Guard Your Professional Reputation

A person's reputation is important and valuable, and must be protected. In July, 2010 a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee, Shirley Sherrod, was all over the nightly news, with allegations of racism. Even the NAACP denounced and repudiated her. Shortly after the controversy surfaced, Ms. Sherrod was summarily fired by USDA. In fact, she was driving to a meeting when she received a series of calls, one of which indicated the "White House" wanted her out of there. Under extreme pressure Ms. Sherrod submitted her resignation. All of this took place in a little over one day. It turns out it was all one giant, public, misunderstanding, with statements taken out of context, facts in complete contradiction to the reports, and a much bigger story.

How Could it Go this Far (this Fast)?

Ms. Sherrod is a respected manager, a positive "face" for the government, and represents her employer well. One day she was competent, highly regarded, and secure. The next day her name was in all the national media, she left her job in disgrace, and was unemployed; almost a national pariah.

Ms. Sherrod is a black (African-American) woman. She was alleged to have discriminated against a white farmer- some twenty years ago. Unfortunately, Ms. Sherrod recently recounted her experience, which occurred some decades earlier, at a public meeting. Like almost everything these days, her speech was videotaped. When an edited version of her comments were leaked to conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart it set the stagefor a rapid sequence of events.

What REALLY Happened?

Ms. Sherrod did have professional contact and interaction with the white farmer. The farmer was in financial difficulty and was about to lose his farm through foreclosure. Ms. Sherrod was called to help. She initially felt the man was acting "superior" because of his Caucasian race. Because of her perception, she even considered not helping him as much as she was able to. In the end, her ethical and moral nature triumphed over those baser instincts, and she offered full assistance and support. The farmer's farm was saved, everyone was happy; the farmer and the government employee even became friends. (The man even came to her defense in televised interviews.) The real story was not one of racism, discrimination, and unfair treatment, instead it is an inspiring tale of moral and ethical redemption and victory.

Instead of silently walking away with her head held down, Shirley Sherrod confronted her accusers. She spoke on national television. She told her side of the story. She questioned her accusers motives. She fought for her reputation. She prevailed. She received public apologies from White House spokesperson (Robert Gibbs) and was offered another position (probably at a higher level) at USDA.

Was There a Happy Ending?

The damage has been done. Some people will only recall the allegations. The government looks bad from mid-level, all the way to the President. Civil Rights protectors (like the NAACP) may jump on the "bandwagon" and fail to protect the interests of those they're in place to represent. The media reputation, as low as it is, suffered even more. There was plenty of disgraceful and unwarranted conduct to go around. Only through the courage of the victim (Ms. Sherrod) were corrective actions taken.

Lessons to be Learned

There are many lessons to be learned from this incident, here are some:

--You may be falsely accused

--Your words can be taken out of context

--People will jump to unfair conclusions

--Your integrity may be impugned

--Despite your views, you may be viewed as racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or having some other prejudice

--Your actions or words could be mis-interpreted, taken out of context, or falsely reported

--Your employer may act without all the facts

--The innocent are frequently accused, maligned, or convicted for perceived misdeeds

--You could end up on the nightly news (for something you did, or DID NOT do)

--You need to protect, and fight for, your reputation

When employers, professional colleagues, or the public think of you, will they think of an Edsel or a Mercedes?

Ben A. Carlsen, Ed.D, MBA, is an experienced leader and educator with over 30 years experience in management, consulting, and teaching. Dr. Carlsen is a management consultant, and business writer in the Miami, Florida area. Carlsen was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Productivity Managers Network, Chair of the Marketing Managers Association, and President of the Association for Systems Management (So. California Chapter). For more info visit: drben.info