When leaders choose reputation over accountability, they often lose both
What every institution should learn from the Columbia University scandal A recent article about Columbia University and former OB-GYN Robert Hadden stopped me in my tracks. Not because institutional scandals are unusual. They are not. What struck me was how familiar the pattern felt. I have seen many organizations face allegations of misconduct, ethical failures, regulatory concerns and complaints from the people they serve. Sometimes the allegations prove true. Sometimes the
Catherine Cameron
Sep 33 min read
A Leader’s Guide to Responding When Someone Raises a Concern
Throughout my career advising health care, nonprofit and community organizations on communications, reputation and stakeholder relationships, I have seen one thing repeatedly: trust is often defined by how leaders respond when they hear something difficult. Every organization will eventually face a moment when someone raises a concern, identifies a risk or shares information that challenges what leaders believe to be true. The instinctive response may be to explain, defend or
Catherine Cameron
Aug 263 min read
When Organizational Silence Becomes a Reputation Risk
Organizations spend considerable time defining their values. Integrity, respect, accountability and compassion are carefully articulated in strategic plans, on websites and in leadership communications. These values shape how organizations want to be understood by employees, clients, partners and the communities they serve. However, values are not truly tested when circumstances are straightforward. They are tested when someone raises a concern that is difficult to hear, when
Catherine Cameron
Aug 264 min read
Trust Requires Transparency: The Importance of Boundaries in Professional Relationships
Trust is the foundation of every professional relationship. When we seek the expertise of a regulated professional, we are placing confidence in more than their technical skills. We are trusting that their judgment will be exercised independently, ethically, and in our best interests. Whether the relationship is between a patient and physician, a client and lawyer, a student and educator, or a pet owner and veterinarian, there is an underlying expectation: professional respon
Catherine Cameron
Aug 223 min read
When a Complaint Is More Serious Than It Looks
Most organizations don't struggle with a lack of information. They struggle with information that conflicts with what they want to believe. This becomes particularly difficult when the information concerns someone respected within the organization, someone with a strong professional reputation or someone who has been trusted for years. Organizations and the people within them can become so invested in what they believe about a person that they start evaluating the evidence ag
Catherine Cameron
Aug 193 min read