So my 8-year-old son, Adam, comes up from the basement the other day with a sheepish look on his face. "What's up?" I asked as he fidgeted nervously in front of me.
"Well, the DVD player kinda stopped working," he stammered while avoiding any eye contact.
"Really?" I said. "Just stopped working, out of the blue?"
Now, a year ago under these same circumstances, Adam would have hemmed and hawed, giving up only as much information as needed so as not to incriminate himself. But over time he's come to learn that, no matter what he's done, he'll be in far more trouble if he tries to hide it instead of taking responsibility for his actions.
Which makes me wonder why the leaders of Toyota haven't figured out what my 8-year-old has already mastered. I understand the lawyers' imperative of minimizing liability by not admitting fault. But not disclosing the true scope of problem that's already the subject of intense public scrutiny is just throwing gasoline on a raging fire.
There are dozens of examples of organizations that have gained public empathy and support by disclosing the the full extent of a problem at the earliest opportunity. Mistakes happen, and sometimes companies are as innocent as the eventual victims of those very mistakes. But the public -- and an increasingly zealous media -- won't forgive painstakingly selective disclosures aimed at minimizing potential damage in the courtroom.
Tell it. Tell it fast. And tell it all. It ain't rocket science. Just ask my 8-year-old son.
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