Crisis Guru

Question:

Dear Crisis Guru:

We are under attack from a blogger. The media and a couple of persistent critics, a bloviator and a bully have joined in. How do you get control of your life back, overcome the feeling of helplessness, and ignore all the bad advice from friends?

Thank you,

Weary

Answer:

Dear Weary:

Get ready to be a lot wearier than you already are. This is a terrifying situation and will last a while. Work to stay in a positive frame of mind, in charge of your own future, and remember that most of these attacks will subside over time. Ignoring them often leads to even more toxic attacks.

A couple things are becoming very evident in these situations where there is attack via the Web, a blog, or new media exposure. Honorable people and reputable companies and products need to engage these organizations, at least minimally, to preserve their reputation, there customer or shareholder base, and credibility with their employees. But having had great experience with these circumstances, I’ve come up with a list of guidelines for responding and strategizing responses to these circumstances.

They are important principles for taking and staying in charge of your own destiny when you come under attack. I call it The Defender’s Manifesto, and it’s precisely directly to the circumstance you envision.

When You Come Under Attack From the Blog,
The Web, the Bloviator, the Bellyacher, or the Bully

These are marching orders to control your own destiny,
even carve out a little victory now and then.

Speak only for yourself, say less, write less, but make these communications really important.
Aim for 75-150 word responses . . . that’s 30-60 seconds reading or speaking time.
Always let others speak for themselves.
Be relentlessly positive (avoid all negative words), and constructive (avoid criticizing and criticism).
Get accustomed to accommodating the long term, relentlessly negative nature of these situations.
Focus on the truly important 5%, forget the rest.
Emotional words plus negative language equals less truth and trustworthiness.
Practice laggership (speak second but always have the last word).
Be calm. The critics, enemies, agitators, and bullies are energized by anger, emotionalism, and whininess.
Silence is always toxic to the accused (even your friends will sacrifice you).
Refuse to be distracted by negativity, friendly pressure, or the agendas of others.
Everything comes back around.
Remember, truth is 15% facts and data and 85% emotion and perception.
Be strategic: say, act, plan, and write with future impact in mind.
Prepare to work alone and to be abandoned by just about everyone.
Stay cool.
Keep the testosterosis under control.
Work in real time: do it now, fix it now, ask it now, correct it now, challenge it now.
In all speaking and writing be simple, sensible, positive, and empathetic.
Avoid the creation of critics and adversaries, they accumulate and they hang around.
It's your destiny. If you refuse to manage it, someone else will.

Remember, silence is toxic to the accused (well-meaning friends will sacrifice you, or sell you out, with the best of intentions). Refuse to be distracted by negativity, friendly pressure, or the agendas of others. Prepare to work alone and to be abandoned by just about everyone, at least for a time.

Yes, this is a very difficult, personally challenging circumstance. If you want to feel badly, all the time, be combative, negative, obviously irritated, and threatening. But you can define your own victory by approaching the situation with an attitude that is constructive and reflects your altitude. Go to 50,000 feet and get things in perspective.

For several years I worked in state government in Minnesota, first on the Governor’s staff and then as a deputy commissioner of a state department. One of the most important lessons I learned working in government was the ability to look at situations in ways that accommodate an enormous variety of views and opinions, some of which were quite negative toward me, occasionally, or towards things our department or the Governor stood for or wanted to accomplish. What amazed me about that experience was how democracy really works, how decisions are truly arrived at and, although quite slow, often sloppy, and the results far less than perfect, the days came and went, the job basically got completed, and, for the most part, people were helped and everything moved forward day-by-day.

The real secret is a positive attitude at altitude. When you are attacked, be accommodating about others’ views and stay focused on your manifesto. The things that matter from your perspective and that will resolve issues and move the process toward tomorrow can work. Any other attitude, any other behavior, any negative approaches will simply stall your efforts or, worse, set you back to yesterday and paralyze your attitude and options.

