By Barbara Bowes

If life was as routine as people might like it to be, then the news during late summer and early fall would simply focus on return to school issues. But this year, life just isn't so routine.

Day after day we've been bombarded with inyour-face examples of highly controversial, public struggles for the public trust in both Canada and the United States.

On the corporate side, Maple Leaf Foods in Canada is fighting not only against the deadly listeriosis bacteria outbreak but also for its reputation and customer loyalty. In the U.S., Republican vice-presidential running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not only fighting for a top spot in that country's governance chain of command, she is fighting a not so delicate public image controversy that will affect voter loyalty.

As readers, listeners and viewers, we take all those bits and pieces of controversial events and create a ersonal mental image of reality. This mental image, as much as any of the facts of a situation, can quickly ruin personal, professional and institutional reputations and erode the trust of both the public and employees.

In a flash, the situation becomes a public relations nightmare requiring a focus on damage control. Yet how does an individual or corporation change negative perceptions and rebuild trust with their boss, their employees, their customers or the voting public? The most common set of strategies used to protect an individual or corporate reputation includes tactics such as denial, justification, explanation, rationalization or providing an excuse or an apology.

Denial can take two forms. First, an individual and/or organization can deny that it engaged in a specific action or deny that the action in question was even harmful. Second, we refuse responsibility and play the blame game. We quickly shift the blame to someone else.

Another image repair strategy involves a deliberate evasion of responsibility by suggesting that the corporate or personal action was an accident or simply a reasonable response to provocation. On the other hand, it can be said that the offensive action was developed out of good intentions (example: the new proposed text messaging charges on cellphones).

A third strategy is to take the offensive and blame or attack the accusers or to at least minimize the negative feelings. Or, the organization will try to increase positive feelings by differentiating their act with others more horrific and/or ensure only positive statements are issued that will give them a favourable context.

A fourth image restoration strategy is corrective action -- a promise to correct the problem. You will see the resignation of individuals for "personal reasons" or the termination of an unfortunate individual labelled as a "rogue employee."

Organizations will also try to bolster their reputation even going so far as using their employees in a television commercial, expressing their support for their employer. Finally, a fifth strategy is to simply ask for forgiveness.

In many cases, these image repair strategies fail, people simply don't believe them and therefore public opinion is not swayed. Employees, customers and voters as well can see through the verbiage and the bluster and will soon start moving to safer ground. At the same time, as we have seen with Palin's young, pregnant daughter, there will inevitably be innocent individuals who are caught up in these types of scandals, and who will struggle for years to repair their reputations.

Yet building and maintaining a good corporate and professional reputation is the key to success. It is done by building the trust of both employees and the public. There are no magic bullets as trust is built through time. The following guidelines will help in your reputation management efforts.

CEO leadership is critical – Organizational leaders are strongly linked to their corporate reputation and must take full responsibility for repairing it. The first critical step is to apologize in the most sincere manner, but you had better mean it. Credibility will be key. At all other times, you must walk the talk.

Clear and honest communication -- A lack of open, honest communication when a critical issue arises will quickly become known in the public eye and will then continue to take a heavy toll on employee morale. In situations like this, employees go into "career survival;" they are frightened, they want help and like the public, they want honest answers. Customers too, will stay away and find different vendors with whom to do business.

High integrity corporate culture – Most people accept that any organization can have a few bad apples and that it doesn't mean everyone is tainted with the same brush. At the same time, every effort must be made to develop and ensure a high integrity corporate culture. This means that leaders do what they say they will do and are highly visible to the public and employees alike. Employees must know and abide by a code of ethics.

Social responsibility -- Many organizations are turning to corporate social responsibility as a means of building and sustaining a high profile and a stellar reputation. Corporate responsibility is a highly public commitment to behave in an ethical manner both internally and externally to an organization. It involves taking steps to improve the quality of life not only of its workforce but also their families, the local community and society in general. As a result, you'll see corporate sponsorships for environmental causes or company wide volunteer efforts. But if this focus is nothing more than superficial window dressing, reputations can be further destroyed.

Proactive crisis planning – Organizational crises can occur at any time and will surely come in all shapes and sizes. No matter whether it involves a minor misstep or a disastrous event, the crisis can do irreparable harm to your organization and its reputation. Have a crisis strategy in place. If not, contact a communications and crisis management specialist immediately, rather than falling into the same traps followed by the now virtually defunct Arthur Andersen accountants or the well-known Enron.

Repairing a tarnished personal or corporate image is not easy and it is not something you want to try learning during a crisis. Take time to review the carefully crafted public relations strategies being engaged by Canadian Maple Leaf Consumer Foods. Examine the public relations responses to Palin's campaign by the Republican party. There are plenty of lessons that are worthy of note.

Source: Denials, excuses, justifications and apologies: Restoring Tarnished Reputations after the Year of Corporate Malfeasance. What Worked and What didn't; Amiso M. George and Stevina Evuleocha, University of Nevada, Reno and California State University, Hayward, 2003.

About the Legacy Bowes Group

Legacy Bowes Group, co-founded by Barbara Bowes and Paul Croteau is indeed the legacy arising from over twenty years of service by the Bowes Leadership Group/BowesHR and the Legacy Executive Search Partners, formerly PWC. Legacy Bowes Group offers a full range of HR and Business Advisory services and has gained its first-class reputation among employers ranging from small owner-operated enterprises to major corporations, in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba. At Legacy Bowes Group, there is one focus – creating Solutions. We help you identify the issues and resolve them with customized training, coaching and mentoring. Our services are delivered with the assurance that your company will achieve optimal, sustainable results. The Legacy Bowes Group operates under the ethical guidelines of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants and the Canadian Council of Human Resource Management Associations.