Month: May 2013

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How to Facilitate Feedback: Focusing on Improvement – Not Weaknesses

A-feedback-evaluation-on-a-tablet-

Rated Feedback Process

Getting feedback on a facilitation process is an important part of ongoing learning, development and application for facilitators. However, people are often reluctant to give critical feedback. And, sometimes, when feedback is given, it isn’t clear whether the feedback is the view of one individual or the entire team. The rated feedback process is a vehicle to help ensure you get quality comments and that you understand the amount of support for those comments.

In the rated feedback process, you ask the group to identify strengths first, being sure to get everyone involved. You then ask the group to identify ways to improve. Note that you do not ask for weaknesses. Instead, you ask for specific ways the session could have been improved. The “ways to improve” terminology serves to keep the discussion constructive using the “Here is what I liked – here is how to make it better” format. In addition, by identifying strengths first, people who are reluctant to criticize tend to be more open to indicating ways to improve.

Once you have identified ways to improve, go back and ask for a show of hands of those who agree with the improvement suggestion. In this way, you get critical feedback, along with ratings indicating the level of support for each feedback suggestion.

EXAMPLE: The table below outlines steps for a sample scenario (a process improvement team facilitating a session on improving their existing hiring process). The team is on the last agenda item – “Review and Close.” They have reviewed the actions that occurred in the process as well as all decisions, issues and actions. They are now ready for detailed feedback on the session itself.

Technique

Rated Feedback

 Function: Feedback
1. Describe the activity and purpose. (Note that you may have already done this through the checkpoint.)

  • “We are nearing completion of the entire agenda. The last thing on our list is to evaluate the session, so we can identify what went well and what improvements can be made so the organization can benefit from the process learning we have gained.”

2. Use PeDeQs to describe the general directions.

  • “The way I would like to do this is, we will first identify strengths – the things that we felt went well. We will then talk about ways that the session could have been improved. Finally we will look back at those session improvement suggestions and identify the ones that have strong support for implementing.”

3. Start with strengths. Ask a starting question and use a round-robin technique to include everyone. Check mark similar comments.

  • “Let’s start with strengths. I would like to go around the room starting with Jamie. I would like each person to identify one thing they liked about the process and the way we worked. If someone has already said the thing you like, feel free to say “Ditto No. 1,” and I’ll put a check mark there to indicate another person agreed with the comment. Jamie, get me started. Think about the entire process, starting on day one when we did gifts and hooks, and all the activities we did from documenting the current steps, talking about problems, potential solutions, priorities and our implementation plan. Think about things you liked about the process, the things that went well. Let’s build the list. Jamie, get me started. What did you like about the process? What went well?”

4. Move onto ways to improve. Instead of a round-robin, have participants randomly indicate suggestions.

  • “We’ve talked about strengths. Let’s move on to ways to improve. I would like to open it up. We do not have to go in any order. During this process, there were probably things that you said, “Well, I wish we had done that differently.” Or, “That certainly did not go very well.” There may have been other improvement suggestions you thought about as well. If we had a chance to do this all over again, what would you do differently? What would you suggest to the team that we do differently that would have made the process even better? Who wants to go first?”

5. Go back and review each improvement suggestion and ask for a show of hands for the number of people who support each. If it is a small group you might count the individual hands. If it is a larger group, it might be faster to estimate the percentage that agree.

  • “Let’s go back now over each improvement suggestion. I would like to get a rough indication of the level of support for each one. As I read each suggestion, please raise your hand if you agree with that suggestion. The first one says…how many people agree that this suggestion would have improved the session? That looks like about 80 percent. Let’s move onto the next…”

Curious about terms like “PeDeQs” and the “starting question”? Please review my previous blog entries or sign up for The Effective Facilitator, where this information plus more is taught in depth.

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Certified Master Facilitator Michael Wilkinson is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, Inc., The Facilitation Company and author of the new The Secrets of Facilitation 2nd Edition, The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, and The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy. Leadership Strategies is a global leader in facilitation services, providing companies with dynamic professional facilitators who lead executive teams and task forces in areas like strategic planning, issue resolution, process improvement and others. The company is also a leading provider of facilitation training in the United States.

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Leading v. Facilitating Strategic Planning

Woman wearing glasses standing in front of a business team

A major difference between leading and facilitating is that a leader often tells; a facilitator always asks. In my book, The Secrets of Facilitation, 2nd. ed., I describe how I learned what I call the fundamental secret of facilitation.

