Tiger Woods, Akio Toyoda And The Imperfect Art Of Apology

By Author: allan
Total Articles: 366
Comment this article

The cameras were there.（http://www.watchcopiez.com/）The reporters were there. The object of worldwide scorn1 clearly didn't want to be there.That is a perfect description of Tiger Woods's stage-managed mea culpa—but also of Akio Toyoda testifying before a House committee.Whether you're a president or politician, auto executive or athlete, part of your job is to win public trust. And that is done, in part, by stepping outside the cocoon3 that wealth and fame provide and exposing yourself to questions.Most of the perpetual pundirry about Woods has focused on the art of the apology.4 Was he really, truly sorry about his chorus line of mistresses, or was he just reading a crisis manager's speech so he could get back to making millions at golf?The reality is that people—voters, customers, fans—want to know whether you're authentic. And one way they determine that is by seeing you answer adversaria questions. To switch sports analogies, you can't just take batting practice; you've got to show you can hit Major League pitching. Toyoda initially tried to stay out of the arena, declining the congressional ...
... invitation even though he had repeatedly apologized for the defective cars his company has pumped out.' He was likely to get pounded in the coverage after being grilled by outraged lawmakers.10 Once Toyoda bowed to the pressure, his PR folks shrewdly leaked his testimony a day in advance:" "I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. My name is on every car." They also placed a piece on the Wall Street Journal opinion page in which Toyoda vowed12 to build "the safest vehicles in the world".He did not deliver a boffo performance on the Hill; Toyoda kept consulting his staff and reading from notes as he offered mostly boilerplate answers, or pleaded ignorance, through an interpreter." But he gave the appearance of being responsive, and that was what made headlines. ("An Apology, and Sympathy, from Toyota's Leader," said the New York Times.) Plus, he capped the day with an appearance on Larry King, who asked, "How sad are you over this?" Toyoda responded that "it is very difficult to express with words.""Was it hard to appear on this program tonight?" the CNN host wondered."Well, Larry, I feel really honored that I was able to appear on your program as the number one person of my company."Such challenges are hardly new. When a public figure is under fire, journalists can be prosecutorial or self-aggrandizing. But there are no free passes16 in today's media culture.Bill Clinton had to apologize to the country for lying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. But since presidents can't evade the press indefinitely, he could not wall himself off. Eventually Clinton had to answer reporters' questions, and Americans could judge his degree of remorse".Woods wouldn't take that step, issuing what amounted to a video press release. Reporters were peeved—the Golf Writers Association boycotted the event—but despite the golfer's obvious pain, he drew many strikingly negative reviews. Few went as far as commentator Stephen A. Smith, who called Woods "a punk and a coward". Now imagine if he had taken a few questions. Even if his answers were shaky, Woods would have been seen as exposing himself to a public jury of sorts. If the reporters proved overly aggressive, he would have gained some sympathy. And he would have gotten credit for stepping out of the bunker.Even Hugh Grant had to sit on Jay Leno's couch and explain what the hell he was thinking in hanging with a hooker. If Tiger wants to regain his stature as a champion and corporate pitchman, he can't duck the press forever.（http://www.itscopied.com/）