Arnold Schwarzenegger. Anthony Weiner. Tiger Woods. Tiki Barber. Like many societal ills, adultery knows no bounds. People of all races, ethnicities, educational levels and socioeconomic backgrounds commit adultery. And they lie to cover it up. And they get caught.
Because I feel sorry for the likes of A2 and T2, I am going to offer them some free advice about crisis communications. It’s called the LINNIE Model.
- Lying makes the situations worse. Don’t do it. Tell the truth. Doing so will take the wind out of the sails of the investigative reporters and bloggers, and eventually they will go away.
- Initiate contact with your stakeholders before telling the rest of the world. Your family members and friends should not find out about your adultery when the rest of us do. They deserve more than that. How you handle the situation with your inner circle will dictate how they treat you.
- Never blame the other woman or man. You took wedding vows with your spouse – not the other woman or man. Take responsibility for your own actions. Pointing fingers will only worsen the situation.
- Never fake it. Be sincere. If you put on a front, people will know – and they will punish you for it. If you cry, be sure the tears are real. If you say you are going to therapy, be serious about it and complete it.
- Identify a reputable PR firm to help you navigate the crisis. Doing so is not insincere or calculated. It’s smart. Be sure the firm has an excellent track record for handling crises.
- Examine the reasons why you cheated. Get help. And for goodness’ sake, don’t repeat your mistakes – learn from them. If you do, the writers of history may be kind to you.
Do you have any advice for A2 and T2?
Calvin T. Williams Jr. says
Great plan of action Dr. Carter! Is it just me or do the people with the best public preceptions turn out to be the worst individuals behind closed doors? My attention has been on John Edwards the last few weeks. I personally was a fan of his until his affair with R. Hunter became public. I understand that he is only human and is entitled to making mistakes, but it seems as if the worst keeps getting worse for Edwards. Just when I had began to “forgive” him for letting a lot of his supporters down, comes the charges of him using his campaign money to cover up his affair. John Edwards turned out to be a total scum bag. Ironically, this is a man that had a really good chance of becoming the president or vice president of the United States had the news of his infidelities not came out to the public. In the age of acronyms and increasing number of politician scandals, adultery and other negativity, I’m beginning to think the appropriate acronym for Politician are the letters P.O.S! My best advice for these authority figures and individuals that a lot of people follow would be to think before your act. Obviously, most of them are very intelligent people that have made extremely wise decisions at some point to get to the position that they are in, so it amazes me the lack of intelligence shown in the decesions they make that bring them down. This holds true for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner, Tiger Woods and so on. Fortuantely, time usually heals all wounds. We live in a society that forgives and forgets and I believe that after admitting to what they did, they should all take time away from the spotlight and then return after “We” have forgiven. If all else fails laughter heals the soul, they could always go on Saturday Night Live and do parodies of themselves, but once again the timing would have to be perfect for that. Just a few of my thoughts.-CW
Linnie Carter says
Hi, Calvin! I could not agree with you more.
In many cases and unfortunately, public perception and private reality do not “match.” I am sure you have heard of the old adage that “what you do at night will come to light.” That’s real talk, and too many of our leaders do not understand or respect this.
Unfortunately for them, when people Google their names in 20 years, they won’t read about their accomplishments. Instead, they will read about their sex scandals.
Thank you so much for writing! I truly enjoyed reading your comments. I hope you are having a great summer. Take care!
Patricia Wallace says
I Love this “Linnie Model”. Very well written.
Linnie Carter says
Thank you so much, Patricia! Please visit us again.