I began understanding the secret during my career with the management consulting division of what was then one of the Big-8 accounting and consulting firms. In the eight years I spent in that consulting practice, we had a standard way of addressing a client problem. We might be called in to review a particular department or activity.

We would arrive with our army of bright people, interview those whom we believed were the key stakeholders, develop a set of recommendations based on our interviews and experience, and create what might be called the “100% Solution.” We would go away and come back a year later and perhaps, if we were lucky, 15% of the recommendations would be implemented.

In my final years with that organization, the practice in which I worked began taking a different approach. We would come in with a smaller group of consultants and work shoulder to shoulder with client personnel. Together we would convene group interviews (facilitated sessions) which typically included 8-20 people. In the facilitated sessions, the participants would create the recommendations, not the consultants.

In most cases, they would only come up with what we might consider the 60% or 70% solution. So we would float ideas based on our experience. Some they would accept, others they would reject as “not beneficial” or “not implementable” in their environment. When all was done, they might have created what we would consider “the 85% solution.” Yet a year later, when we came back, amazingly 80-90% of the solution would be implemented!

Why wasn’t more of the “100% solution” implemented? Why would the “85% solution” gained through facilitation achieve far greater success? Therein lies the secret and the power behind it.

Secret #1 If they create it, they understand it and they accept it.

You can achieve more effective results when solutions are created, understood and accepted by the people impacted.

As an expert consultant, we were “telling” our clients what they needed to do. As a result, there was very little buy-in by our clients and their people. When we began “asking” the questions that resulted in them creating their own answers, the difference was staggering.

Dr. Robert Zawacki from the University of Colorado in his book “Transforming the Mature Information Technology Organization” put the secret this way:

ED = RD x CD
Effective Decisions = The Right Decision times Commitment to the Decision

Dr. Zawacki’s point is that the multiplication sign in the formula means that even the best decision can be rendered completely ineffective if commitment to the decision is lacking. (And, this is critical to consider in the process of strategic planning.)

What does this mean to you? If you as the leader of the organization know the right decision around strategy, but your team has zero commitment to it, the effectiveness of your strategy will be zero.

If you dictate the strategy and they are not committed to it, it will be as if you are pressing on the accelerator while they are stomping on the brake – a lot of energy expended and a lot of smoke in the air, but with little to show for it.

Hence, the key difference between leading and facilitating strategy…

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Certified Master Facilitator Michael Wilkinson is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, Inc., The Facilitation Company and author of the new The Secrets of Facilitation 2nd Edition, The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, and The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy. Leadership Strategies is a global leader in facilitation services, providing companies with dynamic professional facilitators who lead executive teams and task forces in areas like strategic planning, issue resolution, process improvement and others. The company is also a leading provider of facilitation training in the United States.

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MASSIVE CHANGES PROPOSED TO THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN (CFC)

If Implemented As Proposed, Changes Could Cut CFC Revenues to Nonprofits by at least 50%

HELP SAVE THE CFC !!

POST YOUR COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED CFC REGULATIONS

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed massive changes to how the Combined Federal Campaign works. There are more than 40 pages of proposed regulations, and my analysis of the changes can be found at the SAVETHECFC Linked-In Group and on my blog at http://www.cfctreasures.wordpress.com.

There is a public comment period for all proposed government regulations, and the comment period concerning the Combined Federal Campaign proposed regulations closes June 7, 2013.

There are two ways to comment: Send a written letter to Keith Willingham, the OPM’s Director of the Combined Federal Campaign, or submit your comments via the electronic comment function of the Federal Register. I recommend, strongly, that you use the Federal Register method so that other members of the nonprofit community will be able to see your comments.

Subject/Reference Number: RIN 3206-AM68, Solicitation of Federal Civilian and Uniformed Service Personnel for Contributions to Private Voluntary Organizations

HERE IS THE SPECIFIC PAGE TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED CFC REGULATIONS: http://www.regulations.gov/…

Here’s one example of a proposed change that will have dire consequences for the Federal CFC donor, for CFC charities, and most importantly the people that receive the services from those nonprofit organizations.

