Yesterday I quipped via Twitter that it was a great day to put out a press release if you didn’t want anyone to pay attention to it.

This wasn’t actually intended to be advice, but apparently someone was listening. Seventh Generation announced the … hmmm, departure of the outspoken, high profile founder Jeffrey Hollender amidst all of the post-election hubbub.

Neither side is saying much, but the conventional wisdom suggests that it may have been an issue of affecting a true transition in the succession of leadership to the handpicked, Pepsi-grown CEO Chuck Maniscalco, who quietly resigned only a year after taking the CEO position.

The online community is lamenting over the loss and questioning the future commitment of Seventh Generation to the environmental principles that are the core of its brand. Some consumers are saying that they will go back to vinegar and baking soda because they don’t trust a company that would oust its founder. There have even been attempts to start a grassroots movement to call headquarters.

Hollender, an iconic folk hero among eco-loyalists, is admired for his direct, outspoken nature that is Vermont’s version of Richard Branson. More than one person is comparing his ousting to the now infamous and ultimately ill-advised ousting of Steve Jobs by Apple back in the day.

But at the heart of the issue is the lack of transparency. The suspicious timing of announcing a decision that was apparently determined more than a week ago, the unceremonious removal of Hollender’s bio from the company website, no press release about his departure and the vague comments of the company’s “conversationista,” such as describing the company’s recent history as a “difficult period.”

Sudden leadership transitions present unique communications challenges. It is even tougher when the CEO in question is as high profile and iconic as Hollender. The volume of blogs, tweets and re-tweets are testimony to our long-standing point of view on the need to tell your own story.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will … and probably not to your liking.

cwinters General Corporate Apple, CEO transitions, Pepsi, Seventh Generation

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

It is the time of year again to celebrate with friends and family. It is also the time of year where innumerable communications experts posit bold predictions for 2010 that will likely be wrong but hey, no one will remember by this time next year.

It is in this spirit – often wrong, never in doubt – that I give some of my predictions for the reputation management world, in no particular order:

• A company will experience an explosive social media crisis it was totally ill-equipped to respond to, which will then make mainstream news headlines. Social media experts will deride said company for its incompetence and “not getting it” in a characteristically haughty tone.

• Corporate responsibility will play a bigger role in the way stakeholders think about corporate reputation. We are going to see less and less “green” and more and more focus on holistic sustainability. In fact, the smartest companies won’t use the word “green” at all.

• CEOs will communicate more openly, and more often, with employees, understanding that their support and belief in the mission is critical in what will still be a difficult year. It’s the right thing to do, of course, and will also translate into reputational benefits. Happy (relatively) and appreciated troops bolster strong reputation.

• We are going to see a lot of CEO burn out – lots of CEOs stepping down, no doubt exhausted and frustrated. Some of the transitions to successors will be, communications-wise, well-executed. Most will be bumpy, likely because the outgoing honcho is, well, exhausted and frustrated and might not be as willing to put the best face on things. A big name brand or two will get dinged for a poorly handled transition.

• Real, true measurement will be a differentiator for reputation managers. Those that know how to prove value and ROI beyond “impressions” will be sought after. Marketing budgets will still be tight – those that produce reputational evidence get a bigger slice of the pie.

• People will still hate Goldman Sachs. That’s not a solvable problem in 2010 for GS – that reputational rehab is more like a 2011 or 2012 possibility.

• A major national media outlet will find a successful formula for making money off its online content.

Maybe I’ll circle back to this at the end of next year and see how I did. I think I left them vague enough I can claim prescience somehow.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading Return on Reputation.

Mike Sacks can be reached at msacks@mww.com.

admin General Corporate CEO transitions, Reputation Management, Social Media