145 – Reputation Management with Bill Coletti

Bill Coletti is a crisis communications and reputation management expert, with more than twenty-five years of experience managing high-stakes crises, issues management, and media relations challenges for Fortune 500 companies and global political campaigns. He is the founder of Kith: a crisis communications and reputation management firm that is at its best when working with established corporations disrupted in the age of disruption.

Bill previously co-led the Global Risk Management and Crisis Communications Practice for Hill+Knowlton Strategies and has provided senior counsel in crisis management, corporate communications, and reputation defense to clients including AT&T, Cargill, The College Board, Target Corporation, American Airlines, The Home Depot, American Express, and Xerox, as well as major universities and NGOs.

Bill Coletti

Top Takeaways: Reputation Management with Bill Coletti

  • Crises Communication Practices for business and individuals
  • Crises response, crises planning and crises training
  • There are periods of time when you show up in the bright lights of public scrutiny
  • When things go viral in a negative way
  • “Bad Publicity” is no longer positive for your popularity
  • There is a long tail when it comes to negative publicity
  • People are generally forgiving, but your reputation stays on the internet
  • Society is very forgiving, but you must ask for forgiveness if a mistake is made
  • We need to be careful- mics are always live, take responsibility when mistakes are made
  • From an organization standpoint, sometimes the best move is to distance from the situation
  • It’s not always fair and it’s not always right, but organizations are bigger than any one individual
  • First mover disadvantage- the first to get caught receives the most scrutiny
  • Desensitized due to frequency
  • First and foremost- personal growth outside the eyes of the media
  • Step 1 when mistakes are made – recognize the mistake that was made
  • Step 2 when mistakes are made – determine your public strategy (usually apologize)
  • Step 3 when mistakes are made – articulate a plan moving forward
  • Start with an intentional strategy to avoid crises

Listen to the Audio

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Learning From Leaders: 

Current Book: Grace: A Leader’s Guide to a Better Us by John Baldoni

Leadership Superpower: Adaptability

Motivational Mantra:

[shareable]If not now, then when?[/shareable]

Book Most Often Gifted: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Additional Items Mentioned

Bill’s website: kith.co/

Critical Moments: The New Mindset of Reputation Management by Bill Coletti

 

About the author

Jake Carlson is a popular speaker, accountability partner, and host of the Modern Leadership podcast. Jake built his business while traveling with his family around the world. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. Read more about him here.