TIVO Alert! The Duchess of York’s interview with Oprah Winfrey will air today. An hour with Oprah has long been considered the silver bullet for getting your message out there, and securing “equal time” for your side of the story. Presumably, Sarah Ferguson thinks that this will be a great way to repair her tarnished image and mitigate any damage to the Royal Family.

Not sure this strategy worked for Tom Cruise during his famous couch-jumping episode. And I am not sure the “I was drunk” explanation she reportedly provided will do much to restore confidence in her character or her judgment.

But really, does anyone care about Sarah Ferguson’s judgment or character?

To me, the question is less about whether the original Fergie can restore her reputation, and more about whether Prince Andrew or the royal family will suffer any collateral damage. Luckily, while standing in line at the supermarket last night I learned they have a royal wedding coming up, complete with Princess Diana’s tiara, to change the conversation.

Carreen Winters can be reached at cwinters@mww.com.

cwinters General Corporate Oprah, Sarah Ferguson, Tom Cruise

Back in 2004, BP was celebrated by NGOs, experts in corporate social responsibility and academicians for its proactive commitment to issues related to environment and climate. For years it has been a poster-child for corporate social responsibility, even going so far as to rebrand the company in celebration of its environmental commitments. The company has been held up as a role model for its approach to human rights and fair labor standards. In short, BP has been a company to admire.

Similarly, Johnson & Johnson, the parent of McNeil Consumer Products, has a sterling reputation. Cited for its integrity and pristine track record, Johnson & Johnson (and the McNeil division) is the standard-bearer for crisis management from the days of the Tylenol tainting and subsequent recall. Truly, a company to be admired.

And yet, today, we watch these heroes struggle…with mixed emotions. We want to admire them. We want to see them as the white knights they have been at various times in their history. And yet, they let us down and have shaken our confidence, not only in them, but in ourselves. For, if our heroes can make such blunders and have their reputations bruised and bloodied, what will happen to the rest of us should an accident happen or mistake be made?

Perhaps the trick is to not be “perfect.” If you make small mistakes, are open about the small mistakes and the world watches you recover from those small mistakes, perhaps they will be more likely to believe in you when you encounter the bigger issue. Faith in the fact that you can fix your mistake, may be more important than the fact that you made the mistake at all – after all, we all make mistakes.

It requires a certain amount of bravery to be committed to transparency when mistakes are made. We tend to hope that no one notices the small mistake. But, if that small mistake shows your ability to take accountability, fix problems and recover, transparency might be just what will help you weather a future storm.

And maybe, remain a hero.

Ame Wadler can be reached at awadler@mww.com.

awadler General Corporate BP, Johnson & Johnson