Mike Paul's Blog - November 2008

2008 has been a rough year for many and especially the last few months. I have many friends out of work on Wall Street and on main street. When these friends call for advice on how to handle the current crises in their lives I remind them that we are called to give thanks for not only the good things in our lives, but also for the crises in our lives. Some become humbled and want to know more and some look at me like I am crazy!

QUESTION: Do we really understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving, and how does it affect our reputations?

John was laid off at Lehman Brothers and has a beautiful and supportive wife, three kids in college, a large apartment in Manhattan and a beautiful home and large sailboat in the Hamptons. I am not worried as much about his finances as I am about his attitude toward learning from this experience.

Peter was an assistant manager at a department store on Long Island. The chain of stores recently closed and Peter, who is also married, but has a family of four young kids, is a bit concerned about his finances. He only has savings to last another month or so without a new job, but his attitude is right on! He is trying to learn as much as he can from the experience and appreciate all the blessings he still has in his life. He is spending more time with his family and also giving back as much as he can to his community, especially those in a worse position than himself: the homeless. Peter and his family will be helping to feed the homeless at a soup kitchen on Long Island this Thanksgiving. Peter is human. At times, he worries, but he tries to give his worries and troubles to God. He prays often. He speaks about his fears and concerns with his wife. He attends church on a regular basis. Peter is an excellent example for us all.

So what about John? Well, let's just say that John's identity was tied up mostly with his job. John is very angry he was laid off. What did I do when he asked for help? Well, I recently introduced John and his family to Peter and his family over brunch in Manhattan. Their wives got along swimmingly (something I had hoped for.) Peter is beginning to rub off on John. John is beginning to see how truly fortunate he has been and wants to give back for the first time in his life.

I told John before he begins giving back I thought it might be important for him to understand why it is so important for all of us to also give thanks for our pain, for our crises and for our troubles. I told him once he fully understood why he would really enjoy giving back, but only after giving thanks for both good and bad times.

We must remember Thanksgiving began as a tradition in our country only after the first settlers from England almost died. They struggled to survive and with the help of Squanto and other Native Americans, they learned to feed themselves in a harsh, cold winter environment where others perished. Times were hard. Much harder than the first settlers ever imagined. Sound familiar? Sounds like the conditions many in the world are now facing as winter is about to begin.

The difference between many of the Pilgrims and our society today is FAITH - theirs was strong and ours, at times, is spineless.

I received a call from my friend John last week. He was not angry for the first time in a long time.
"I think giving thanks is one of those things that is a purposeful decision that we have to do regardless of our circumstances," he said. "If our thanksgiving or our joy depends on circumstances, it will fluctuate all the time. I know a lot of people have had a difficult time this year. Even when we don't seem to have anything, we need to pay attention to the things we do have, instead of what we don't have. I learned if we have our health, if we have our family, if we have a home, if we have our friends, if we have faith in God, we are rich!"

I had the biggest smile on my face. I told John how proud I was of him. I shared with him how our fathers had taught us some pretty backward ideas regarding dealing with our emotions, sharing our feelings with others, especially those we love and how I thought he was on the right track with so many areas of his life with this revelation. I told him, most importantly, I was proud of how he was embracing faith as a powerful life tool and how it will greatly improve his reputation, his marriage, his career and his relationship with his kids. He agreed and also began giving back as he also began to give thanks for the success and struggles in his life.

He thanked me, but I told him he was thanking the wrong person. I shared with him that I struggle with many areas in my own life and that I was only the messenger, but I told him to give all praise to God often and always.

Remember, do the right thing with your reputation and seek the counsel of an experienced strategic public relations and reputation management expert. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything!™

Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Court TV (now TruTV), ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, CNBC, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding corporations, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, politicians and other public organizations and public individuals with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.

