Matt Eventoff

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate – some men you just can’t reach…” – Strother Martin as ”The Captain” – Cool Hand Luke

The attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines Flight 253 has shaken our collective confidence in national security, and communication or the lack of communication is once again a central issue.

Retired Army Colonel Ken Allard has written a must-read piece entitled Terror Deja-Vu, which centers on communication failures and the resulting damage:

“When I was in the military, we called the problem “inter-operability” or “stovepipes.” At business school, they’re called “silos.” In plain English, when bureaucracies don’t effectively talk to each other, as we saw over the skies of Detroit on Christmas Day and the killing grounds of Fort Hood last month, trouble—and, often, death—follow.

This was supposed to have changed after the 9/11 attacks, when roadblocks on the information highway killed hundreds of police, firefighters and first responders at the Twin Towers. Yet here we are eight years later and, maddeningly, warnings about a Nigerian engineering student hell-bent on a path of Islamist fanaticism were enough to place his name on a watch list, but not enough to prevent him from boarding a plane. And solid information that an Army psychiatrist at Fort Hood was in continuing contact with a radical Islamist cleric did not prompt preemptive action by his chain of command.”

This was followed by Department of Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano first stating that “the system worked”, and quickly reversed course the following day stating that “What I would say is that the system did not work in this instance...”  This is a shining example of why messaging matters.

On top of this comes intense criticism of President Obama for first not speaking publicly about the Christmas Day attack until the following Monday.  This was followed by Tuesday’s comments (with a marked change of tone) that “…a systemic failure has occurred.”

The President was on vacation in Hawaii when the attack occurred.  This, coupled with his lack of public comment over the weekend, sent a message as well – not one I believe the President intended to send.   This has allowed critics to successfully pounce– once again, politics 101 – define yourself before your opponent has the opportunity to do so.

So now we sit, at the end of a decade, a decade marked, politically, in many ways by the Captain’s comments – “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate…”

Failure to communicate effectively plagued the last Presidency, hurt two Presidential campaigns (McCain, Kerry), and in some ways led to a Congressional turnover, a financial disaster, and a societal disaster (the response to Hurricane Katrina).

This is why effective communication is like breathing – crucial.

There is no way to “come back” if you don’t “go away.”

When a public figure emerges from a crisis or scandal, it is imperative to disappear from the public spotlight for a while.

For more proof, look no further than former President George W. Bush.  In October 2008, within a month of the end of his Presidency, President Bush had an approval rating of 25% as reporter by Gallup.  Twenty-five percent — “only three percentage points above the lowest presidential approval rating in Gallup Poll history.”

So what did President Bush do publicly since leaving office?  Not much. Two semi-public speeches.  That’s about it.  He was the subject of an entire Presidential campaign, has been the subject of well over 10 books, and is still mentioned in the press fairly regularly (not in a positive light).

No public appearances or defenses, more negative publicity equals…

According to Gallup last week, it equals 44% of those polled would prefer to have ex-President Bush back in office. Why?

A number of reasons, including a number of opinions about the ex-President that have changed in the past year. Why?

He went away. As the proverb says “Time heals all wounds.” (maybe not all, but at least some)

*Pardon the joke, and I believe that this Tiger can still resurrect his career.

Even a gas leak at his home is newsworthy!

It is impossible to escape the nonstop headlines, blog posts and breaking cable news stories about Tiger Woods and his alleged dalliances.  Every day (often every hour) brings new allegations, rumors, stories and general drama.

From a crisis management standpoint, I believe that this week has been Tiger’s best.  Why?

He finally did two things he needed to do: come clean, especially with his core audience (supporters) and go away.  With his statements on www.tigerwoods.com, Tiger has given his fans and supporters the ability to begin to rally behind him.

Tiger also has decided to go away.  This is a crucial and I believe is the key to a successful comeback, if he in fact has one.   You can not re-emerge unless you go away, and by removing himself from professional golf, he has certainly gone away.

That being said, both coming clean would have been much more effective 21 days ago.  There are also a number of steps that Tiger needs to take in between coming clean and going away:

1. Speaking publicly – It doesn’t have to be an interview or a press conference; even a taped video on TW.com is better than nothing; Your fans need to see, hear and visually “touch” you;  The importance of a visual medium can not be understated.

2. Have a Message and live it – You have the beginning of one – “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person”; now the trick is to consistently display it – America loves a comeback – start doing things that reinforce that message, even while out of the public eye.

3. Communicate with your audience – I didn’t say the public, I said your audience.  The vehicle, even while out of the public spotlight, is your website and your email database.

4. Get out of the cocoon – You need advisors, and not only those who tell you what you want to hear. Get them. Pronto.

One final note – the mishandling of the crisis from the onset and the subsequent damage that has occurred can not be minimized.  While I believe Tiger can still come back and “Brand Tiger” can still be resurrected, the road to get there has more potholes and red lights than it would have if addresses properly in the beginning.

Define yourself before your opponent, or anyone else defines you (and if you don’t define yourself first, someone WILL take the opportunity to define you).

