Avoid becoming a public disgrace

By Jerry Bellune

Every business owner, manager, entrepreneur or politician should learn a critical lesson from NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cover-up of his fatal nursing home blunder.

By sending 9,000 covid-infected patients into NY nursing homes he cost up to 13,000 lives – then tried to cover it up.
Tragically, hospital beds were available but the governor ignored that and then published a book about his heroic leadership in the pandemic. Although he has been forced to admit what he did, the governor has not yet apologized to the families.

It may remind you of the Food Lion cover-up after an investigative team showed a video of their butchers carelessly handling meat that could make customers sick.

When the expose was shown on national TV, Food Lion could have said, “We are as disturbed by this as we know our customers are. We are investigating and will get to the bottom of this. We sincerely apologize to all our loyal customers and the public.”

Food Lion didn’t – and it has taken years to recover their reputation.

In contrast, when someone poisoned bottles of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson spent millions of dollars recalling every bottle of Tylenol and destroyed them. They apologized for something they did not do but protected people no matter what it cost.

Make this a mantra for you and your people: “Honesty is the best policy.”

When you or they mess up – and you will – apologize and make it right.

We share such field-tested strategies in “Uncover Your Inner Sales Genius.” For a free e-copy, go to JerryBellune.com.

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Copyright 2021, The Bellune Co., Inc.