Hats off to the Chairman and the rest of the Board of RadioShack for moving as quickly as they did to fix a problem. It was yet another case of a public figure with a misleading resume. This time it was the CEO of RadioShack, David Edmondson.
Could they have moved faster? Probably. Did they make a mistake last week when they first issued a statement of support for their CEO? Yes. But the Chairman said that was a mistake and that seems difficult for people in public positions to admit these days.
Why is it so difficult for people and organizations to do the right thing in times of crisis? The right thing is to build an instant line of communication to the public and deliver accurate information in a timely fashion. That is the foundation of good communications at any time, especially in times of crisis.
Reputation is a moving target. It never stands still. If the powers that be inside an organization are not making the right moves to improve its reputation, then rest assured that outside forces or inertia from within will turn its reputation in the wrong direction. The RadioShack Chairman, Leonard Roberts, said the move was necessary to restore the company’s credibility. “One of the most important things we have as a corporation is integrity and trust and we know we have to restore that back to the public,” he said"
That is the statement of a corporate leader who understands that the public does pay attention. And it demonstrates he understands a good reputation makes a difference to the bottom line. So too, does a bad reputation.
This may not be the only business problem RadioShack has to worry about these days, but they get high marks for their handling of this one.
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