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Something unexpected happened last week which caused me to betray the principles of the “Strategic Guy” blog. At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we counsel our clients at the onset of an executive blogging initiative about the importance of establishing an editorial mission and following the guidelines of journalistic integrity. These include: 1) Honesty when expressing opinions and assessments 2) Full disclosure of individuals and companies cited (no anonymous sources) 3) Acknowledgment of any relationships that may shape the views expressed Last week I attended an executive networking event in which the speaker arrived late and unprepared. As a result, the presentation wandered through a number of topics without much in the way of structure or a central theme. Bad enough…right? Well, the speaker also made a point of how their company’s culture is defined by integrity. This was followed by two anecdotes which completely disproved this assertion. The first story detailed how they negotiated in bad faith with a vendor to secure more favorable contract pricing. There was then an account of their removal of equipment from a partner’s facility using a tactic of questionable legality. I arrived back in my office well prepared to flame this speaker, while making a point about the requirement of public relations professionals to coach and prepare their executives before they hit the stage. Then the press release crossed the wire. The CEO of a Strategic client was named to the Board of Directors of the speaker’s company (which is publicly traded). By providing full disclosure in my blog, I could potentially damage an important relationship. A more daunting issue is one of ethical client representation. Strategic always acts in its clients’ best interests. Yet, one could credibly argue a critical post about this speaker could reflect poorly on our client. So, I sacrificed my conviction to full disclosure. Did I do the right thing? Would you have done the same? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marc Hausman is president and CEO of Strategic Communications Group, a public relations consultancy based in Silver Spring, MD. Read more at http://www.strategicguy.blogspot.com.
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June 4th One word! Wow! I don't think it is a question of right or wrong? Rather a question of responsibility and tact. Could an article hurt that relationship? Absolutely! However the honest question to ask yourself is when? Not just the "if." When is the appropriate time to say something to your client (the CEO of a company if I read it correctly) about what was said in the presentation? Should the information be blasted to the World? Probably not, but an email, call, meeting to your client expressing your concerns about the company your client now sits on the board of, I believe, is appropriate. If the relationship can be harmed by your article, then it is very possible that the relationship in general may be in jeopardy. Disclosure to the World is probably not a good idea, but respectfully expressing the PR implications to your client, is not only warranted but your responsibility, thus fulfilling your obligation to your companies principles and your own.  Reply
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