Best quote of the month
‘When I found out what was going on, it wasn’t acceptable, period.’
– Jeffrey Barbakow, CEO, Tenet Healthcare, New York Times, November 11
Barbakow is reacting to scandalous revelations that his company saw rapid earnings growth from charging overly aggressive prices to public and private insurers. Barbakow is in a crisis where every comment can make matters worse. In this quote, he is adroitly positioning himself as the victim, not the perpetrator, and then finally, as a principled man of action.
Barbakow is quotable first because he is personal – ‘I.’ Second, ‘found out’ is action-oriented. Third, ‘wasn’t acceptable’ is an absolute. Fourth, ‘period’ is an absolute, a part of a cliché, and has an emotional component.
Worst quote of the month
‘I went back to my normal negative self [regarding AT&T stock]. [Michael Armstrong, AT&T CEO] never knew that we both played him like a fiddle.’
– Jack Grubman, former Citigroup analyst, New York Times, November 15
Grubman is seemingly admitting to a plan involving the CEO of Citigroup, Sanford Weill, to manipulate Armstrong. The quote, from an e-mail message, suggests that Grubman gave AT&T an increased rating for two secret and illegitimate reasons: helping Weill in a power struggle for supremacy at Citigroup; and assuring his children’s entry into an exclusive preschool at the 92nd Street Y.
If you are going to participate in conspiracies that involve huge corporate institutions, well-known business executives and investment fortunes for self-serving purposes, it’s best not to write this down in a permanent, e-mail format (especially not with glee).
Grubman is quotable because, one, ‘I’ is personal. Two, ‘negative self’ is attacking. Three, ‘played him like a fiddle’ is a cliché and an analogy. Four, ‘played’ is action oriented. Five, the whole quote is emotional. Six, Grubman is also emotional in the way he is seemingly confessing to deceit and treachery – always a favorite of journalists looking for a juicy quote.
TJ Walker, a New York City-based media/speech trainer, coaches senior executives for media and speaking appearances. See www.mediatrainingworldwide.com.
