Miller Ink

What should business leaders say right now in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Trump? I shared some thoughts on this over the weekend with Axios (link to the article in the comments). Here's what I said to the reporter: Corporate leaders have been increasingly inclined to issue statements on social, cultural and political issues over the last two decades – and in many cases, it hasn’t gone so well for them. There are many perils and pitfalls associated with commenting. It’s easy to alienate customers, employees, investors, and elected leaders. Corporate comms teams and their outside PR firms often lack subject matter expertise on complicated policy issues or foreign affairs – and they can make big, embarrassing mistakes. It’s not always easy to see the second and third order consequences for getting embedded in an issue. That is why we have seen a notable course correction on this trend. I counsel clients to be very selective as to when they comment. Everyone doesn’t have to weigh in on everything. When it feels like you are just jumping on a bandwagon and you issue a comment that feels inauthentic it is hugely counterproductive. It is much more effective to wait for a time when you truly have something to offer that moves a conversation forward or provides clarity for your employees or other stakeholders. However, this is not the time to avoid comment. Political violence fundamentally threatens the security and stability of the country. America is different than so many other places because we don’t make decisions about who rules based on the whims of a mob or the barrel of a gun. Our society needs its leaders – including those in the business community – to make clear that there is no place for violence like this. Employees will be looking for reassurance right now. They want to know that the country is not going to tear itself apart – and that their jobs and communities will remain stable. I expect to see a lot of communicating in the days ahead to let employees, customers, and other stakeholders know that companies are adults in the room – and doing what they can to prevent the country from spiraling out of control.