Reputation Management

Fix Reputation With Action. Avoid Empty Words

When investor confidence or public trust hits a breaking point, ‘damage control’ isn't enough. You need visible, sustained change. If your mission statement touts Integrity while your actions suggest otherwise, those words don't just sound hollow - they sound like a lie.

Minimise Smooth Talk

Words still matter, as in don’t hide behind:

People have a high BS radar. If you use perfumed language to mask a foul odour, you’ll only make it worse.

Own the ‘Stink’

If a past misdeed is following you, don’t try to outrun it. Lean into it. Own the wrong, and move forward, because if you don’t, the misdeed will follow you into every meeting for years to come.

Redemption is earned through consistent corrective action and protected by honest, plain language.

Communication Power Skills

How to Criticise Without Causing Distress

True leadership excellence isn’t measured by the bluntness of your critique, but by how well you empower people.

Many leaders mistakenly believe that ‘brutal honesty’ is a shortcut to high performance.

In reality, feedback that targets a person’s character rather than their professional output triggers a ‘workplace shock’ – an emotional rupture that damages trust and derails constructive work long after the conversation ends.

Leaders often fail by letting stress cause ‘emotional leakage’ or by using public shaming, which signals that mistakes are unsafe.

To do better, the advice is to move from judgment to partnership using a three-part structure:

The goal is to respond to facts rather than react to frustration.

Inspired by this HBR article. $ When Feedback Crosses the Line

Projecting ‘Warmth’ is a Persuasive Strategy

In high-stakes communication, we often lead with our credentials, especially when the speaker or writer holds a more expert role, such as Lead Architect or Project Director. But social psychology reveals a different hierarchy: the human brain asks, “Is this person a friend or foe?” (Warmth) before asking, “Are they capable?” (Competence). If you haven’t established warmth, your expertise is irrelevant.

Projecting Warmth in Person

Research suggests that when we assume people will like us, we behave more warmly, which in turn makes us more likeable. To be more persuasive, imagine that the person or group of people in front of you actually like you, whether you know this to be true or not.

The words and phrases you use also project coldness or warmth, so it pays to think about this and use words thoughtfully. See the infographic below.

Revenue is a byproduct of trust, and trust is a byproduct of warmth. Whether spoken or written, your first job is to prove you’re on their side.

The Reputation Woes of Oliver Curtis

Recent articles on the rising star of the Australian data centre technology business, Firmus, which plans to go public around the middle of this year, have focussed on the reputation of its co-founder and co-CEO, Oliver Curtis. The headline from the Sydney Morning Herald announced: “From jail to the C-Suite: The AI firm co-founded by a former insider trader”, and opened fire with, “Oliver Curtis might just be Australia’s luckiest white-collar criminal.” The Australian newspaper took a more subtle swipe, writing, “but as the reality of that incredible story inches closer to a billion-dollar ASX payday, a morality test is quietly being applied”, referring to “ASX guidance for companies wishing to list, must satisfy the exchange that each director and CEO ‘is of good fame and character’”.

The Fin Review most recently did an in-depth interview with Curtis and straight-up questioned him about his criminal record. Curtis was visibly uncomfortable going there, but did speak about it and talked about how difficult it was going to jail, saying, “I don’t think there’s a harder thing to do in life than kiss your kids goodbye not knowing when you’ll come back.”

POV: What I found telling is that the journalist, when talking about the insider trading charge, said that Curtis “pleaded not guilty…” but “respects and understands the outcome of the case.” Is Curtis’s refusal to admit his guilt the reason the media won’t let it go?

Time will tell whether Curtis’s ‘colourful’ past will get in the way of the IPO, with the major papers still providing positive coverage of the firm’s capabilities.

Phrase of the Week

Valuation Haircut: When a company’s estimated value is reduced (given a 'haircut') because of external factors, such as poor timing, or investors don't trust the founder or the ‘stink’ of the past.

Whether you’re telling the messy truth of your leadership journey or the challenges your clients are facing, describing the conflict of any given situation is powerful.

Audiences don’t connect with perfection. They connect with flaws and failures and how they were overcome, in spite of...

Instead of polishing up and smoothing out a journey of transformation, show what was at risk. What made the situation hard, fraught or precarious? Then show what changed.

Three ways to use conflict well in your storytelling:

1. Name the tension clearly
Don’t skip past the hard part. Spell out what was stuck, strained, failing or feared. Vague stories don’t move people. Real tension does.

2. Show the stakes
Why did it matter? What could have been lost if nothing had changed? Conflict becomes compelling when people understand the cost of inaction.

3. Make the resolution earned
Don’t jump too quickly to the happy ending. Let people see the struggle, decision-making and turning point. That’s what makes the outcome feel believable.

Conflict, used well, doesn’t push people away. It pulls them in and creates a strong emotional connection. Because when people feel the tension with you, they’re more likely to want to have a business relationship with you, too.

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