These core principles guide our work on your behalf and reflect years of hard-won wisdom.

Authenticity

Be authentic to your brand, mission, beliefs and voice. You lose authority and weight when you are not authentic and/or wade into topics that are not a part of your expertise or ministry focus.

Ownership

Practice extreme ownership. Own who you are, what you believe and what you have done. Even if you can shift the blame, don’t. People admire and trust people who own problems and fix them.

Apologies

Be quick and earnest in an apology. Name the pain/insult, properly acknowledge the victim, and outline steps toward resolution and future accountability.

Voice + Tone

Avoid formulaic, corporate-sounding, overly polished language. Responses need to reflect the organization’s voice and tone in a winsome and authentic manner; limit Christian jargon.

Courage

Be courageous and forthright in owning who you are, your position on issues or a mistake you made.

Balance

Balance truth and grace in your posture. Jesus was the perfect example of this.

Clarity

Do not mince words or try to skirt issues. People see through this approach and hold it against you.

Humility

In this divisive and aggressive landscape, a posture of humility can be the balm a tense situation desperately needs and may engender some humility from the other side too.

Consistency

While a considerate mind is beneficial, don’t be unstable. Particularly in moments of tension, it is easy to abandon convictions and jump on a bandwagon. Change may be needed, but make sure it is authentic, thoughtful and consistent in the new direction.

Focus

Weather unfounded criticism and employ long-term thinking. Don’t let anyone get you off-message, try to define you by a minor point or box you into an overly simplistic position. Allow your organizational vision and goals to guide your actions.

Management

PR problems are often management problems or issues that have become public. Keep your house in order and mind your management.

Perspective

A crisis can feel like the world is ending, but you need to have the right perspective on current impact, potential impact and the consequences of certain outcomes. This will help you know how seriously to take the situation, inform whether you should elevate the issue by responding, and know how to respond if needed.

Professionalism

Resist the temptation to fight a war of words. Keep your responses non-emotional, except in an apology or expression of compassion. Do not engage critics or elevate the platform of trolls.

Word + Deed

Actions often speak louder than words, particularly when demonstrating a change your organization wishes to make. We have seen increasing backlash against organizations espousing hollow rhetoric. Your constituents and critics are now looking past words to analyze history and actions.

Winsomeness

A warm sun will remove a jacket more effectively than a strong wind. Love, kindness, humility and selflessness are now rare qualities, and as such, are noticeable and powerful attributes in the public sphere.