Mr. Lawrence Duprey of CL Financial

As I poured over the news of the government’s bailout of CL Financial, I didn’t only think about my policies and investments throughout the Group, I also thought about my myriad of friends who work in the various companies. For me, the story behind the story always involves the human element and I would bet that my peers and friends at CLICO, CMMB, CIB and Angostura woke up every day this weekend thinking that tomorrow will not be better then today. How could they?

I can’t claim in this case to be fair or impartial.  I love the CL Financial story. It resonates with me the history of its entrepreneurship, bravado, risks and growth. Mr Lawrence Duprey, who I have long admired, didn’t present a picture of hope last Friday. He kept his eyes glued to the speech, his tone was sombre, the jowls, which typically gather around his cheekbones, seemed to droop a bit lower that day.

Still his admittance of making a mistake, his messages of being proactive in his approaches to government, and his desire to be cooperative bodes well.  The side effects of CL Financial picture are not going to be pleasant in the next few weeks. Many are scared for their jobs, their investments, their livelihood. It was good that Mr Duprey stoically stood in the in front of the glare of cameras. 

I hope he continues to stand solidly. I also wish that he remains visible to his employees and agents as the waters grow more turbulent, and it must before it settles.  I hope he relies on his communicators as much as he does finance and legal team.  

In the murky waters,  a space should be  created for the CLICO community to contribute their  experiences and views, providing real context to the stories and messages during this phase. I hope that in the midst of all the cutting, slicing and dicing with the attendant loss of jobs and shuttering of businesses, that open advocacy and authentic and transparent PR remains a key. It is the only way to get the employees and investors through this. 

 Shame. Shame on D' Corner Bar's  co- owner  Chris Leacock.

 The day after 24 year old chemical engineer, Chris Anthony Joseph, was murdered outside his popular watering hole, Leacock was quoted in the Daily Express as saying that while he was saddened by the shooting he was going to reopen his bar immediately. 

“Business as usual," the Express reported him as saying,” we ain't close."

Perhaps Leacock wanted to send a message to Joseph's killers that he was not about to sacrifice his profits at the altar of their madness but the night of the murder was certainly not the time to make that known.

Instead Leacock should have expressed greater despair over the fact that someone was killed at his bar. He should have given more details on how he would augment security if only reassure his customers, and he should have closed his business as a sign of respect for the dead or at least wait until Joseph's warm blood had cooled.

It is the first law of crisis communications when human life is loss to express sincere regret and make that the focus of your statement to the media.

 If Leacock did not know that, then he should have kept his mouth shut. 

In an age of instant connect, viral marketing and social media, does your company have a strategy for gossip and attacks in blogsphere? Five years ago, I would not even have thought of posing this question. Today, corporate reputations are being made or broken in a media environment that is ruled by blogs, facebook, flickr and other popular social mediums.

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