I’ve been fascinated by the rolling news story this week concerning the BBC and the way they’ve dealt with the fallout from the Jonathan Ross / Russell Brand prank phone call debacle - or “Manuel Gate” as my erstwhile colleagues on the red tops have dubbed it.What I’ve found so compelling about this story isn’t the content of the so-called prank calls the star presenters made to actor Andrew Sachs (which I found borish and unfunny) but the way the BBC handled the fallout afterwards.
Incredibly it took the corporation 36 hours to respond to the Mail On Sunday’s story about the calls - by which time the row had escalated to the point where there were calls for the pair to be sacked and even politicans like David Cameron and the Prime Minister were demanding explanations.
You might think there’s nothing for you to learn in all this but I would disagree. This is a great example of the wrong way for an organisation to handle a crisis.
What the BBC should have done is come out much sooner with decisive action - apologies to those offended, suspensions for Brand and Ross and the promise of a full investigation. All of these things should have been done on day one - not day three. Instead the BBC chose to do nothing - allowing the row to reach boiling point until the policy of inaction could no longer be tolerated. By then Brand had to fall on his sword, ending his BBC career.
If action had been taken sooner the fall out could have been far less and I doubt anyone would have been forced to resign. As it is senior BBC Radio executives have had to follow Brand and tender their resignations.
Next time there is a crisis at your company - and the press are sniffing blood - remember that the worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and hope they will go away. They won’t.
Instead, be bold. Take swift action. If mistakes have been made, admit them, apologise and promise lessons have been learnt. If you react quickly you could prevent the need for any resignations.