Example of a Proposed Regulation Missing the Mark and having wide negative consequences:

In the CFC-50 Commission meetings there were many people and organizations that spoke to the benefit of extending the campaign to January 15th from the current December 15th end. The reasons for this include, both, year-end charitable giving and federal personnel schedules.

In watching all eight hours of video testimony, reading all the recommendations and appendices in the CFC-50 report, not a single person said “Shift the Campaign” from September-to-December to October-to-January.

“Shifting” is not the same as “extending…”
and there are many negative consequences to shifting, but since there was no mention of this at all in four public meetings over many months, the idea was not addressed.

Hidden Regulations – Federal Retirees Section
Some of the proposed regulations are poorly organized, with no logic behind them, and they have the effect of hiding significant and important changes. For example, the section dealing with Federal retirees, instead of being in a “Donors” section, is hidden in the “establishing Regional Committees” section, ignores the CFC-50 Commission recommendations, and makes a multi-million dollar error in judgment … all in less than a paragraph.

Here’s the link to the section that deals with retirees, hidden in the phrase “and also eliminates restriction on soliciting non-Federal personnel.” 950.103 Establishing Regional Coordinating Committees.

Will Cut CFC Revenues in Half:
If implemented as proposed, these untested changes will have the effect of cutting in half the CFC revenues for thousands of CFC charities, which is what has already happened when such massive changes were tried in workplace giving campaigns at the city and state level.

To see how much revenue was raised in your state through the CFC, please see my worksheet showing the state-by-state totals: http://cfctreasures.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/combined-federal-campaign-2012-results-by-state.

If you have questions or concerns about how you can help save the CFC as one of the most useful programs for millions of Americans who benefit from the $260 million dollars generated annually by this workplace giving campaign, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Bill Huddleston or by phone at 703-434-9780.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Nutella Nearly Blows Free PR with Legal Nonsense

focused-team-leader-presenting-marketing-plan-interested-multiracial-coworkers

If no harm is being done, why create PR risk through legal threats?

Ferrero, the company that makes hazelnut-based sweet spread Nutella, nearly blew a free PR opportunity when its lawyers went after the six-year-old unofficial “World Nutella Day” celebration.

The event’s founder, Sara Rosso, informed World Nutella Day’s 40,000+ Facebook fans that she had received a cease-and-desist letter. Sensing a social media mess in the making, major media outlets spread the news, which eventually made its way to Ferrero higher ups. Luckily, logic prevailed and the company jumped into crisis management mode, informing Rosso that they would have no issue with the celebration continuing, narrowly averting a fan backlash.

In an interview with Ragan’s Matt Wilson, our own Jonathan Bernstein offered his takeaway from Ferrero’s narrow miss:

The big lesson from all this, according to Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management, is that corporate attorneys just shouldn’t threaten private citizens without considering the PR outcomes.

If your brand is being promoted in a positive way by an individual, why take action at all? Sure, if it was “World Nutella Sucks Day” then we could understand, but this event is, literally, nothing but free PR for the company’s flagship product. In fact, a smart organization would carry this attention over and give it all a monumentally positive spin by coming out to officially sponsor the celebration, cementing a positive reputation among thousands of potential brand advocates.

Perhaps another lesson here is that automated or mindless brand protection online can easily lead to reputation crises. Sure, someone may be have your logo on their website, a clip from your TV show on YouTube, or any other number of “misuses,” but you really must consider whether it is doing more harm than good. If it’s not, then Crisis Management 101 would dictate that you let it be.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Social Media: Who Are You Dealing With?

african-american-woman-checking-social-media-phone

Know thy audience, young crisis managers

Social media crisis management can be confusing to navigate, especially if you’re not sure which stakeholder groups you’re dealing with. Although each comment obviously comes from an individual, there are discernible groups that you see emerge again and again to join in online debates and dramatics.

In a post discussing online issues management tactics, social media pro Chris Syme defined four of the most common:

1. Self-appointed citizen journalists will jump at the chance to enter the conversation and have their news expertise highlighted and retweeted . They generally have no dog in the fight—they just have a news nose and want to be in the fray. As soon as the initial news cycle is over, they will move on. They are trying to establish a reputation in real-time events and have no interest in sticking around.

2. Watch dogs are watching. It doesn’t matter where the issue takes place, their interest is in the subject, not in the players. They are the self-appointed keepers of the gate, so to speak. Often, they keep tabs on sites like Reddit or Deadspin and follow news related to their area of interest. Generally, this group will keep tabs on the issue, and if there is another news cycle or a red flag, they will show up again.

