Question:
My former employees’ lies cost me a job. I was a finalist for a senior position when the prospective employer searched online when checking references and read the derogatory stories posted on Facebook by my former employee. The hiring committee let me explain that after I fired a dishonest employee for cause, he and his friends came after me on social media. While the committee believed what I said, they explained they couldn’t afford to have their clients and employees see the stories and not trust their hiring decision.
With that job avenue closed, I opened a consulting company I’d honed through years of business development. Once again, these posts created problems, warning prospective clients to stay away.
The reputation damage from this social media smear campaign blindsided me. There’s not enough written about how people can repair reputation damage. I reached out to X and Facebook, but they refused to remove the defamatory posts, saying other users had the right to their opinions. The reputation damage consultants I found on the internet cost thousands of dollars. So what do I do?
Answer:
You’re not alone. Each of us needs to protect our online reputation. As Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
For individuals, defamatory posts can torpedo a job search or cause a brushfire that torches personal and professional relationships.
Those who run large and small companies similarly need to safeguard themselves from reputation hacks. A recent survey documents that 88% of brand executives view reputation damage as a top strategic business concern. For employers, reputation proves crucial, as employees who trust their employers are 260% more motivated to work hard and 50% less likely to leave.
Here’s your way through what’s happened to you.
Close the vacuum
Those with reputations bombarded by misinformation need to realize they’ve allowed a vacuum into which one-sided posts can sway others’ opinions. Counter this reputation rot. When you ignore social media “noise,” you allow others to create your narrative.
Flood the internet with quality posts on WordPress, X, LinkedIn and Facebook until the positive content you create outranks the negative posts in Google search algorithms, pushing negative posts onto the second results page, viewed by fewer than 10% of searchers.
Realize you can prevail
You can rebuild your reputation and come out stronger, or at least whole. Consider how Bill Clinton, caught with his pants down in the Oval Office, reclaimed the national stage. Martha Stewart rebuilt a profitable, respected company after serving five months in prison.
Give others a reason to admire you again
Reputation repair involves counterbalancing negative perceptions with truth. Here’s a painful question: Did those who attacked you have a point?
If so, don’t allow their posts to define your failure or your future. The key to fixing your reputation disaster lies in what you do next. Own up to your actions and confess your mistakes — without excuses. Chapter 19 of “Navigating Conflict” comprehensively covers how to apologize.
Legal options
You can take legal action and have your attorney write a cease-and-desist letter. This sometimes works but can also backfire, leading your attacker to escalate.
Understand the potential danger
Finally, those who’ve never experienced a reputation hack need to realize the potential exists. A surprising number of people voice inflammatory opinions on the internet. As I explained in Chapter 28 of “Beating the Workplace Bully,” the fear of reprisal that squashes unbridled personal attacks in face-to-face interaction doesn’t exist online. Because internet users can’t see one another, those who attack others dissociate their remarks from the hurt these posts cause real people. Further, angry people rejoice in the internet’s widespread, instantaneous access and ability to inflict far-reaching damage with just one post.
Have others trashed your reputation? By closing the vacuum and building a positive narrative, you can emerge stronger than before.