The Role of the Apology in a Crisis

By |2022-04-30T20:18:04+00:00June 27th, 2018|0 Comments

Apologies have become de rigueur in a crisis today. Sadly, “sorry” has become a word to say “when caught” and it’s rarely meant, because it’s typically the “head” (a.k.a. the Ego) talking.

Often the apology only comes when the corporate sponsor, the chief of staff, the fans, the customers, or the PR advisers have demanded an apology. Rarely is it the “heart” talking. As Beatrice de Gelder, a professor of neuroscience at Harvard says, “…phony expressions do not fool us.”

How Apologies are Viewed

Would-be apologizers often fail to account for people’s perception before they respond. People tend not to judge you on the basis of your mistakes, (unless you are a repeat offender) – they judge you on the manner in which you own up to them. If the words are “me, me, me” and not “we, we, we” then the apology will fail. One example is Tony Hayward’s now infamous quote during the BP spill crisis, “I want my life back.”Another example is out-of-touch Rupert Murdoch when he said, “This is the most humble day of my life” addressing the Parliamentary Enquiry in London in the aftermath of the phone-hacking scandal.

To be fair, it appears that the in-person apology Murdoch made to the murder victim, Milly Downer, was “heartfelt,” based on the immediate reaction from family members. While there is no transcript of that apology, it seems that Mr. Murdoch’s head and heart came together in that moment. According to press reports, Mark Lewis, the Downer’s lawyer, who was present during the meeting with Milly’s parents, Murdoch “held his head in his hands” and repeated how “very, very sorry” he was for what happened. “He was very humbled and very shaken and very sincere,” said Lewis speaking outside the meeting at the fivestar hotel. “I think this was something that had hit him on a very personal level and was something that shouldn’t have happened. He apologized many times. I don’t think somebody could have held their head in their hands so many times and say that they were sorry.”1

The Perfect Apology blog rated Murdoch’s in-person apology a 9 out of 10. Interestingly, they gave a “pending” rating to the series of written “I’m sorry” advertisements that appeared in the Murdoch press.

However, the perception created by Hayward’s “I want my life back” and Murdoch’s “humble” quotes was that they cared only about their lives, not those of the people affected.

When Do Apologies Work?

Apologies have a greater chance of success if, as veteran emergency management adviser Gerald Baron says, “the transgression is recognized and the transgressor is sincerely repentant.”

Consider the following suggestions if you are in a situation where an apology is warranted:

  • Recognize what an apology is.
    At its core, as Coombs and Holladay have stated, “An apology is marked by an organization (or individual) accepting responsibility for the crisis and asking for forgiveness.”2
  • Avoid the lawyers!
    For many of that profession, however, “sorry” does indeed seem to be the hardest word. The legal fraternity – god bless them – are inevitably against apologizing, claiming it will increase lawsuits and payouts. But according to veteran crisis management adviser Jim Lukaszewski, “Years of evidence is accumulating that prompt acknowledgement coupled with clear apologies and sensible offers of settlement can eliminate the litigation phase of legal interaction between victim and perpetrator, in favor of an attitude of settlement.”3
  • Own the problem and do not blame others.
    This is the more successful strategy, as the natural juice company Odwalla found out. The company sold batches of apple juice that caused severe illness and, in one tragic case, led to the death of a child. Odwalla was highly praised by reporters for acting swiftly and taking full responsibility. They were able to contain the crisis to a three-week period and avoid lawsuits.Canadian food company Maple Leaf similarly showed how effective it is to claim responsibility, act fast and avoid lawyers! In August, 2008, one of the company’s products was linked to a listeria outbreak causing 12 deaths. CEO Michael McCain was quick to offer a heartfelt apology, backed by strong actions. He said and did the right things – he was genuine and his body language matched his words. Their quick action and authentic, caring apology has made them a gold standard for effective crisis management.McCain was courageous, too. He kept the lawyers and accountants at bay! He was quoted: “Going through the crisis there are two advisers I’ve paid no attention to. The first are the lawyers, and the second are the accountants. It’s not about money or legal liability, this is about our being accountable for providing consumers with safe food.” Bravo Michael McCain!

Bottom line

Apologies do work, BUT THEY MUST be accompanied and followed by a set of strong actions. Actions do speak louder than words. They must be made swiftly, with HUGE sincerity and transparency. They cannot wait, particularly in this lightening fast digital age, where news travels around the world at the speed of light. The head and the heart must come together, or your apology will fall on deaf ears.


About the author
Jane Jordan-Meier is Principal of Jane Jordan & Associates, a boutique training, coaching and advisory firm. Her focus is crisis management training with senior and executive management. Jane has taught at Masters and undergraduate levels and is a frequent guest lecturer and speaker at conferences, workshops and seminars. Her book, The Four Highly Effective Stages of Crisis Management: How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age was released in May, 2011. She can be reached on LinkedIn and on Twitter, @janejordanmeier, or www.janejordan.net.

1 www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/15/rupert-murdochapology-milly-dowler

2 Public Relations Review, Vol. 34, 2008, pp: 252-257.

3 Crisis Guru Blog, October 7, 2009.

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About the Author:

Jane Jordan is an industry veteran whose passion is to help her clients become better –better communicators, better leaders and better executives. She has been doing this for 30 years. First by founding award-winning media training and consultancy firms, and now through international key-note speaking, executive training and, her particular expertise, crisis management. All of it based on leading theory but delivered with practicality and personality.
Jane may be reached at [email protected]

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