Topical Summary | Corporate Reputation in an Era of Stakeholder Scrutiny

This theme is built on insights from multiple 2025 Page Spring Seminar sessions, with these insights being directly sourced from key takeaways and action items from our Peer Conversations.

The consistent takeaway? Corporate trust is built through action, not words. Business leaders must anchor themselves in purpose, authenticity, and stakeholder engagement—or risk losing credibility in an era of scrutiny.

Key Takeaways for Page & Page Up Members

• Business purpose must guide decisions. The best reputation strategy is consistency with mission, vision, and values. Companies that stick to their north star make better long-term choices, even under public pressure.
• Silence is sometimes the best response. A key discussion point was when NOT to react—leaders should have a messaging framework for deciding when to engage, delay, or stay silent.
• Leaders must model resilience. One of the most cited insights was that "complexity requires clarity, but clarity does not require perfection." Leaders should project calm and empower teams while navigating uncertainty.
• Encourage permission to fail. Several members shared that fear of failure is growing—especially among younger professionals. Encouraging calculated risk-taking and learning from mistakes leads to better decision-making.

Go Deeper: Thought Leadership & Research

• MacLeod, A., & O’Rourke, J. (2024). The Changing Remit of the CCO: New Leadership in Navigating New Complexity. Page Society Blog.
• Deloitte. (2024) Corporate Affairs Study: Communicators as Trusted Navigators. Deloitte.
• Boston Consulting Group. (2024) From Crisis to Comeback: The Long Road to Rebuilding Corporate Trust.  BCG.

What Members Are Saying

Insights:

💡 The impact of incivility – A session takeaway highlighted that workplace incivility reduces productivity by 36 minutes per incident. Leaders must recognize the hidden costs of toxic workplace behaviors and address them proactively.

💡 It’s not bi-partisan, it’s non-partisan – Communicators must help organizations engage on policy, not politics. One discussion emphasized that remaining non-partisan builds credibility, while perceived partisanship can erode trust.

💡 Strategy sessions without comms input only produce discussion notes—not strategy – Participants shared that executive teams often discuss ideas but fail to translate them into actionable strategy without communications expertise.

💡 You need to understand vision to share vision – One key takeaway was that leaders who struggle to communicate purpose often don’t fully understand it themselves. CCOs must work to align leadership teams on vision before crafting external messaging.

💡 Take this administration seriously, not literally – A widely cited lesson was that understanding intent matters more than reacting to every statement. Effective engagement means focusing on policy outcomes rather than rhetoric.

💡 Practice deep listening – Many communicators noted that truly hearing stakeholders—rather than just preparing a response—is key to building trust and driving alignment.

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Actions:

✔️ Increase empowerment of team members by redirecting direct questions to them – One leader shared a plan to refer more inquiries to their team members to build confidence and distribute responsibility.

✔️ Giving teams permission to fail—encouraging it – A common theme was that younger employees are increasingly risk-averse. Leaders must actively model and encourage a culture where failure leads to growth.

✔️ Authenticity is a challenge for CEOs because it requires vulnerability. To help them, make the business case for authenticity – Leaders need to see authenticity as a business strength, not a personal risk. Communicators can help by tying authenticity to stakeholder trust and reputation.

✔️ Concept of when you make mistakes—call it out in the open and take accountability – One participant noted that owning mistakes openly creates stronger leadership. Another added that younger generations fear failure more than previous ones, so modeling accountability is critical.

✔️ Being comfortable with not responding, and giving a reason for it – A participant shared a plan to develop a messaging framework for when to stay silent. The key: Not just choosing not to respond, but clearly communicating why.

From LinkedIn (#PageSpring Highlights):

(David Grossman via LinkedIn)