3. Advocates are ready to jump in. Whether or not your advocates actually enter the conversation will depend on two things: their level of engagement with the brand and their propensity for commenting and sharing online. Their level of engagement will depend on how you have cultivated their online partnership. If your social media strategy is broadcast and reach only, they may hang back. If you have been proactive in building conversations and using other loyalty strategies in social media, they are already used to being an active part of your community. This is why it’s paramount to be using loyalty strategies in your social media (see the how-to here).

4. Social media trolls and haters: Sometimes people confuse haters and trolls with watchdogs. They are not the same. Generally, watchdogs are those people that have legitimate concerns with the issue. They may not always be civil, and their behavior can mirror that of haters, but they are issue-oriented nonetheless. Haters and trolls may have an affinity for controversial issues, and oftentimes they are just plain troublemakers. It is in their nature to spew and go. They are like a swarm of angry hornets. When someone stirs the nest—an inflamed article on Reddit or angry tweet from another hater, they fly into action. Haters and trolls flourish in the first news cycle of the issue but rarely stick around for long.

Knowing your audience is one of the core principles of crisis communications. By determining who it is you’re communicating with, you can determine what tone and level of response is required, or in the case of blatant trolls, who warrants no response at all.

Next time you find yourself in the midst of social media crisis management, review these definitions, and use them to craft the perfect response. Remember not to get too cookie cutter though, every situation requires a fresh evaluation of just which approach is best!

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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World Renowned Spiritual Teachers gather June 1 – June 10

A-spiritual-teacher-meditating-outside

It doesn’t happen very often when world-renowned spiritual teachers gather in one series. But Louis Hay can pull it off!

You don’t have to travel anywhere to hear World-Renowned Spiritual Teachers share their stories and insights

Because my latest book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” was published by a subsidiary of Hay House, I was asked to help publicize their on-line World Summit. I looked into it further and got more excited. It’s an extraordinary collection of spiritual teachers and healers gathered in one tremendous series to support you living with greater passion, purpose, and abundance.

As an affiliate partner with Hay House, I want to share the chance for you to join the series and attract wonderfulness into your life!

Here are two ways you can access the entire incredible collection of interviews, meditations, affirmations and videos.

Sign-up Here to Register for the World Summit for F-R-E-E The series starts this Sat. and runs June 1 – June 10.

OR if you can’t listen during the Summit next week, you can purchase all the speaker programs to hear later. You’ll get a huge suite of other stellar programs with this upgrade package. See details below.

Together we can raise the consciousness to greater levels of joy and Love.

Register today and watch videos of 6 keynote speakers before the Summit starts.

From Esther Hicks/Abraham –
“Start telling a better-feeling story about the things that are important to you.
Do not write your story like a factual documentary, weighing all the pros and cons of your experience, but instead tell the uplifting, fanciful, magical story of the wonder of your own life and watch what happens.”

Yours in abundance, beauty, and joy.
Linda

Love diagram by Don Miquel Ruiz

***** Download Package Info ******

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You’ll receive the entire digital collection of incredible wisdom from these prominent speakers (110 hours total). Listen to the Summit recordings whenever you need that extra inspiration or perspective!
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o Regressions to Time and Places by Brian Weiss
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o Advancing Your Spirit by Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer

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· Wisdom Community 1-year Gold Membership starting in June!
Exclusive free content, Discounts, Special Offers for a full year!

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” If you will let your dominant intention be to revise and improve the content of the story you tell every day of your life, it is our absolute promise to you that your life will become that ever-improving story.” Esther Hicks/Abraham

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o Meditations for a Miraculous Life by Marianne Williamson
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What are you attracting into your life these days??

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Effective Managers Learn to Let Go

workers-talking-about-work

Did you know that nearly half of all new leaders fail in the first 18 months? That’s according to the Center for Creative Leadership.

Many of them were surprised to discover that what got them there — from working nonstop to sweating the small stuff — isn’t enough to keep them there.

The Problem:

Nine out of ten say they arrive at the top feeling they lack the know-how and tools to succeed. What’s more, most don’t get the organizational support they need — starting with the boss.