Whether you are campaigning for elective office, to get/keep the public trust, to get promoted, to get a job, to keep your job – it is paramount to define yourself before anyone else does.  How do you define yourself? Messaging.

President Obama understood this.  He was the candidate of “hope and change.”  The definitions his opponents provided – inexperienced, poor judge of character, lack of foreign policy experience - did not stick. Why? He defined himself first, and relentlessly stayed on message.  He also addressed every potential crisis during the campaign head on.  We all know what happened – candidate Obama became President Obama.

Tiger Woods defined himself early on in his career, very successfully.  The past few weeks have unraveled all of that.  He is now defined by nearly everyone but himself on an hourly basis, and the definitions are not only sticking but have taken on a life of their own – and people are paying attention.

911 calls, 11 potential mistresses and counting (literally), unprotected sex with mistresses, allegations of drug abuse, wife moves out, numerous colleagues now alleging that this was not new behavior, and the list goes on and on.

Tiger’s response?  You just heard it – nothing.  No mention of anything on www.tigerwoods.com, no response at all. In my personal opinion, a lot of the damage that has been done to brand Tiger Woods is irreversible.

Why?  In our society, lack of response or comment is usually taken as an admission of guilt. A week after the crisis began, with no response from Tiger, cracks in the empire are showing – sponsors are leaving, advertisements are getting pulled, etc.

Ronn Torossian, owner of 5WPR and the top crisis manager I know, has managed crises for countless celebrities, many of who have faced similar trials and tribulations in the public eye.  His advice on this is absolutely spot on:

“…There’s no excuse the behavior that led to Tiger’s predicament, but the still-expanding fallout from his mishandling of these events provides lessons to celebrities, companies and anyone else who suddenly finds themselves at the center of a crisis.

Here are my top three crisis management rules:

Rule No. 1: Come clean and come clean quick. Instead of accepting his role in the spotlight and addressing the facts head on, Tiger ran for cover hoping it would all go away. But the fastest road to redemption in the public’s eye is an early and honest mea culpa.

That’s what Alex Rodriguez did earlier this year, when he stood in front of his teammates and the media and addressed his alleged steroid use head on. While certainly not an easy statement to make, it undeniably saved A-Rod’s career from taking the Barry Bonds route, and served as a launching pad for the best season of his career and praise from many of his former critics.

Rule No. 2: Keep your message consistent. As Bill Clinton can attest, the truth eventually comes out. So be clear, be honest and keep the story consistent. When similar allegations arose regarding David Letterman and young staff members, Letterman immediately took to the airwaves, admitted his wrongdoings and the circumstances surrounding them, and saw no ill effect in his ratings.

In contrast, Tiger’s only message for nearly five days after the accident was silence. And while he did eventually admit to his “transgressions,” his promise to “strive to be a better person and the husband and father that [his] family deserves” seemed to ring hollow as information surfaced regarding a renegotiation of his prenup in an effort to keep the family together.

Rule No. 3: Leave no gray area. From the moment reports of the accident happened, the only color surrounding the facts was gray. How did Tiger sustain the injuries he did in such a slow-moving, low-impact crash? Was his wife chasing him with a golf club? Was he impaired? And so on until another round of questions surfaced regarding alleged romps with various women. Tiger then made his brief admission of guilt but still failed to explain how the accident happened, why he was reportedly snoring on the ground as the family waited for an ambulance, etc.”

I will add one final rule – after doing all of this, go away. Disappear from the public eye.  There is no way to “come back” if you have never “gone away.”

This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. – www.tigerwoods.com

Tiger Woods is right.  False, unfounded and malicious rumors are wrong, period.  However, when innocent until proven guilty may exist in the courtroom, in the living room the opposite often holds true.

This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be. – www.tigerwoods.com

Here is where Tiger is wrong.   He is paid tens of millions not for playing golf, but for endorsing products to the public.  At that point, once you are making your living from using your public image to sell products to the public rights to privacy diminish.

Do you have to answer questions? No.  Is it in your best interest to answer questions? Yes.

One thing to remember — the public allows a professional athlete, entertainer, celebrity, politician etc. the right to promote  products or ideas to the masses – no public figure is given that right by anyone but the people who vote for them, either via dollars (products) or literal votes.  This means that the public does has the right to know if a professional athlete plans on continuing to make a living promoting products to them.

So what should Tiger do now? Tiger needs to recognize his audience — his audience isn’t me, it’s his millions of fans.  Those fans are feeling hurt, angry, betrayed, and a good number of them want to defend Tiger. This code of silence hurts them more than it hurts anyone else.  So Tiger:

1. Remember your audience – Give your fans something to defend you with.

2. Have a Message – Saying nothing is a very clear message, and not the one you want.

3. Press Conference/Video Blog – Your fans need to see you – statements alone don’t cut it.

4. Make a public appearance – show up at Chevron World Classic, even if you don’t play

5. Again, Remember your Audience — You might think that the rest of the public, the media and the tabloids are your audience, but this is not who you are hurting by failing to speak.  Address the rumors head on. Be 100% truthful, no matter what. The story begins to ends once you speak, as your fans will be able to rally around you.

Will this work?  It will certainly work better than the strategy that has been undertaken so far.