1 dead. 25 inured. Houses destroyed. Where? In Boston, MA. What? A gas line explosion.
Words always matter. They matter even more in a crisis. Leaders get in front of as many people as possible, as soon as possible, and pay attention to their words.
The President of Columbia gas, Steve Bryant, the owner of the gas line said this:
“We are sorry and deeply concerned about the inconvenience,” he said. “This is the sort of thing that a gas distribution company hopes never happens.”
Words are extremely important.
I’ve said inappropriate or insensitive words before. My guess is you have to. What do you to then? What does Mr. Bryant do now?
Get in front of as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and apologize for an insensitive word or phrase. Own the issue, this is what leaders do. Deflection, blame, excuses – these are not the words of a leader.
Every time a leader doesn’t own their words, they are most likely protecting themselves: making it about them. It’s not about you. It’s not about your ego or reputation or what you think people might think about you. It is about your words and your company or team. Everyone else already knows it was insensitive or inappropriate. Admit it. Own it.
Say, “I’m sorry.” Mean it and it will make all the difference in the world.
Recent recommendation for Level Up Coaching:
“I have attended several off-sites both in and out of the military and I really appreciated your approach. You provided ground rules and got into the meat of what we needed to accomplish without lecturing or providing lengthy slides and buzz words.” – Tim (a non-profit Board retreat)
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Jeff Raker