John Ploetz Bloggin

Recently you’ve probably heard about a number of large companies that have had major public relations problems occur. These include the breach at Target Corporation, the unfortunate comments made by the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, and the various automobile recalls. Public relations problems don’t just happen to large companies they can happen to any size company. Any single negative event that occurs can be devastating to a company. However, how a company handles the damage control may determine whether the company continues to just survive or to thrive. Here are ten things to keep in mind to positively deal with negative public relations.

1. First always have a plan in place to deal with these types of situations. You may not know the exact problem that may occur, but have a plan in place, an outline of action. That way you can move quickly to deal with the problem if one does occur.

2. Have a handpicked predetermined team that will be assigned to handle the problem. Let people know in advance what will be expected of them. Make sure you designate one person who is the point of contact for public comment.

3. Remember mistakes go viral quickly. Within minutes the news can spread easily across the internet. Make sure your response information comes out quickly as well and is succinct.

4. Communication is the key part. Most companies worry about legal questions first and everything they do after that is limited by the legal concerns. Yes legal concerns do play a part in any response, but by failing to do anything because of fear of legal action you can actually make things worse.

5. People want to know what is going on. As soon as you have solid facts or information let your customers know what has happened. People can sense when they aren’t being reasonably informed. Always be truthful and properly detailed with what is made public.

6. Let the customers affected know what you will do to solve the problem. This may include clarifying the extent of the problem. The goal is to alleviate customer’s fears, but make sure everything that is said is truthful. You may only have this one chance to regain customer’s faith.

7. Let customers know how you will work to make sure this will not happen in the future. Customers want to know they can depend on you. It’s all about rebuilding trust.

8. You will need to work to rebuild your customers’ faith in you and your company. Don’t compound the problem by handling the clean up poorly. The clean up process as communicated to your customers is your chance to shine and show them what you’re made of as a company.

9. You don’t want to handle the clean up problem. But know this; your customer wants to handle the clean up even less. It is easy for your customer to go to a competitor. Once that happens you may have lost the customer for life.

10. Give your customers more than they expect to solve the problem. Be creative. Limit the number of steps or actions a customer has to take advantage of any remedy you offer. Give them value to make them whole.

Handling bad PR events requires taking swift, well thought out action that is properly communicated to your affected customer base. Don’t forget the most important piece; make sure you have a plan in place.

John Ploetz

9 May, 2014

John Ploetz Bloggin

We all worry about different things in our lives. For most of us worry is just a small part of our busy daily lives. For some of us, though, worry can impair our decision making abilities. Fear of what may or may not happen or fear of the consequences of making a wrong decision can begin to hamper our ability to handle decision making properly. Some worry is good because it helps us focus on how we should make certain decisions to avoid negative outcomes in our lives. Some worry keeps us vigilant to look out for and be prepared for the occurrence of certain events. But if we worry about too much in our life or if we spend too much of our time worrying about what may or may not happen, then worry begins to become unhealthy, it can take over our lives. Here are some things to think about when dealing with worry.

1. Remember 99 percent of what you worry about doesn’t eventually occur. Filter out the improbable. Focus on the one percent that is most likely to occur.

2. Only spend a limited amount of time thinking about concerns you might have on any one issue. If you have an idea of what might happen, write it down and then note what options you can take to deal with the issue if it does happen. If you start beginning to worry about it again, review your notes to assure yourself you have already decided the best way to handle the situation. Make changes as necessary to your solution as facts or circumstances change.

3. Think about what is at the root of your worrying. Is there a common thread or theme that weaves through your worries. For example if you worry more about financial problems than anything else, take some proactive steps to improve your finances to reduce your overall worry.

4. Unless facts in your life change don’t fixate on the potential for a certain event to occur. The likelihood of something happening only changes if the facts change. Train yourself to adapt your mental focus to the most immediate issues that need your attention. Worrying about issues that are not yet ripe for you to make a decision, is just a waste of your energy.

5. Don’t get stuck in a worry loop. Develop outlets like reading, conversation with close friends, or exercise to help you filter out the worry and help you move on to another thought process.

Extended worry can consume a lot of energy and over time wear you down both physically and mentally. Stay sharp by getting enough rest, eating healthy and focusing on those things in your life that you can control. Remember, worrying about layers of uncertain events is unproductive. Worrying about things that may likely impact you in the near future helps you stay focused and can lead you along the proper decision making path.

John Ploetz

2 May, 2014

John Ploetz Bloggin

What makes individuals good employees? There are numerous answers to this question. Both employees and employers have differing ideas on what is most important though. If you ask people the answers vary from productivity, to number of sales, to meeting annual goals, to getting along with fellow employees. Yes these all come into play in determining whether an employee is a keeper. The important things worth looking at, really focus on a full past, present and future review of the employee.

1. Has the employee met the prior year’s individual goals. A motivated employee meets or exceeds prior year goals. If the employee isn’t doing that, look at what is holding the employee back from meeting them. If it is the employee’s fault and not outside circumstances, then the employee might not be the best fit for that job.

2. Has the employee helped improve the company. Where has an employee furthered the broader company goals. This shows whether the employee understands the needs of the company and has a desire to see the company succeed.

3. Does the employee strive to meet annual goals. Is the employee motivated and driven. Goals should be set at the beginning of the year and should be discussed and agreed to by both employee and supervisor. Usually it’s good to have employee draft initial goals. Always keep the goals realistic but challenging.

4. Does the employee fit the company’s personality. Every company has a culture, a personality all its own. An employee needs to fit within that culture. Size and type of company all make a difference on what type of person might be a good fit.

5. Does the employee work positively with those around him or her. Ability of a person to interact well with others keeps the positive energy of the company intact. Negative people detract from the positive direction of the company.

6. Does the employee move forward the vision of the company. Individuals have their own goals and ideas. Make sure those are in sync with the direction the company plans on taking.

7. Are the employee’s talents being utilized. If not, why not. If an employee’s talents aren’t going to be needed in the future, now might be the time to cut ties with the employee rather than allowing the employee’s dissatisfaction with under utilization of his or her skills affect other employees’ morale or the focus of the company.

8. Does the employee fit in the future plans of the company. The company has a specific direction that it is planning to take through its strategic plan . The company should make sure an employee’s skills, knowledge, and expertise fit those short and long term plans.

9. Is the employee a valuable resource for the company. A company needs to continually assess whether the value, both tangible and intangible skills, expertise, and knowledge, an employee brings to the company outweighs the salary, insurance, and other costs that the company pays out to the employee.

10. What are the employee’s broader personal goals. Any review of an employee’s goals should include the question – “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Supervisors should add it to their yearly reviews. Understanding where someone wants to be in the future, is the best way to see where those goals fit in with the company’s goals for growth and improvement. If they mesh that’s great, if not, take a look a look at where they differ and if they can be made to sync up with the company’s goals.

Good employees aren’t just found, they aren’t a fixed commodity. They change and develop over time. As the needs and focus of the company change, the need for certain types of employees change. Over time some employees become a better fit while others lose their fit within the company altogether. Being a good employee is all about fitting in the right company at the right time.