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Many of you know I started my career in politics before switching to public relations and reputation management. For those who don't know, I was a former aide to several Republicans in the New York State legislature, a former top aide to former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) and later a former top aide to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

In addition, I am a talking-head with several national T.V. news stations regarding reputations in crisis, but for the election cycle, I have also provided weekly commentary regarding the reputation and communications messages of both presidential candidates. However, I have usually been labeled a Republican consultant, which is not accurate. Ironically, I have worked with both Democrats and Republicans for many years. To be accurate, I am a former Republican consultant who backed John McCain early in the campaign.

However, during the campaign, my opinion started to shift. John McCain's message became more and more weak and I saw Barack Obama getting stronger and stronger. I also saw myself in Obama. I am a black man of mixed heritage like him. Like Tiger Woods and others of mixed heritage, I am Barack Obama. In fact, that is something I mentioned in a blog post a few months ago. I also believe our nation needs a change from the politics of the past, especially the recent past. Over time, I began to personally question McCain's judgment, including his choice of Sarah Palin.

Colin Powell has been one of my heroes for quite some time. In fact, he is Godfather to one of my good friends. So when Secretary Powell speaks, I listen. I greatly trust his character, his judgment and his overall opinion.

On NBC's Meet the Press in mid October, Powell said he had some concerns about the Republican Party in recent years, moving more to the right and becoming much more divisive. He also said McCain was unsure how to handle the economic problems we had and several times changed his opinion and plan of action to try to help the economy. He also questioned his choice of Sarah Palin as vice president.

Obama crosses lines (which foster further understanding) including ethnic and racial lines. Powell questioned the attacks on Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers by McCain and the Republican party. McCain's campaign strategy, especially in late fall troubled him. He was also troubled at Republicans calling Obama a Muslim, even when they knew Obama was clearly a Christian.

Powell also said Obama inspires all with the inclusive nature of his campaign. His style and substance make him a transformational figure and a new and powerful leader on the world stage. Similar to Colin Powell himself, in my opinion.

Colin Powell said John McCain was a true patriot and an amazing leader, but not necessarily a leader for this time. Both are qualified to be president, but one is more qualified to lead now.

When I heard Powell clearly voice his support for Obama for many imporant reasons and highlight his concerns, but still great respect for McCain, he echoed my concerns and beliefs and it helped me tremendously.

1) I said many times that I thought America was not ready to vote for a black president. To be blunt, I really thought white Americans, especially white men, were not ready to vote for a black president. Well, our country is changing more quickly than I expected. Americans are becoming more open minded about voting for candidates that don't look like them. That is progress! Our nation is still quite racist and we have many miles to go regarding race relations in our country, but progress is being made, especially among younger Americans. We can learn quite a bit by watching children, teens and young adults. They are breaking through racial barriers every day, even as some parents and grandparents frown upon it.

2) John McCain's message during his campaign, especially during the last two months, was like bird shot flying in all directions and not really sticking to anything. He also took some big risks that were the story of the moment, but did not hold water for the length of the campaign. Largest among the mistakes was the pick of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. Bottom line: the more we got to know her, the more we wanted to laugh at her experience or put her back in a box in Alaska. Just the opposite happened with Barack Obama. The more you get to know Barack Obama, the more you want to know more about him and his policies, not just rhetoric, but a plan of action and inspiration.

3) John McCain is a patriot. He is also an amazing leader, but he is not the man to best help us with the economy and the troubles we have home here in America. He would make a great commander in chief, but we need a commander in chief to end the two wars we have now and not continue them for the next decade or more.

As you can imagine, I thought long and hard about my vote and prayed about it. As a result of all the issues mentioned in this blog and more, I voted for Barack Obama this morning and was quite proud of it. Those who truly know me might not be surprised. I value character, ethics, inclusiveness, confidence, a solid plan, inspiring words and the ability to build great teams. Barack Obama has all of these attributes and more. It took some time for me to make a final decision, but ultimately, I know I made the correct decision for my vote and my country.

Those of you who still have not voted, please do so as soon as possible today. Every vote is extremely important. Remember, people around the world die for the right to vote every day. Please don't take it for granted.

Remember, do the right thing with your reputation and seek the counsel of an experienced strategic public relations and reputation management expert. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything!™

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Comments:

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