Strong words aren’t the answer: The real key to reputation resilience
Leaders often ask me what to do when their organisation is attacked on social media.
With trust plummeting and outrage escalating, social media is the wild, wild west of communication. As you know, any keyboard warrior can slag off, accuse and amplify without consequence.
You could spend hours in a self-destructive game of whack-a-mole, chasing every comment.
A better use of your time is to recalibrate, accepting that building a solid reputation starts long before a nasty comment appears online.
Your credibility as a leader and the reputation of your entire organisation rests on three foundational pillars:
Pillar 1: What you say
This is everything you and your teams put out there – from formal corporate communication to casual conversations. It’s how your staff show up, the care you take with your buildings, vehicles and other assets. It’s your words and your business body language.
Pillar 2: What people experience
This pillar is about what people actually experience when they interact with any touchpoint of your organisation. You might say you value customer service, but when outsiders contact your team, are they made to feel insignificant – like they’re the last person on earth anyone wants to help?
If there’s a mismatch between pillars one and two, your reputation is in for a rocky ride.
Pillar 3: What others say about you
These are the stories people share when you’re not in the room. You might see comments on social media, but more often than not other people’s feedback is being passed around at family barbecues, at the school canteen, at football training and so many other situations.
You can’t control this pillar – but you can go slightly crazy trying.
Here's the key insight: When Pillars 1 and 2 are strong and aligned, Pillar 3 takes care of itself.
Many brands take a hit online because their words and actions don’t match. This is totally fixable, but so many leaders don’t address it.
So, stop putting your energy into reacting and instead focus on:
Being clear about what you stand for and communicate it consistently
Embedding your values in your operations, not just your marketing
Making sure every team member understands their critical role as a reputation ambassador for your organisation.
Here’s one final credible leader tip:
“Match clear words with authentic behaviour. Every time.”
In the Credible Leader series, Dr Neryl East shares her take on the credibility of leaders in the spotlight. Neryl is a speaker, facilitator and adviser who helps organizations develop credible leaders and connect teams.