Cordially,

Jim Lukaszewski




Back to Commentaries
CRISIS GURU #24 Real Time Answers to Real Time Questions In his Crisis Guru Commentaries, Jim Lukaszewski provides real answers to real questions about your most critical communications problems and issues. This issue was triggered by the question below. To submit a question, please direct it by e-mail to crisisguru@e911.com. Be sure to include your full name, affiliation, address, and telephone number. All published questions will be identified by title and industry only. Your confidentiality will be protected. TODAY’S TOPIC: HOW DO WE GET OUT FROM UNDER ATTACK BY A BLOGGER? Question: Dear Crisis Guru: We are under attack from a blogger. The media and a couple of persistent critics, a bloviator and a bully have joined in. How do you get control of your life back, overcome the feeling of helplessness, and ignore all the bad advice from friends? Thank you, Weary Answer: Dear Weary: Get ready to be a lot wearier than you already are. This is a terrifying situation and will last a while. Work to stay in a positive frame of mind, in charge of your own future, and remember that most of these attacks will subside over time. Ignoring them often leads to even more toxic attacks. A couple things are becoming very evident in these situations where there is attack via the Web, a blog, or new media exposure. Honorable people and reputable companies and products need to engage these organizations, at least minimally, to preserve their reputation, there customer or shareholder base, and credibility with their employees. But having had great experience with these circumstances, I’ve come up with a list of guidelines for responding and strategizing responses to these circumstances. They are important principles for taking and staying in charge of your own destiny when you come under attack. I call it The Defender’s Manifesto, and it’s precisely directly to the circumstance you envision. When You Come Under Attack From the Blog, The Web, the Bloviator, the Bellyacher, or the Bully These are marching orders to control your own destiny, even carve out a little victory now and then. Speak only for yourself, say less, write less, but make these communications really important. Aim for 75-150 word responses . . . that’s 30-60 seconds reading or speaking time. Always let others speak for themselves. Be relentlessly positive (avoid all negative words), and constructive (avoid criticizing and criticism). Get accustomed to accommodating the long term, relentlessly negative nature of these situations. Focus on the truly important 5%, forget the rest. Emotional words plus negative language equals less truth and trustworthiness. Practice laggership (speak second but always have the last word). Be calm. The critics, enemies, agitators, and bullies are energized by anger, emotionalism, and whininess. Silence is always toxic to the accused (even your friends will sacrifice you). Refuse to be distracted by negativity, friendly pressure, or the agendas of others. Everything comes back around. Remember, truth is 15% facts and data and 85% emotion and perception. Be strategic: say, act, plan, and write with future impact in mind. Prepare to work alone and to be abandoned by just about everyone. Stay cool. Keep the testosterosis under control. Work in real time: do it now, fix it now, ask it now, correct it now, challenge it now. In all speaking and writing be simple, sensible, positive, and empathetic. Avoid the creation of critics and adversaries, they accumulate and they hang around. It's your destiny. If you refuse to manage it, someone else will. Remember, silence is toxic to the accused (well-meaning friends will sacrifice you, or sell you out, with the best of intentions). Refuse to be distracted by negativity, friendly pressure, or the agendas of others. Prepare to work alone and to be abandoned by just about everyone, at least for a time. Yes, this is a very difficult, personally challenging circumstance. If you want to feel badly, all the time, be combative, negative, obviously irritated, and threatening. But you can define your own victory by approaching the situation with an attitude that is constructive and reflects your altitude. Go to 50,000 feet and get things in perspective. For several years I worked in state government in Minnesota, first on the Governor’s staff and then as a deputy commissioner of a state department. One of the most important lessons I learned working in government was the ability to look at situations in ways that accommodate an enormous variety of views and opinions, some of which were quite negative toward me, occasionally, or towards things our department or the Governor stood for or wanted to accomplish. What amazed me about that experience was how democracy really works, how decisions are truly arrived at and, although quite slow, often sloppy, and the results far less than perfect, the days came and went, the job basically got completed, and, for the most part, people were helped and everything moved forward day-by-day. The real secret is a positive attitude at altitude. When you are attacked, be accommodating about others’ views and stay focused on your manifesto. The things that matter from your perspective and that will resolve issues and move the process toward tomorrow can work. Any other attitude, any other behavior, any negative approaches will simply stall your efforts or, worse, set you back to yesterday and paralyze your attitude and options. Cordially, Jim Lukaszewski
The Lukaszewski Group Inc. 100 South Bedford Road, Suite 340, Mount Kisco, NY 10549 U.S.A., 914.681.0000-Office 914.681.0047-Facsimile 203.948.7029-24/7 Copyright © 2009, James E. Lukaszewski. All rights reserved. Permission to print one copy for personal use is hereby granted by the copyright holder. Reproduction of additional copies without written permission of the copyright holder is strictly prohibited.