The Good News:

What it takes to make it a high performing leader can be learned. It’s a matter of picking up new skills and strengths. Most leadership development focuses on building managerial skills such as delegation, team building, communication, performance coaching, etc. However most don’t even touch on what the new leader has to let go of – those things that led to strong performance as individual contributors or team leaders.

To Be An Effective Leader You Need To:

1. Let go of insecurity.
Remember, you were chosen for this job by people who thought you can do the job. Yes, you may feel insecure inside but outside you need to reflect self-confidence both in your presence and purpose, even if it doesn’t come naturally at first.

2. Let go of being the Lone Ranger.
You may have advanced here on your own, but now you are only as good as your team. If you have the right people with the right skills in the right positions, the right things will get done right.

3. Let go of doing it all – all the time.
This may have made you a superstar in your prior position but, at this new level with much more expectations, you’ll burn out. Break the cycle of activity addiction by doing the things that matter and have the most value in your job.

4. Let go of the urge to control everything.
Micromanaging is a sure way to fail. It kills the spirit of competent and committed people. Morale goes down, people get disengaged and mediocrity sets in.

5. Let go of being responsible for everything and everyone.
Foster personal and team accountability for outcomes. It’s done by linking their specific tasks and responsibilities with company priorities. You need to demonstrate the value and importance of what they do.

6. Let go of just seeing what’s on your plate.
An innermost perspective may have served you in the past, but it won’t now. Lead with an outside-in view by understanding what else is happening in both the internal and external environment. Don’t be a modern-day Rip Van Winkle waking up to a world you no longer recognize and manage.

7. Let go of being in the background.
Like it or not, your days of being “low-profile” are over. When you’re a leader you act and speak on behalf of your team, department or organization. Become adept at influencing others whether peers, upper management and other key stakeholders.

Management Success Tip:

Peak performers are often promoted to a managerial or leadership position and then left to sink or swim on their own. Therefore you must take charge of how you “show up-stand up-and deliver” as a leader. It requires you to add new abilities and let go of old ones that won’t serve you well in your new position.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Keys To Handling Change

The word change written on a dies

How do you handle change? Changes are not predictable. What happens when changes occur on a project and you have just been notified at the last minute that documents have to be revised, revamped, and need to be transformed to have a different format?

Panic sets in. What happened to the change request process? Why weren’t you notified that changes might be coming? This scenario can occur:

  • when a project manager and\or a client demands changes at the last minute,
  • when updates and requirements were misinterpreted, or
  • when other changes occur such as when product parts have suddenly been discontinued.

This can easily happen within an organization or global organization’s environment.

Project Plan

To ensure that the proper documents will be written, updated, or revamped, give yourself plenty of extra time within your initial project plan. If stakeholders do not agree to the expanded time frame, explain to them about the what-ifs. What

  • if the client demands a change,
  • if the budget was estimated incorrectly and a resource has to be eliminated, or
  • if the whole scope has to change because of unforeseen circumstances.

Your schedule has to account for these situations.

Staffing

If there is a history of late changes within projects, assign backup technical writers, and just to be on the safe side, assign more than one to assist in emergencies. Make sure each writer is well versed and acquainted with the particular project topic and more importantly, that the writers also work well together. Staffing conflicts are not needed in situations where tight deadlines have to be made.

Back Up

Take a step back, especially if you are the only technical writer. You can ask what happened to being kept in the loop of change requests, but no matter what the reason behind this new agenda, you now have to move on and make all the revisions and create new documents, formats, and/or images to get the project completed on schedule.

  • Get a complete list of prioritized changes.
  • Then find out what format updates are required. Do it in that order. This way, at least you know what revisions have to be written, what text and data have to be replaced or amended.
  • Simultaneously, focus on having the correct images redone or replaced. Formatting can be the final step.

Getting The New Data

Revisit your subject matter experts, developers, stakeholders, etc. to ensure that all the new information you have been given is correct and accurate. If they also have to adjust their plans as well, make sure that they keep you in the loop and provide you with all the information you need as the project moves on.

Post Morten

Here is where you discuss the ups and downs of the project. What went well and what went wrong and how to make it better the next time around. Do not dismiss these end of project meetings. They are relevant and help in making the next project run more smoothly.

A quality document has to communicate effectively to the target audience. If quality documents are to be produced, allow for flux and flexibility within every project.

How have you been able to handle sudden changes? Please leave a comment and share your experiences with us.

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What is a Fundraising/Development Consultant?

