Speak No Evil
The Bush administration continues to provide us with numerous valuable career and crisis management lessons. The publication of What Happened , a tell all White House expose written by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, gives us some new examples.
First the career lesson: never speak ill of a current or former employer.
Scott McClellan is getting a quick lesson in this rule. On the same day that news of his book was released to the public, former and current Bush officials were covering the airwaves with a comprehensive attack on Scott McClellan. It’s too early to tell who will win the PR war; but clearly McClellan’s integrity has now been effectively challenged.
Similarly, while you may harbor serious misgivings about a former or current employer, think long and hard about whether you want to air these grievances publicly. An institution has better resources to get it’s message across. Is it really worth it to your career to have the satisfaction of getting your message out to the general legal community. This is particularly true in an interviewing situation. If you want to make a lateral move, talk about the positive attributes of the firm where you have the interview. Don’t badmouth your current firm.
Second: in a crisis, get everyone on the same page.
Regardless of what you think of Karl Rove or other former close advisors to the President, you have to give them credit for the skill they demonstrate in getting everyone on the same page. On the same day that the news broke about McClennan, Karl Rove, President’s Counsel Dan Bartlett and former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer were all commenting how “sad” this was and how this is not the Scott McClennan we knew.
While my own political inclinations would make me want to believe McClennan’s version of reality, this carefully orchestrated counterattack definitely made me consider whether McClennan is in fact a disgruntled former employee who is trying to profit from his experience.
As we enter a period of economic down turn and law firms need to consider the unpopular decision of laying off associates, they would do well to make sure the message that is put out to the public is a unified message. Speaking with a unified voice will at least give the firm a chance of minimizing the negative fallout of a layoff.
Related posts:
- Is the market improving? And when is a good time to speak with a recruiter?
- Staying on Message
- What is the best way to turn down an offer?
- Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude
