… the harder they fall
Posted by Jennifer Ouellette on February 12th, 2010
I want to explore a bit of a “hot topic” right before the long weekend.
Adam Giambrone was once a promising Toronto mayoral candidate, but now has been caught in a career altering predicament. The “indiscretion” of Adam Giambrone is now front page news, and while I’m not going to go into the morals of his situation the fact is that this is just one in a string of other such high profile “indiscretions”. Tiger Woods, David Letterman, John Edwards, Bill Clinton – the names have changed but the predicament was largely the same across the board. I should start by saying that this is not meant to focus solely on men/gender and for the sake of balance I’ll mention Iris Robinson, a member of the Irish parliament and wife of Ireland’s first minister – who was caught having an affair with a 19 year old male. (Her last name being “Robinson” was a coincidence not overlooked by the headlines.)
I’m not really interested in the sensationalism or the “fall of the mighty”, but what I am really interested in are the questions situations like these raise. How far should the personal lives of public figures affect their careers? And more than that, what lessons can all of us take away from those who have been through public backlash and scrutiny?
The one line from the media release that I couldn’t get out of my head after Tiger Woods’ own dirty laundry was aired publicly was; “personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions”. This struck me as a very powerful and loaded statement.
In certain situations I can see where decisions that reflect the moral character of a person should come to bear on the public’s “right to know”. But should this or any similar situation negate all of the work and reputation of a person? It’s not an easy question.
The reality is that all of us need to be aware that we are our own “brand”. Tiger Woods was a brand for being the PGA’s squeaky-clean golden boy. While his affairs do not affect his sports performance, they do affect his “marketability”. But then do politicians – elected to represent the interests of voters, fail the same credibility test?
For me the one thing that matters in all of this is accountability. When mistakes are made, I think the best decision public figures can make is to accept responsibility with tact, sensitivity and humility. Because when the truth does come out, as it always does, I am much more apt to feel sympathy and respect for a humble figure.
What do you think? Do the personal lives of public figures deserve to impact their careers? What is the best way you feel they should handle any resulting scrutiny?
February 16th, 2010 » 1:43 pm
It always depends on how the individual handles it but In sports and entertainment, it usually helps. In government, it usually hurts. And that’s as it should be. Sports and entertainment figures get looked up to as role models but that’s our fault, not theirs. Their job is to deliver the goods on the field/court/screen/stage. Beyond that, it’s a matter of how much they want to keep their mouth open or shut. There are plenty of star actors and athletes who fly under the radar and get no attention at all from the press.
Politicians should be held to a higher standard because the point of their job is to represent the values and interests of their constituents. Being a public figure and a role model is part of the job description.
February 26th, 2010 » 3:38 am
Of course, if a person has a bad relationship with their families or friends, means he should not stand in the leadership positions
March 3rd, 2010 » 9:48 am
Thanks Sean, but it does seem like a bit of a double standard. I agree certain roles come with much more responsibility and accountability than others though.
As for a person’s relationships etc. that’s an area I didn’t really want to get into. What I was more interested in is how they respond to situations like this, either with denial or accountability, and also whether or not actions like these should affect their careers.
I guess there are never any easy answers in situations like this.
March 17th, 2010 » 11:54 am
Agreed. Peoples pasts and in particular their personal lives have absolutely no place in the public domain.
March 19th, 2010 » 7:14 pm
I agree with being aware of one’s own brand, but we can perhaps go a bit further down that train of thought. Being aware of oneself as a public figure and ones own brand means that we (or our agent) can very well indeed predict of how one action or another WILL have specific consequences on public opinion and therefore career. Ask not should golden boy have been condemned, ask will he or would he. Consequences are not a moral issue.
April 9th, 2010 » 8:22 am
I agree with both of you, you raise great points! Sorry for taking so long to address them, it’s been a very busy month at TF.
Craig, I like to think that people can change and we learn the most from our mistakes. Some people don’t, but then again most of us do. That’s why I have such a problem with someone’s past or “dirty laundry” being aired publicly. It’s just too intrusive, and a lot of the time it’s not really relevant.
Jessica, I didn’t look at it from that angle – thanks. A large part of PR or image management I think is also just what you said, looking into the possible crisis management angle before it ever comes up.