This is a companion piece to my posting, Who/What is a Fundraising Consultant, from last year at this time.

First, simply, a fundraising consultant is not someone who does “it” for you, and s/he is not an insider (i.e., staff, board, etc.). A fundraising/development consultant is (must be) “an objective outsider.”

You can, for example, engage someone to teach you how to write grant proposals, and have that person work with you to critique/edit what you write. That’s a consultant.

If the person you engage will do the research and write the proposal for you, that’s not consulting … that’s doing.

You can, as another example, engage a capital campaign director who will be “resident” at your location and will provide all the direction, planning, training, oversight and trouble shooting needed for the campaign. That’s doing, not consulting.

A capital campaign consultant can train you to do what needs to be done, can sit with you and provide direction while you do what needs doing, can provide occasional analysis of progress, and can suggest ways to improve/enhance the process. That’s consulting.

Taking the definition to the next step, for a consultant to provide the best possible advice/counsel/direction/training, s/he must (to a significant degree) buy into your mission and make a commitment (to him-/her-self) to help you succeed in its pursuit.

The consultant you want to engage is the one who will care about your success, and will work with you to help you achieve it. A consultant will often lose sleep … thinking about how s/he could help you do “it” better.

A good consultant will help you develop the perspective, the direction of vision, to understand how development/fundraising relates to everything an organization does, and how everything your organization does can impact/enhance/hurt your fundraising/development efforts.

A consultant will help you Identify The Problem, identify the solution to the problem, and work with you to implement that solution, but won’t solve it for you.

One important element in the definition of a fundraising/development consultant is how that person is compensated: A fee, based on the number of hours or days s/he will commit to working with you, or a pre-defined fee to include any/all effort s/he will expend on your behalf. Said fees are usually payable at $xxx per month … at the beginning of each month of the relationship. Fundraising/development consultants are never compensated by a percentage or commission of the monies raised.

Some “consultants” offer various combinations of consulting and doing. Before you engage counsel, talk with him/her, get a feel for what it is you might want him/her to do, and discuss the wording of a contract. Don’t just hire someone because you don’t want to do it yourself or because you don’t have a clue as to what needs to be done or how to do it.

And, a final thought: Consultants are also people, with the usual character plusses and minuses, but the one characteristic a consultant must have to be most effective is an ability to read, understand, motivate and get along with the people with whom s/he will be working.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? Ask Hank
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Garcia’s Failed Crisis Management for Racist Woods Remarks

Stop-racism

Negativity is a slippery slope

Just last week, we discussed how pro golfer Sergio Garcia’s complaints about Tiger Woods left him labeled as a whiner by both traditional and social media.

Apparently Garcia didn’t have enough negative attention, or PR training sessions, because this week his behavior took a turn for the straight out ugly. Here’s what happened, from the Guardian UK article by Ewan Murray that helped break the story:

The Spaniard was on stage at the European Tour’s gala players’ awards dinner, where he was questioned by the Golf Channel’s Steve Sands. García, who has been embroiled in verbal battles with Woods since the Players Championship at Sawgrass this month, was asked in jest if he would have the American round for dinner one night during the upcoming US Open. “We will have him round every night,” García said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

After reportedly making an exit from the dinner before he could questioned further, Garcia issued a statement, not personally, but through the European Tour:

“I apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players’ Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

What Garcia failed to wrap his ego-inflated head around is the fact that not only is what he said clearly racist, but also the damage he did is being amplified by such a weak apology.

The situation has now done another round in the media, and Garcia was forced to reiterate a more sincere apology several times Wednesday during media appearances. Tiger, on the other hand, took to Twitter to discuss:

Topping off the (deserved) public bashing that Garcia’s received was a firm statement from his biggest sponsor, TaylorMade-adidas:

“Sergio Garcia’s recent comment was offensive and in no way aligns with TaylorMade-Adidas Golf’s values and corporate culture. We have spoken with Sergio directly and he clearly has regret for his statement and we believe he is sincere. We discussed with Sergio that his comments are clearly out of bounds and we are continuing to review the matter.”

Of course, those of us in crisis management are familiar with that this means. Let’s just say that, “we’re waiting a couple of days to see if we should can you,” isn’t far off.

Garcia is traveling down a slippery slope here. If he (or his sponsors) don’t get his mouth in check soon, his income potential could come crashing down.

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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]