After the level of expectation and coverage around the BP announcement of a new CEO, the actual announcement may seem somewhat anti-climactic. I can imagine the commentary now:

BP’s board of directors felt it was time to effect a transition (gasp), and they’ve selected an American CEO in an effort to repair their image (imagine that). And Mr. Hayward seemingly gets his wish….and gets his life back.

Leadership transitions always present a unique set of challenges and priorities for those of us in the communications and reputation management business. And sudden or abrupt changes can create chaos…like the night I spent in Bethlehem searching for video crews when Bethlehem Steel changed CEO’s shortly before filing for Chapter 11, requiring an entirely new set of communications toolkits, employee videos (with subtitles) and letters to all constituencies because the new CEO had a new point of view and message.

But leadership transitions in the wake of a crisis can be a really positive thing – an opportunity to create a “fresh start” or at least mark a BC (before new CEO) and AD (after new direction) for a company struggling to preserve, protect or rebuild reputation.

It’s sort of like the first day of school…a new teacher, who (in theory) doesn’t know that you were the class clown, the brain or the homework slacker…you can (at least partially) reinvent yourself…if you change your behavior. A fresh start can be a reputation reboot….if the right changes are made to support the new leader and the new message.

BP is facing a massive loss of trust…one that that they earned by their actions and their inactions in the wake of the Gulf spill. I talked to Ad Age about this very topic…and I am optimistic that a new leader will mark the beginning of a new era for BP. But like most of you, I plan to wait and see what comes next.

cwinters Crisis Communications, Executive Visibility, General Corporate Bethlehem Steel, BP, CEO transitions, Tony Hayward

I went to a networking meeting today where journalists spoke about the state of business in New Jersey. When the floor was opened for Q&A, the conversation immediately turned to how to get your Company in the news. After the session, some members of the group approached me to ask about crisis management and how to put a positive “SPIN” on bad news.

Ahhh, the inevitable SPIN DOCTOR implication.

Let me say for the record, I am NOT in favor of SPIN. The best counselors in public relations may not agree on much, but we agree on this…you can’t “spin” negative news. I am actually astonished about this continued misperception in light of all of the discussion on trust and transparency.

And really, isn’t that what all of the hype about the Steve Jobs press conference is about? He didn’t follow the “rule book” and appear contrite and apologetic, then follow up with some attempt to put a positive spin on the fact that the iPhone drops calls every time you touch it? (A common complaint for previous versions of the iPhone, BTW.)

Authenticity is the buzzword of the day…that is what Steve Jobs gave us. Who he really is. He is not happy that the iPhone isn’t performing. He shouldn’t be whistling zip-a-dee-doo-da – this isn’t the iPad launch.

What did Jobs do?

He acknowledged that the new iPhone isn’t perfect. That he isn’t perfect. That Apple isn’t perfect. And promised to work to make customers happy, even offering a few possible solutions.

Isn’t that the transparent, authentic response we claim to want?

Mickey Mantle once said, “You never have to wait long, or look far, to be reminded of how thin the line is between being a hero or a goat.”

Maybe Steve Jobs isn’t either one of those things.

cwinters Executive Visibility, General Corporate Apple, Authenticity, iPhone, Spin

If you’ve followed this blog or tuned in to the webcasts where I’ve been a panelist, you know that I’ve been saying that 60 seconds is the new “first hour” – the textbook window of time when a Company must take control of a situation in order to preserve reputation. And while that is a somewhat hyperbolic statement, the Miracle on the Hudson is my case in point – and was the day that I began to rethink everything I had learned about crisis communications 101.

Today, I heard that BP’s cap may be leaking. An editorial in the New York Times calls Congress to the carpet for not taking detector tampering in the Massey Mining explosion that was the industry’s worst in 40 years. But the furor and public outcry seems to be losing steam.

Certainly, the intensity and speed with which information moves creates some unique and new challenges for crisis communicators….but does it also create opportunities? Are memories shorter? Does interest wane more quickly? Do we move on to the crisis du jour and give reputations a pass?

Has the plethora of “worst events in history” in the past few years desensitized us to the significance of these issues? Or does the pervasive mistrust of all things big – big banks, big companies, big governments caused us to expect the worst?

Big questions for a rainy Monday morning…

cwinters Crisis Communications BP, Crisis Communications, Massey, Mining, Miracle on the Hudson, oil spill, Public Relations

Move over LeBron. Your moment is over.

Today, the sudden and shocking death of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner has spawned a plethora of commentary, tribute films and interviews with the some of the greatest sports legends of our time.

I grew up in a little town in NJ that was the home of the Yankees in the 70s. Thurman Munson and Catfish Hunter lived in my town, ate in our pizzeria and came to our school plays. Don Gullet and Graig Nettles came to our little league games.

Everyone in Norwood had an opinion about Steinbrenner. He was controversial, to say the least.

George was the man that everyone loved to hate….he fired Billy Martin, repeatedly. He dished out tough love. And he took a struggling baseball franchise and with determination and force of will created what is perhaps the most iconic team of our times.

George Steinbrenner was a game changer, in the truest sense of the word. He transformed a team, a city, a sport and some would argue an entire industry. He wasn’t always popular. His critics were many. They accused him of buying championships. Micromanaging talent. And in general, bullying everyone around him.

Just hours after we learned of his death, the conversation about his legacy became the topic of the day.

But what about the legacy of the Yankees, who lost both their face and with the passing of Bob Sheppard, their voice this week?

I’ve often mused about the relationship between an organization’s reputation and that of its leaders. Can a leader be so iconic that his or her own “brand” overtakes that of the organization they represent? Did that happen to the Yankees…is the Steinbrenner brand so iconic that the Yankees will never be the same?

Only time will tell.

cwinters General Corporate George Steinbrenner, Legacy, Yankees

For as long as I’ve been in the PR business, we’ve been counseling our clients to tell their story….and helping them craft the messaging, the platforms and the proof points to do so. I’ve done this for almost 20 years….and I’ve often found myself telling clients that we can’t tell their whole story….that certain items and issues are too inside baseball, too granular or simply not newsworthy or noteworthy enough.

However, it seems that those of us in the reputation business need to ask a new question…

Is this the whole story?

Today’s NYT has a front page story about SmithKline Beecham’s failure to disclose that a new drug for diabetes had a risk of cardiac problems.

It also has a story about BP’s relentless pursuit of growth at all costs prohibiting them from learning from their mistakes.

The Toyota crisis will go into the text books as a classic case of trying to minimize or cover up an issue, making it worse.

When I started in this business, no one talked about transparency…they just did it. Today, there is a lot of talk about transparency, and seemingly less of it than ever before.

There is a difference between putting your best foot forward and hiding material information that tells a completely different story…and counseling clients today is more about being their Jiminy Cricket than their “Spin Doctor.”

cwinters General Corporate BP, Reputation Management, SmithKline Beecham, Toyota, Transparency

Even after nearly 30 years in the PR and newspaper business, you occasionally see something that makes you stop, shake your head and say, “Pure genius.”

That happened this morning when I was scanning various accounts of Amazon’s acquisition of Woot! and came across this video press release from Woot.com announcing the sale.

So what’s this have to do with reputation? Nearly everything, IMHO. Woot! built a massive following of consumers who are loyal to the brand. They love its simplicity and its attitude. They identify with that reputation. Imagine the erosion of brand loyalty had Woot chosen to make the announcement in mainstream corporate fashion.

Instead, the video, combined with the “internal memo” from CEO Matt Rutledge, signals it will be reputational business-as-usual at Woot, regardless of who’s signing the paychecks.

bsilver General Corporate Amazon, Woot