The Age of Apology Pro: Akio Toyoda Toyota Con: Tony Hayward BP
An apology from the chief executive should be, to apply an acronym, SMART:
Sincere, Meaningful, Appropriate, Reasoned, and Timely.
Dos & Don'ts
- Use the active voice when taking responsibility. -- "we made mistakes" not "mistakes were made."
- Do not parse, offer excuses, or split hairs. "Just following orders" or "everybody's doing it" do not make things right. Constituencies will quickly realize the company is not taking ownership of it's actions.
- In drafting an apology, shape your words to reflect what is probably going on in the minds of the people you are speaking to.
- If possible, when the CEO apologizes, he must communicate clearly and in detail whatever concrete steps have already been taken. Statements like "last night, teams were at the site of the damage reporting back to us" or "24-hour crisis lines and websites are up and working" or "we are already conducting a top-to-bottom damage assessment at the division" bolster the organization's position by showing it is taking active steps. Ideally, the CEO should also report some results/decisions --even if they are preliminary.
From thedilenschneidergroup.com "Little Red Book" series 2010