Even Uncle Albert would have been amazed at how many public apologies were necessary the past few weeks.
It's good to make a public apology when you are a celebrity or politician. This is particularly true when you yank a microphone out of another performer's hand at the MTV Awards, berate a line judge at the U.S. Open or even call the President of the United States a liar during a Joint Session of Congress.
But if the apology is half-baked or insincere, why bother? And why bother making a public apology one day if the next day you visit another media outlet and try to justify the classless behavior that all but wipes out the initial goodwill gesture?
If a celebrity or anyone else concerned with their professional reputation makes a mistake, of course it's critical to make an immediate, heartfelt apology. But the key to restoring reputation is to be consistent in all subsequent apologies, unlike some of what we've seen lately.
And the words must be backed up by a series of sincere and consistent actions that show humility and goodwill. That's more important than ever in the instant news cycles driven by the Twitters and Facebooks of the world.
Most of us judge mistakes in the context of past behavior and how much the offense offends us. For example, Serena Williams has enjoyed a pretty solid reputation for many years on the tennis circuit. But her outburst literally in the face of the much smaller line judge --who probably makes in a year what Serena makes in a minute --could have a long term impact on the Serena brand because the video makes her look like a bully and the judge looked scared for her safety.
Despite a rebuke by Congress, Joe Wilson is getting a pass in some circles because his comments allowed Republicans and their supporters to score political points against the Obama Administration on the most important issue of the day: healthcare. Wilson may be popular now but I believe he can never run for higher office as long as their is video of him saying, "You Lie." Just look at what happened to Howard Dean whose Presidential campaign ended abruptly in 2004 when video showed him in a wild scream of joy in Iowa. He didn't offend anyone in particular except that he didn't look Presidential: game over.
Kanye West seems to have a track record of offending others in the music business. But fiery talk has long been part of rap music's culture, so it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back from his insult of Taylor Swift. It was reported tonight that he apologized to Ms. Swift in a phone call and that she accepted. That's a start.
Sorry isn't always the hardest word but the actions that follow the apology sometimes are.
In short, you need to do BOTH to protect or rebuild your professional reputation, whether you are a celebrity or anyone who holds a leadership position today.
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