Today is January 2, and hopefully most of you have not given up on your resolutions for the new year already. One of the mistakes that many people make is that they look at resolutions as an "all-or-nothing" proposition. The thought process goes something like this: "Well, I said I'd be on time for work every day this year, and I got to work 10 minutes late today, so I'm just going to give up on my resolution for the rest of the year." Making one mistake doesn't mean that all is lost. Admitting your mistake and vowing to do better in the future is a much better course of action.
A recent article in Forbes looked at this from a corporate marketing/public relations perspective. Domino's Pizza endured some terrible PR a couple of years ago. Rather than trying to cover up or talk away the severity of the issue, the company decided to face it head-on--and won quite a bit of respect in the process. As the article notes, "Despite the best intentions in presentation, no brand, company or representative is perfect. How imperfect moments are handled can make the difference between a small situation or reputation capital vaporized in short order."
So as you make decisions that affect your company as well as your personal "brand" in 2012, do your best to avoid pitfalls and scandals. But when the inevitable misstep occurs, remember to be "flawsome"--be authentic, admit your mistake, and chart a course to remedy the situation. That's a New Year's resolution we all have a chance of keeping!
