Best quote of the month
‘Over the last week I have watched our people [Arthur Andersen employees] have rallies, basically crying for their dignity and I just wanted to help.
I just felt the best signal I could give to our people was to sacrifice the only thing I have left to give: my job.’ –
Joseph Berardino, former worldwide CEO of Arthur Andersen,
March 28, New York Times
Berardino was too late to the PR game to help his own career. Nonetheless, he had a great quote here that told his story in the most positive light. His basic message was that the vast majority of Andersen employees are great people and they might be helped if they had new leadership.
Berardino is quotable because first, he starts with a personal example (‘I have watched…’). Second, he paints a bold picture of action (‘rallies’). Third, he is highly emotional (‘crying’, ‘dignity’). Fourth, his words are action-oriented (‘I just wanted to help,’ ‘sacrifice’). Fifth, he uses an emotional absolute (‘the only thing I have left to give’). Sixth, he uses a specific example of his sacrifice (‘my job’).
Worst quote of the month
‘I realize the announcement of my departure may seem untimely to some because of the recent Enron problem. I can’t control how people may choose to view this decision, but the simple truth is that I’m ready for a change.’
– Tom Herndon, executive director of the Florida State Board of Administration, March 29, New York Times
Under Herndon’s management, the Florida pension fund lost $328 mn in Enron investments. Herndon is now ‘retiring’. Herndon blunders by restating his detractors’ charges against him and by trying to establish a complicated context. Instead, he should have created a simple, stand-alone positive message and stuck to it: ‘I am retiring now simply because I want to and it’s a good time to start another career.’ Herndon makes a bad situation worse by restating what everyone assumes to be true: he got canned because he lost a fortune and was judged to be incompetent. He was quoted because, one, he is personal; two, he uses clichés (‘untimely…departure,’ ‘the simple truth’); three, he voices attacks on himself from others; four, he uses popular references (Enron); five, he is highly emotional and personal (‘I can’t control…’); and six, he is attacking his detractors by implying they are wrong in their analysis.
