BMF's New Rules for Protecting Corporate Reputations

Here are BMF's "new rules for protecting corporate reputations." We'd love to know yours.

1. Corporate reputations are destroyed far more quickly than they are built. Rebuilding a badly damaged corporate reputation takes twice as much time as it took to build it the first time around.

2. Ultimately, reputation is rooted in performance, not PR. The best PR in the world can't make shoddy performance look good.

3. 90% of all crises don't just happen. There are warning signs and precursors that are too often ignored or glossed over.

4. More crises are the result of something someone didn't do, than the result of something someone did.

5. Aggressive people don't care what you say until you listen to them first. They're smart enough to know the difference between being "talked to" and being "talked with."

6. There's a huge difference between saying "I'm sorry" and saying "I did it."

7. People look beyond your actions to the values and motivations behind those actions.

8. No one wins the blame game.

9. Tell the whole story as quickly as possible. Don't prolong the story by rolling it out chapter by chapter.

10. Out of town companies have no rights. The deck is stacked in favor of media and locals who feel they have been harmed or impacted.

11. There are no secrets. Eventually, lawyers and the media will know all and tell all.

12. It doesn't have to be your fault to be your problem!