Now That’s Embarrassing

There comes a time in every company’s existence where they are forced to come to terms with an awkward situation.  Whether it is something as simple as an unedited email or as embarrassing as a scandal in the personal life of the CEO, things will come up. There are two ways to try to handle the situation. Either ignore it and hope it goes away, or address it head-on.

If you choose to address an embarrassing situation head-on there will be discomfort; no one likes to admit to a mistake. What this will engender, however, is a feeling of honesty; a sense that there is a human behind the scenes who is real and makes mistakes like everyone else. Bringing humanity into the picture is a good thing. As people we relate to other people and that’s why we get frustrated when we talk to voice-mail and automated systems. We, as customers, enjoy that human connection.

Now, you can choose to ignore the situation and hope it goes away. And usually it will , to an extent, especially if it’s a minor problem. But the opportunity to connect with your audience, your market, is an opportunity that shouldn’t be overlooked. I’m obviously not saying that you should create these situations, but you should make the best of them when they are there. This is a chance to really connect on a personal level.

Sometimes an embarrassing situation is exactly what your company needs.