commitment
to making the world a better place. Be sure the media knows what you are doing
and consider them an ally rather than an enemy. At the end of the day, the
media just wants to tell a story. News is news. Be the good story in the news.
Renée Cormier is a Public Relations and Communications Professional.
Need to improve your company’s reputation? Renée can help. Visit www.reneecormier.com for more
information.
