Stop and Think

"I don't have to!" my 7 year old daughter blurted out last night when she was told to put her pajamas on. This sometimes happens after a long day or when she doesn't get her way. To help her manage this spontaneous and unacceptable behavior, we had her create a sign that hangs in our kitchen. It says "Stop and Think," which is what she's supposed to do before she says something she might later regret.

Kenneth Cole probably could have used a sign like that last week when he wrote a tweet about Cairo. The tweet that sparked it all said:

Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online.

Using the unrest in Egypt as a springboard to announce your latest collection isn't a smart move. After all, this came on the same day that journalists were being punched and beaten with sticks. An international crisis was unfolding. It was serious stuff.

In my last seminar, I discussed how important it is to develop a social media policy for your employees. The sample document provided includes the following two lines:

• Always pause: Think before posting. That said, reply to comments in a timely manner, when a response is appropriate.
• If you screw up: If you make a mistake, admit it. Be upfront and be quick with your correction. If you're posting to a blog, you may choose to modify an earlier post -- just make it clear that you have done so.

Obviously Kenneth Cole didn't pause before posting the message but luckily he managed to get the second one right. After realizing the uproar over his comments, he posted again:

Re Egypt tweet: we weren't intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment -KC

And two hours after that, Cole removed the tweet and apologized on Facebook. His apology:

I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

Obviously Kenneth did a good job of admitting his mistake and the Twitter community seemed to accept his sincere apology. However, we all can learn from his mistake and remember to stop and think before we post a message. Ask yourself, "How will this message be received by others? Am I attempting to benefit myself at the expense of someone else? Is my message sincere and helpful to the recipient?"

Taking just a few seconds to ask yourself these questions may save you hours of regret. Just ask my daughter, who still had to put on her pajamas AND had to go to bed without a snack. Always stop and think.