Catherine, Princess of Wales, colloquially still referred to as Kate Middleton, had surgery earlier this year. Even though the official message from the British Royal Family was that she would be off work and out of the public eye through the end of March, people are wondering what happened and where she is.
This is not a gossip blog, but I’m intrigued. I do want to know that Her Royal Highness is okay, but I’m also fascinated by the lessons we can learn about corporate communication from this debacle.
Yes, companies make the same mistakes the Royals are making all the time. Here we go.
To keep reading, click here: The Kate Photoshop fiasco: 3 major lessons for employers
Suzanne,
Thank you for your post. I enjoy reading and learning from your blogs. This one particularly interested me because of the comparison with the royal family. Like the royal family, companies and managers must focus on creating trust from their followers. And as you said, the first step to trust is being honest in the messaging.
I agree that CEOs do not need to share all the company’s private information, but they must show transparency regarding topics that will affect the employees. As you said, “People can see through the misdirections and squishy language used to hide things.” I always believed that explaining the reason behind every decision is the key to being transparent. For instance, when children start getting curious, we first explain the “why” of our actions. In the same way, it is helpful to explain the reason behind our actions in business; otherwise, employees will not know the purpose of their actions.