A few years ago when I reporter with the National Post, I asked a Nortel PR person - just out of curiosity - why they weren’t running away to a job that didn’t involve accounting scandals and a shrinking stock price. His answer was a little surprising. The reason he stuck around was it was the best crisis management experience you could ever get.
I thought about that conversation today amid the SEC’s filing of charges against another four ex-Nortel executives. I wonder what it’s like to handle PR for Nortel these days given all the crap that is still emerging took place before CEO Mike Zafirovski took the helm. I guess given the circumstances, you just roll with the punches and realize that there’s nothing you can do but put up a brave front as the media has yet another field day at your company’s expense.
Still, it must be discouraging to have your employer dragged through the mud….again. As much as you’re part of a new team committed to reviving Nortel’s fortunes, the past keeps biting you every so often.
Maybe, in a strange way, PR person thrive when it comes to managing bad news - much like reporters get far more excited about bad news than good news. When times are good, it’s a breeze handling requests from the media looking to celebrate a company’s success. But when times are bad, you’ve got to be quick on your feet. If you’re not prepared or fail to execute, you and your company will be crucified.
In any event, I hope the PR folks over at Nortel at well-compensated or, at least, using the experience as a launching pad for the next gig.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Ken // Sep 14, 2007 at 9:15 am
I don’t see how Nortel’s name is getting dragged through the mud again? Back when the accounting issues where discovered the folks that manipulated the numbers were terminated. Nortel can’t officially make any statement like “we are glad the SEC is nailing these guys” because they could get sued over it. But a PR person could easily say (because its true…) “As soon as we discovered the irregularties we reported them to the SEC and since then we have spent large amounts of time and money to get all accounting issues resolved and to make our finanicial reporting system world class. We continue to work with the SEC to help resolve all issues.”
If anything this announcement makes it easier for Nortel. You did mention after all that the folks in question are “ex-Nortel executives”…
2 Casual Observer // Sep 16, 2007 at 9:45 pm
The PR issue is one Nortel can’t seem to shake. From what I’ve heard from insiders, Nortel can’t do much to actually hire younger talent at lower levels of the company. I’d say most of this is due to all the negative press the last several years. I guess this is another reason to hire more folks in Asia where Nortel’s name hasn’t been as sullied.
3 b5media - Technology through September Sound Bites // Sep 26, 2007 at 1:27 pm
[...] Evans of All About Nortel discusses the life and times of a Nortel PR guy: Maybe, in a strange way, PR person thrive when it comes to managing bad news - much like [...]
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