Open House: Archives

The recent deaths of the pop star, a star athlete, and the architect of the Vietnam War have inspired some interesting reactions. While the public has mourned the loss of Michael Jackson, Steve McNair and Robert McNamara, there’s also been a lot of grappling with their overall legacy. That’s because each man hardly turned out to be an easy read. Jackson’s chart-topping talent was only rivaled by his well-documented strangeness. McNair—a cool-under-fire quarterback who was also extraordinarily generous, devoted to his community, and gracious with fans—apparently wandered from his marriage and died at the hands of his 20-year-old mistress. And McNamara’s good works fighting poverty as president of the World Bank were definitely eclipsed by his role as Secretary of Defense and unanimous scapegoat of the left, right and center during the Vietnam War. I’m not making judgments about these men. Instead, I’m a witness to the public’s difficulty in arriving at its net perception of them following the reality of their deaths.

There’s a lesson here for all of us, including businesses. All organizations have reputations. Those reputations are representative of our past and present achievements, and indications of future contributions. What would be our net perception of Nike’s extraordinary ability to empower athletes if it weren’t complicated by the company’s past exploitation of third-world workers? Would non-profit hospitals be more successful in fundraising if their reputations weren’t dragged down by allegations of excessive pay to executives? As a Qwest customer, how great would I feel about the company’s bold defiance of the NSA’s domestic spying program if it weren’t for the former CEO’s indictment on 42 counts of insider trading, not to mention some shaky customer service?

These questions aren’t for answering. They can’t be answered. Instead, they create questions for ourselves: What do we truly want to be known for? What’s getting in the way? What are the words within your organization’s Venn diagram? Are they the words you want? If they aren’t, what will it take to change them?