Corporate Reputation 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation

"In a sea of business books, Corporate Reputation is a beacon of light for all leaders and future leaders looking for direction in the treacherous waters of a volatile business environment. It delivers a message that's provocative, insightful, and needs to be heard."
?Heidi Henkel Sinclair, Director of Communications, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

"Every CEO, senior executive, and, increasingly, board member now appreciates the importance of building and protecting a company's reputation. Anyone who depends upon or shapes a company's reputation?customers, employees, news media, NGOs, and bloggers?will benefit from reading Dr. Gaines-Ross's book and will learn more about the influence they wield over corporate reputations."
?Dr. Robert G. Eccles, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School

"At a time when companies are facing unprecedented reputation crises comes a timely primer from Dr. Gaines-Ross that tells us what companies need to do to bring their reputations back from the brink. The book's 12-step reputation recovery model captures what we know about effective crisis management, and brings the process to life with a host of detailed case examples. It's right on the mark!"
?Dr. Charles Fombrun, CEO, Reputation Institute

"Finally, a book that clearly, realistically, and compellingly explains how companies of all types and sizes can protect and restore an invaluable company asset?corporate reputation. Brilliant insights and practical solutions leap from each page! A definite must-read for business professionals everywhere."
?Anthony Sardella, CEO, Evolve24 and Adjunct Professor at the Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis

Preface.

PART I.

CHAPTER 1.

Reputation Matters.

A Tipping Point.

Reputation Advantage.

CHAPTER 2.

Reputation Loss.

Reputation Erosion.

The New Reputation Rules of Engagement.

CHAPTER 3.

Second Acts.

Reputation Rising.

One Step at a Time.

PART II.

CHAPTER 4.

Rescue.

Step 1: Take the Heat—Leader First.

Step 2: Communicate Tirelessly.

Step 3: Don’t Underestimate Your Critics and Competitors.

Step 4: Reset the Company Clock.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 5.

Rewind.

Step 5: Analyze What Went Wrong and Right.

Step 6: Measure, Measure, and Measure Again.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 6.

Restore.

Step 7: Right the Culture.

Step 8: Seize the Shift.

Step 9: Brave the Media.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 7.

Recover.

Step 10: Build a Drumbeat of Good News.

Step 11: Commit to a Marathon, Not a Sprint.

Step 12: Minimize Reputation Risk.

Conclusion.

PART III.

CHAPTER 8.

Return to Flight.

Reputation Loss is All but Inevitable.

Reputation Recovery Comes With No Expiration Date.

Reputation Wounds are Often Self-Inflicted.

New Reputation Perils Lie Ahead.

Reputation Radar is Not a Luxury.

Reputation Halos Do Not Make you a Saint.

Reputation is and Always Will be a Job For CEOs.

Beyond The Bottom Line.

Reputation Capital Rules.

Notes.

Index.

Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross is Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm. She is the architect behind landmark research in the areas of CEO reputation and corporate reputation and the www.reputationRX.com Web site. Before joining Weber Shandwick, Dr. Gaines-Ross was the Communications and Marketing Director for Fortune. Her work has appeared in publications including the Financial Times, Fortune, BusinessWeek, the Times of London, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. She is currently on the Executive Advisory Panel of Corporate Reputation Review, an international journal devoted to the management of corporate reputation.