Even a perfect corporate apology doesn’t vaccinate a company against fallout from corporate misbehavior. Two weeks after Equifax chairman and CEO Richard F. Smith apologized for a data breach that compromised the private financial information of 143 million people, the stock has plummeted 30 percent, two executives have been forced […] Read more
Let’s consider the question another way. Is there such a thing as an insincere waiter? An inattentive waiter, sure. An incompetent waiter, all too often. Even a surly waiter, on thankfully rare occasions. But if your meal is delivered accurately, politely, in a timely manner, do you ever speculate if […] Read more
Recently two high profile companies experienced high-visibility failures. Travis Kalanick, the founder and CEO of the ride sharing firm Uber, issued an apology following a belligerent conversation he had with an Uber driver. Also, Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC), the accounting firm working with the Oscars award ceremony, mishandled the distribution of envelopes […] Read more
Benjamin Golden, the ex Taco Bell marketing manager, was all over the news as the Uber passenger caught on camera attacking his driver. He was drunk and claims to have no memory of the incident. Now he has offered an apology. Now comes the classic evasion of responsibility: the old […] Read more
Is there any offense that’s so terrible that no apology can be its equal? This is one of the most common questions I hear as I talk about effective apology. We now have an offense that tests the question. It’s the case of Barry Freundel, a once-influential Orthodox rabbi in Washington, D.C. […] Read more
Some people dismiss an apology as “just words.” A gesture without substance. But the following are also “just words.” Or are they something more? Minister: By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married. Jury: We, the jury, find the defendant guilty. Judge: I hereby sentence you to […] Read more
It’s more and more obvious that the entertainer Bill Cosby has conducted his private life in a shameful and criminal manner for many decades. As of this writing, over a dozen women have come forward with allegations that are remarkably similar. Some of the women complained decades ago that Bill […] Read more
An inmate–let’s call him Charles–incarcerated at the Sheridan Correctional Center in Illinois writes with a question about whether he should issue a public apology for his offenses. Charles writes: I have a subscription to my local newspaper, and I noticed that there are a great deal of crime reports and […] Read more