Reputation Errors and Wisdom
The truth about financial settlements, "reputation laundering" and three observations from which to learn
Reputation Notes
by Michael Toebe
June 22, 2022
Cleveland Browns quarterback (for now) Deshaun Watson has reached a settlement with 20 of the 24 women who claimed he was guilty of harassment and sexual misconduct and filed civil suits against him.
If you don’t know who Watson is (outstanding player with a sterling playing resume) or his story, yes, you read those numbers above correctly.
Of course, this legal development doesn’t help his once-respected on-and-off-field reputation much, if at all. Watson has continued to deny the behavior that his accusers strongly say transpired.
“I never assaulted, disrespected or harassed anyone,” he has said. He also says the reports that he was a customer of 66 massage therapists in 17 months was not accurate. Could he be innocent of the charges. Is that possible? Yes, and there people who believe this because the charges didn’t begin to come forward, they say, until Watson demanded a trade out of Houston for his disillusionment with the franchise’s leadership and losing ways.
So is it plausible that he is, if not innocent, then at least not guilty?
Debate among yourselves.
Watson, the best player on his former team, the Texans, didn’t play last season due to wanting to leave the organization, might not play a large chunk of, or the entirety of this season either because of his behavior and how the National Football League might punish him for it, or at least the public relations misery he’s put in the lap of the league office.
And you know something else? He might not play again, as ludicrous as that sounds to many, for different reasons: league discipline, which could include banishment, and significant public relations concerns by Watson’s current employer and potential future employers and the pressures that could be levied against them.
The outcry of Watson playing would be understandably loud, intense, ongoing and persuasive.
What is currently certain is that Watson is at the bottom of the mountain with his reputation and has a steep, long, arduous climb to make ‘right.’ It won’t be easy, fast, inexpensive, without a lot of work, or painless.
Watson set off a bomb in other people’s lives and as a result, his own. He’s also embarrassed two organizations, past and current. He’s going to feel it.
I’m seeing the term “reputation laundering” more frequently in the media and I have something important to say about it.
That term is intended to be derogatory and infers that guilty people and organizations are hiring professionals and also taking actions of their own volition to conduct “impression management” or “presenting” to help them wash away the crimes, literal or figurative, of their behavior in the minds of others.
The truth is, this is exactly the trail that unscrupulous people take, yet it is one that is a dangerous route and honestly, stupid, because it rarely works, teaches no one valuable, helpful lessons, and people know what you’re doing.
Advice: don’t do it. You look like an even bigger schmuck than you are perceived to be right now.
More advice: if you damage or ‘crash’ your reputation, seek to understand why, by being introspective and asking for feedback.
Learn the painful lessons. Correct the errors with emotional intelligence and responsibility.
Then show resilience of intelligence, exhibiting new-found wisdom and work with a professional who knows the territory to correct the ‘wrongs’ that people claim (either with evidence or that you know you committed) in an ethical, responsible, sustained manner.
Do this to heal ‘hurts’ and show yourself, in words and deeds, as regretful, remorseful, compassionate and a person worthy of forgiveness and restoration. It’s challenging to do but it’s the path to respect and safety.
Observation 1: It’s not always over when you think it’s over
Johnny Depp fans and a U.S. court declared him as the ‘winner’ in his defamation trial against Amber Heard. All should be rosy for him, no?
Maybe not.
The media, by in large, continues its shocked, angry and ongoing assertion that Heard is the victim and was wronged legally, socially and emotionally.
My point? 1) Perceptions of the same event often differ 2) our biases, no matter what they might be, play a role in our judgments sometimes and 3) Depp's strength of reputation was not redeemed outside of his supporters.
He still has critics and they are very angry, judgmental and vocal than ever, not only with society and the legal system but at Depp too. He’s a microcosm, it’s felt, of the wrongdoing against all women.
That’s going to be big problem for Depp moving forward. He doesn’t realize it.
He will also have to be very careful not to commit anymore behavior similar to that which he was accused by Heard or his reputation will not survive the next time in the larger public opinion.
Depp has some psychological, substance and behavior issues that need tending to and corrected if he values his future.
Observation 2: It’s far smarter to invest in healing hurts before moving on
A recent news story mentioned the firing of a man for his substandard leadership. You would assume that would be the entire focus of the article. It wasn’t, however.
What was written about more, written about most, was this man’s past lecherous behavior towards women in a prior job. Even though he had been punished for those errors of thinking and actions, his latest termination, which had nothing to do with his past, communicated about his history.
The skeletons were brought out of the closet again because it was newsworthy in the mind of the reporter.
Could the subject of the story have mitigated the chances of his past being rehashed in that story and in any future story about him? Definitely.
His problem was that he didn’t sufficiently, to expectations, help victims (survivors) of his actions feel respected, understood and thus, heard nor did he otherwise make ‘right’ with them with his humanity so that that they could feel he was truly, deeply, fully remorseful for the negative impact he created.
If he would have done this and sincerely communicated his remorse and shame in public, future public communication about him would have more likely than less likely about the ‘now’ and not his lesser days as a human.
Observation 3: Regularly check and understand the pulse of your people
Topic: Workplace Vigilantes
“Although vigilantes’ moral convictions can have positive outcomes by correcting authorities’ failures to punish wrongdoers, if their actions are misguided or based on incomplete information then they can unfairly tarnish a business’s reputation or, in some cases, force people out of an organization without due process,” says Karl Aquino, professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, in the article, Workplace Vigilantes Can Breed Fear and Anxiety.
Taking matters into our own hands seems like the only choice at times because frustration and anger often lead to that belief system and action. And once someone can’t control the impulse any longer, danger hits land for the determined “offenders” and all that are deemed, guilty by association.
“Vigilantism can damage workplace culture,” Aquino said. “If you think you’re constantly under surveillance for all the things you might do wrong, it creates anxiety and fear. Being a vigilante’s target can cause economic, reputational and psychological harm.”
So who are the likely vigilantes?
“According to the study, these employees view themselves as morally superior and wish to correct what they consider the wrong ideas of others.”
Why does this happen?
“The professor noted previous research found vigilantes emerge when people believe workplace authorities are failing to ensure organizational justice by not punishing people perceived to be deviants.”
Lesson? Leaders and organizations normally solely focus on the relationships, impressions and reputation outside their workplace when they should start focusing first and foremost on how their employees experience leadership, co-workers and work.
Honorable, moral commitment to those relationships, impressions and reputation is intelligence practice of risk management versus the type of decisions and actions that trigger vigilantism ideation, behavior and damages.
Michael Toebe is the creator of Reputation Notes and founder and specialist at Reputation Quality, a practice that serves and helps successful individuals and organizations in further building reputation as an asset — and when necessary, ethically and responsibly protecting, restoring or reconstructing its health. You are invited to subscribe or contact me at LinkedIn.