It’s a well known crisis management fact – if you do not give your story, your way, someone will step up and tell it for you. This of course leaves plenty of room for rumor and speculation, neither of which is healthy for your image. Take the saga of hockey star Dany Heatley, as told in today’s Ottawa Citizen. The Ottawa Senators scoring machine recently requested (“privately”) that he be traded. Of course, the request didn’t stay private long. Within a week, his jerseys were selling for half price in stores and a Facebook group with over 650 members called, “(Expletive) Dany Heatley,” was spawned.
In order for whatever crisis response Heatley puts together to work, he is going to need a crash course in handling the media and a boatload of humility. The only way to salvage his reputation will be to go the extra mile to satisfy his customers, the fans.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com