Rule 8: Learn to Take a Punch

Overview

SNAPSHOT

Have you ever been falsely accused of improper or unethical conduct?

Yes: 64 percent

No: 36 percent

The French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte retreated twice for every time he advanced. He did not have to win all the time; he did not have to win most of the time; he had to win at the right time. Napoleon's greatest skill was knowing when not to fight and when to cut his losses. Let's discuss this issue in the modern corporate environment.

Earlier we discussed how invincible executives bounce back from career setbacks. In this section we will deal with a particular type of career problem that merits special attention: false or untrue publicity. Almost two-thirds of invincible executives have had to deal with untrue allegations about themselves or their companies, and the means by which they deal with this situation provide significant insight into the way they manage their careers.

False or untrue publicity can be something as big as a story about you in the National Enquirer or as small as a backstabbing coworker. But the rules for dealing with false publicity are pretty much the same any way it comes at you.