Another Euro is over, and except Spain most
participating countries are disappointed: Italy because they were shamed during
the finale, Germany because they again failed to bring the cup home, the
Netherland because they didn’t win one single match, Poland and Ukraine, the
hosting country, for not making it to the quarter finals, and so on. The
reactions in the home countries were sometimes extreme: Van Marwijk had to
quit, Germany’s Löw, once “the best coach on earth” all of the sudden
was being doubted. The public, after being ecstatic, was now just making fun of
him. One day up, the other day down.
Trust we say has to be earned. And while it
takes time to build a long lasting relationship, the trust and public opinion
can easily be destroyed. In business the once well perceived bankers have
become the bad guys of our world. And what nobody speaks about is the impact it
has on their self-esteem. Public opinion is of course important for the share
price and will also influence the buying habits of customers, but it also has
an impact on the employer branding. If you want to attract and keep the top
employees you have to have to offer an attractive working environment, but your
public offering, the perception in the outer world also should be positive.
We can’t all be winners, all the time,
companies or football teams. But losing or making mistake doesn’t automatically
have to lead to a loss of trust. The question is, can you prove to your fans,
the public that you have learned your lessons and that you are willing to work
on developing and improving. In business this means improving your internal
processes, raising your ethical behavior, providing the proper services and
products. As in the football world: we are looking forward to the qualifying
games of the world championship. For every team everything is possible again.