Consider Sharing Your Greatest Mistakes
One of the developments to come out of social media, at least in my very humble opinion, is how much more transparent some communication has become. Sometimes the honesty of those posting comments on Facebook and Twitter, for example, makes us blanche, but we have, for the most part, come to accept this new normal, which brings me to an important piece of public relations.
Clearly, when you’re putting the news out about your company you’re in the proverbial driver’s seat though, of course, once you put yourself “out there” (wherever that happens to be) be prepared for the best, the worst and everything in between.
So, maybe you, too, have noticed that company feature stories are focusing not just on well-known and/or little known successes but also mistakes, some that have been in the public eye and those that have been kept secret. In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, “Dreams Come True. Or Not.” writer Rob Johnson brought us into the inner workings of restaurant entrepreneurs some of whom have made it and others who made it but did so with several bumps along the way.
I’ve always found those bumps to be much more interesting and instructive. Just as we’re told that making mistakes is okay as long as you learn from them we also can glean a lot of useful information from other people’s errors. And why not? We can watch from the sidelines how another business owner took on too much debt, expanded too quickly, and/or relied on the so-so advice of so-called friends.
But we can also consider our own mistakes and what others might learn from our experiences. Naturally, none of us wants to appear vulnerable or open ourselves up to unnecessary criticism, yet sharing a lesson with the public can be a great way to harness publicity. Consider Johnson’s keen observations about the differences between those who dream and those who dream and do (hey, I can recommend a great book called Wish It, Dream It, Do It . . . ):
“Everybody dreams it. But what’s it like to actually do it? For some, it’s everything they hoped, an enterprise that feeds their spirit and fills their wallet. For others, the reality can be a nightmare—a blur of complaining customers, unexpected scut work and mounting expenses.
One big difference between those who succeed and those who flop is how they manage the unexpected.”
How do you manage the unexpected? What do you do when your customers are unhappy? Are you willing to pull up your sleeves and engage in the kind of grunt work you thought you left behind? How have your turned something around?
Think about these questions and you might have something to pitch the media, a turnaround story, an inspirational tale that a local television news show might jump on.
It’s less stressful to think about your successes, but mistakes and failures make for good news stories, too.
On another note, I’m creeping toward the magic number of Twitter followers, a modest 100. Help me get there by following me @LeslieLevine.
