Glass Jaw, Eric Dezenhall
Glass Jaw, Eric Dezenhall
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Glass Jaw
A Manifesto for Defending Fragile Reputations in an Age of Instant Scandal

Author: Eric Dezenhall

Narrator: Kevin Stillwell

Unabridged: 8 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 10/07/2014


Synopsis

In an age when scandal can destroy a company's brand or anyone's reputation in an instant -- Glass Jaw is an Art of War guide to modern crisis management.

In boxing terms, a tough-looking fighter who can't take a punch is said to have a "glass jaw," and so it is these days with targets of controversy. Down the rabbit hole of scandal, the weak are strong and the strong are weak. Just consider this slate of recent reputational body blows: Toyota, Susan G. Komen, Paula Deen, Tiger Woods, Joe Paterno, BP, the Duke Lacrosse players, Lance Armstrong, and Anthony Weiner. Glass Jaw is a manifesto for these times, written by crisis management veteran Eric Dezenhall, who has spent three decades dealing with some of the most intense controversies, both known and . . . handled with discretion. In the current digital age, the fundamental nature of controversy is viral, rendering once-mighty organizations and individuals powerless against scandal. In Glass Jaw, Dezenhall analyzes scandal and demystifies the paper tiger "spin" industry, offering lessons, corrective measures, and counterintuitive insights, such as: How there really is no "getting ahead" of a bad story (and other cliches from the media) The perils of navigating the "Fiasco Vortex" The art (and transaction) of the public apology Why a crisis is not an opportunity The Nixon Fallacy: if only he had just said "I screwed up," the whole thing would have gone away (not a chance) How you are the enemy: the self-sabotage of selfies, tweets, emailing before thinking, technology creep, the privacy vacuum, and the industrialization of leaking. From the boardroom to the parenting messaging board, scandals erupt every day. Glass Jaw explains this changing nature of controversy and offers readers counterpunches to best protect themselves.

Author Bio

Eric Dezenhall is an award-winning author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, including Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War (with Gus Russo), which is being made into a feature film. He founded one of the nation’s first crisis management firms and worked in the White House, where President Reagan once called him “Derek.” His organizational skills were deemed insufficient for membership in organized crime, but he’s really trying.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Douglas on August 07, 2017

Very interesting study on what corporations, institutions, colleges, and individuals ought to do when they get caught up in what the author calls the "Fiasco Vortex."......more

Goodreads review by Zak on December 30, 2019

What to do when embroiled in a scandal or PR crisis. Eye-opening in that some strategies are counter-intuitive.......more

Goodreads review by Virginia on March 16, 2015

This is the antidote to snake oil from big PR and crisis firms. Eric has been at this for decades, and he knows of what he speaks. He looks at the current media environment through the lens of such high-profile cases as Komen, NSA and Toyota. You know - cases that prompted "experts" to go on TV to s......more

Goodreads review by Ed on March 13, 2019

Eric Dezenhall is an acquired taste, which may account for some of the relatively low rankings here. Typical “PR” types are not likely to appreciate his perspective since he calls the approaches and talents of much of that field into question. They frequently rely on shopworn tropes such as a) get ah......more

Goodreads review by Rocky on December 28, 2016

Reading this book during the current electoral season gave unique context and perspective, as it felt I had an inside track on how spin doctor's, the media, and the public react or respond amidst a scandal, or appearance there of. It was an entertaining read, and I highly recommend it. What I took aw......more