David Letterman began his show last night by telling a story* to the audience. He told of getting into his car to find an envelop that contained evidence of his sexual relationships with female staff and a letter requesting $2 million in return for not publishing that evidence. In an awkward moment met with uncertain laughter and clapping from the audience, Letterman admitted that he has had sex with female staffers. As a result, the potential blackmailer no longer has a leg to stand on. Letterman effectively took the wind out of his sails.
Getting out in front of bad news with the truth and addressing it on your own terms is important. Whether it’s a poor quarterly performance report, employee misconduct or any other potentially damaging news, it’s vital to directly address the information with the truth. It remains to be seen whether Letterman saved his job and reputation, but the blackmailer has been caught and the threat of extortion removed.
*Go to YouTube.com and search for “Letterman Confession” to view the tape from his show.
No Comments so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.