Shock or Not? 100% of CEOs Frequently Think About Their Company’s Reputation

New research from Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross and the Weber Shandwick team suggests company executives are well aware of the importance of a spotless reputation–and just how easily they can personally screw it up!

Of the 703 senior executives polled a whopping 100% of CEOs admit to frequently thinking about their company’s reputation–although only 38% of executives seem to care about their personal reputation. Clearly they’ve not heard that 87% of us tie a CEO’s reputation to that of the company (source: Hill & Knowlton).

It also appears that the higher-up the totem pole an executive is, the less threats he or she sees against their company’s reputation. At the CEO level only 56% see a "High/Moderate" threat to the company reputation, while those below the chief executive see a 67% threat. Of course, both camps are being a little too hopeful, what with previous studies showing 83% of companies will face a reputation crisis in the next five years that devalues them by 20-30% (source: Oxford-Metrica).

Lastly, a staggering 87% of global executives admit they’ve sent out (or received) at least one email, text, or Tweet, that could have led to a reputation-suicide.

You can download a full copy of Risky Business: Reputations Online or pick up a copy of Gaines-Ross’ book Corporate Reputation or my own Radically Transparent.