Sometimes you just have to walk away.
Seeing the newly released video of Donald Trump’s remarks to Billy Bush on women reminded me of times when I’ve had to walk away from clients because of their repeated choices, actions and behavior.
For them, the best option was to slip back into their lives before they faced the intensity of news reporters, who challenged them when they themselves couldn’t understand what was wrong with what they did (but everybody could).
In these situations, you can measure the damage level in several ways, including asking:
- Did they actually say it or do it?
- Did they apologize? When? How? Why?
- What’s the level of sincerity in their apology? (People can sniff insincerity from 100 miles away. Moreover, insincere apologies make things worse.)
- What evidence is there that they have changed behavior truly, or are they repeating that behavior?
- What have they done to compensate for that misstep? Is that enough?
- Can the person, the public and the media ever move forward from this action?
If these are not answered properly, it would be best to just walk away. For other guidance out of a crisis, contact me here.