Michael D. Moberly, Business Intangible Asset Strategist & Risk Specialist [email protected]
Respectfully, its’ fair to say most business leaders, acknowledge (experientially) and exercise prudence in and deference to public displays and/or expressions of politicality, especially when and where, doing so is important to safeguarding valuable – revenue generating reputation and brand, ala intangible assets!
- Importantly, there is conventional perspective that personal – professional prudence + some semblance of political – ideological neutrality, i.e., expressions and associations, are relevant to safeguarding the propriety + value of (business) reputations and brands.
- Practicing same extends to suppliers and consumers, perhaps especially for branded products and/or services, vis-à-vis their vulnerability to, and probability and criticality of risk.
Of late,the appropriateness of business – institution (organization) leaders sustaining political – ideological neutrality, amidst social, political, and economic anxieties in the U.S. and the Covid-19 pandemic, appears more challenging and is perhaps subject to debate…
- aside from a felt sense that a business should consider contributing to political candidates, campaigns, and/or parties for goodwill and expedience.
In no small part, exacerbating risk to business reputations and brands today, is the changing sophistication, reach, and differentiations inand politization – polarization of social media conveyances to express (adverse) opinions and/or beliefs @ keystroke speeds.
- Too, there are numerous open source instances in which the latter has contributed (inadvertently, or otherwise) to introducing personal (political, ideological) contexts to a business’s mission, operating culture, products, services, and/or R&D agenda.
Readers may agree, that in some instances, purposefully using – exploiting social media in this manner, may (a.) produce a desired attention and/or outcome, irrespective of sustainability, (b.) serve as a summary ‘invitation’ to external scrutiny of personal, professional, and/or business conduct,or (c.) deliver new thresholds of moral dilemma, etc. which can materialize and cascade throughout a business and adversely influence its marketplace.
My respectful counsel on these matters is straightforward, i.e., business reputation and/or brand risk mitigation initiatives are obliged to commence by recognizing that, in many instances, leader and business options to address same…
- can be limitless, not necessarily limited, providing, of course, mitigation is duly considered and engaged in advance of probable adversities, which unfortunately, do appear limitless!
Consequently, horizonal radar executed by business leaders, management teams, boards, principle investors, and employees alike, is now obliged to be in permanent scan mode…
- one intent for doing so is to distinguish + assess the emergence of risk to reputation and brand at their earliest stages, and preferably, in advance of their materialization.
- a second intent is to recognize risk can (a.) materialize asymmetrically, and (b.) cascade virtually, vertically, and horizontally, at (c.) merciless keystroke speeds.
As unfortunate as these circumstantial realities have become, I bring the view that a brand or reputation that characterizes – perceives either is somehow immune, i.e., too big, too small, or insufficiently attractive to be (a.) targeted, (b.) yield to, and (c.) incur risk losses as-a-consequence of imprudent utterances, behaviors, and/or associations, etc.,
- are obliged to re-read this and other posts at the Business Intangible Asset Blog and/or review products, services, books, and booklets described and available at the kpstrat website which readers are respectfully encouraged to peruse.
