Character Assassination, Damage Denial, Opportunity and More than Apology
Personal and professional dangers and what to know
Four important life points I noticed this week that are worth a brief look:
Character Assassination and Reputation Politics
“Reputational assaults are particularly detrimental when hostile actors aim to create widespread reputational crises and destroy companies,” said Sergei Samoilenko, the co-founder and assistant professor of communication at the Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) at George Mason University.
Note 1: Did you pause or nod your head when Samoilenko said, “hostile actors?” What he communicated is factual. Sometimes, we are the root of our misery yet not always, when other people’s anger and rage are driver of the conflict.
That’s when “wars” are declared by them, who decide you are an enemy who needs to be dealt with severity and they proceed with the “assaults” and takedowns.
“Given that character assassination appears in struggles for power, it should not surprise us that character assassins grab any tools at their disposal to gain the upper hand over opponents,” Samoilenko said.
Any tools means whatever works or may work, regardless of morality.
Note 2: “Character assassination” does take place and when it’s happening, it’s not always obvious to observers. Thus, it works to a high, moderate or low degree, more often than people assume. That’s why it’s important to know that it may be present.
It’s vital to keep in mind what Samoilenko said about struggles for power and available tools (weapons) to “gain an upper hand.”
Most of us have lived enough time on earth to personally know, or have witnessed, the irresistible allure of power for some people, the drug-like, addictive nature of it for them and how competitive and immoral they will be to acquire, retain or fight for power.
It’s no secret either of the extreme measures people will apply for sabotage or revoking real-or-perceived influence or power of other people.
When I mention this, yes, it happens in politics, yet this article is more about the everyday interactions of the common citizen.
If we agree that the above is a part of many human’s personality makeup, then what Samoilenko explains is logical and true: power struggles can be so intense that character assassination emerges (like a cancer) and perpetrators will use any “tools (or weapons)” for the purpose of achieving the mission and experiencing success.
Headline: His reputation has been badly tarnished but he denies the allegations
So what about it? This is a problem, a big one, whether it’s our reputation with family, friends, bosses (or clients or prospects) or co-workers. That doesn’t mean, of course, that everyone’s perception is an accurate one. Not at all. And you and I may not need everyone’s approval in different parts of our lives.
Yet if we do value certain people and relationships — personal and professional — and it means something to you about how you are perceived and judged, then “denying allegations” is a reckless, low-level-processing response that is not going to protect credibility and trust.
It matters though because those factors allow us to hold on to or access in life.
Headline: ‘Reputations will be made and lost’
All situations, but some much more than others, can present danger and opportunity. How well, or not, that we respond largely, if not fully, determines whether we build a respected, favorable, door-opening (or door staying open) reputation or whether credibility and trust is “lost” or as I prefer to say, forfeited or burned.
Recognize the danger and the opportunity and seize the latter to turn a situation into a moment that doesn’t harm you personally, and maybe those around you, and instead, becomes a highly attractive reputation kept or built.
Quote: “All of it adds up to one thing: reputational damage that will take more than an apology to fix.”
This is an insight that not everyone learns, remembers or is willing to understand and proceed with the next, appropriate, expected, meaningful steps.
That doesn’t help them.
By not going beyond the apology, they increase the odds of keeping negativity, consequences and punishments sticking to them.
An apology — one that is relatively, sufficiently trusted — is only a starting point to “fix reputational damage,” which is, as mentioned above in this article: credibility, trust, important relationships and open doors to appealing opportunities or resources.
If we don’t move the conflict “repair” or crisis “repair” process, we are only “starting” and not “finishing.” We can expect that how people perceive and judge us will reflect our partial efforts. Big ouch.
Maybe we decide we can live with that but that’s how we are thinking and believing now, not later, when regret and costs may hurt a lot more.
The Reputation Intelligence newsletter (on Substack and LinkedIn) is produced by Michael Toebe, the specialist at Reputation Intelligence, a decision-analysis and communications practice that serves individuals and organizations with proactive and responsive actions to build, protect, improve or rebuild credibility and trust.
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