Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Felloledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode four sixty eight. This episode is called Leadership
Speaker 2: in the Shadow of a Scandal, and let's get real
Speaker 2: right away. Every company, every industry, and every leader is
Speaker 2: one headline away from crisis. It could be a mistake
Speaker 2: made by an employee, a lawsuit, a bad customer interaction
Speaker 2: caught on video, or even something out of your control
Speaker 2: that pulls your company into the news cycle. Scandal doesn't
Speaker 2: ask for permission. It kicks the front door open and
Speaker 2: just makes itself comfortable. And in those moments, all eyes
Speaker 2: turn to leadership. So here's the question. When your company
Speaker 2: or industry is facing public controversy, what does strong leadership
Speaker 2: look like. Let's talk about that for a minute. Number One,
Speaker 2: don't vanish visibility is leadership. The worst thing a leader
Speaker 2: can do in the face of controversy is hide. When
Speaker 2: your team is unsure, the rumor mill takes over. If
Speaker 2: they don't hear from you, they'll fill in the blanks
Speaker 2: and what they fill in is almost always worse than
Speaker 2: the truth. Even if you don't have all the answers yet,
Speaker 2: communicate what you know. Say things like, we're still gathering
Speaker 2: all the facts, but here's what we're doing now. Your
Speaker 2: visibility is the first step to calming the chaos. Number two,
Speaker 2: Be honest without fueling the fire. Now is not the
Speaker 2: time for corporate spin. If your team made a mistake,
Speaker 2: own it, If someone was wronged, acknowledge it. Transparency builds trust,
Speaker 2: especially when it's uncomfortable. That said, Be thoughtful, don't over
Speaker 2: explain or speak emotionally. Stick to facts, be clear, brief,
Speaker 2: and sincere. Think of it like a pilot during turbulence.
Speaker 2: You don't want to hear a panic voice. You want
Speaker 2: to hear a calm update with a plan. That's your tone.
Speaker 2: Number three, Keep your team informed before the public, before
Speaker 2: press releases go out, before social media posts hit. Your
Speaker 2: team should always hear it from you first.
Speaker 1: Always.
Speaker 2: Nothing crushes morale faster than finding out from Twitter that
Speaker 2: your company is in trouble. Hold a briefing, send an
Speaker 2: internal memo, walk the floor. Leadership during scandal isn't just external,
Speaker 2: it's internal first, Because Your people are your ambassadors. If
Speaker 2: they feel abandoned or confused, they will either go quiet
Speaker 2: or worse, they'll become part of the noise. Number four,
Speaker 2: Remind people of the mission. In tough times, people lose focus,
Speaker 2: the company feels off track, and this is where your
Speaker 2: leadership voice matters the most. Remind people why they're here.
Speaker 2: Remind them what the organization stands for beyond one bad incident.
Speaker 2: Tell them we are more than this moment, and here's
Speaker 2: how we'll prove it. People want to believe in something.
Speaker 2: If your culture has been built with purpose, now is
Speaker 2: when it earns its real value. Number five rally the
Speaker 2: core leaders. You don't lead through scandal alone. You rally
Speaker 2: your other leaders and make sure your messages consist from
Speaker 2: the top all the way to the front line. Your
Speaker 2: team should be hearing the same message in the same tone,
Speaker 2: because if each department head is reacting differently, you'll have
Speaker 2: internal fractures that only make the external crisis worse. One voice,
Speaker 2: one tone, one path forward. Number six take action that
Speaker 2: shows change. Words are easy. Action is proof. If the
Speaker 2: scandal revealed a gap in training, fix it. If someone
Speaker 2: violated policy, address it. If your company failed in ethics, accountability,
Speaker 2: or communication. Then make it right, but don't wait months.
Speaker 2: Move quickly and publicly show people that change is happening
Speaker 2: and that you're serious, because silence or slow reaction time
Speaker 2: will be interpreted as guilt or indifference. Number seven, Lead
Speaker 2: like your reputation is on the line, because it is.
Speaker 2: Here's the reality. Your team is watching, the public is watching,
Speaker 2: and most importantly, your future customers, employees, and partners are watching.
Speaker 2: A scandal can break you or it can define you.
Speaker 2: You don't have to be perfect, but you do have
Speaker 2: to be real, steady, and brave. So to recap this episode,
Speaker 2: be visible, be honest, be calm, communicate clearly and early,
Speaker 2: rally your team, fix what's broken, and above all, lead
Speaker 2: with character. No leader wants to be in the shadow
Speaker 2: of a scandal, but when it comes, you have a choice.
Speaker 2: You can either manage the damage or you can rise
Speaker 2: above it and show the world who you really are.
Speaker 2: This has been the seven minute Leadership podcast and I
Speaker 2: thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.