JOHN KADOR

John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame University, attended the Covid19 super-spreader event that was the White House announcement of Judge Amy Coney Barret. Photographs of an unmasked Jenkins sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with others, shaking hands during the ceremony at the White House drew immediate criticism from students who had orders, on pain of explusion, to reject the type of conduct Jenkins participated in. Jenkins (center) with President Trump and others. No fewe

On March 25, there was an altercation between a woman dog-walker and a bird-watching man in Central Park. Amy Cooper was walking her dog unleashed in an area where leashes are required. Chris Cooper (no relation) was bird-watching. When Chris Cooper asked Amy Cooper to leash her dog, her emotional response created a media sensation. A video made of the event has been watched more than 25 million times. What gave this altercation such an edge is that Amy Cooper is a white wom

Even a perfect apology doesn’t vaccinate a company against fallout from corporate misbehavior. Two weeks after Equifax chairman and CEO Richard F. Smith apologized for a data breach that compromised the private financial information of 143 million people, the stock has plummeted 30%, two executives have been forced out, Congress is investigating, regulators are swarming, class action suits have been filed, and millions of consumers are up in arms. Wait. Wasn’t a good corporat

As the pace of apologies by business people responding to accusations of sexual misconduct accelerates, the apologies are not keeping up. One reason is that too many apologizers burden their apologies with explanations. Mario Batali explains too much methinks. Celebrity chef Mario Batali runs a restaurant empire worth about $250 million. Recently accused of groping and other trespasses against women employees, he issued a genuinely admirable apology until it went off the rail

Let’s consider the question another way. Is there such a thing as an insincere waiter? An inattentive waiter, sure. An incompetent waiter, all too often. Even a surly waiter, on thankfully rare occasions. But if your meal is delivered accurately, politely, in a timely manner, do you ever speculate if the waiter’s heart is really in it? So why are we so hung up on sincerity and apology? We seem to be very concerned that we might be duped into accepting an apology from an offen

Recently two high profile companies experienced high-visibility failures. Travis Kalanick, the founder and CEO of the ride sharing firm Uber, issued an apology following a belligerent conversation he had with an Uber driver. Also, Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC), the accounting firm working with the Oscars award ceremony, mishandled the distribution of envelopes announcing the winners at the Academy Awards presentation and issued an apology. Has a corporate failure ever played o

Most people have enough difficulty apologizing for their behavior in the moment. Apology becomes even more complicated when it comes to apologizing for events that occurred in the past but are only recently disclosed. That’s the situation facing Donald Trump. The Washington Post disclosed a 2005 video and audio of Donald Trump making lewd, misogynistic, and profane comments about women. The political world, Republicans as well as Democrats, exploded in revulsion. Trump neede

Mug shot following Benjamin Golden’s attack on a Uber driver Benjamin Golden, the ex Taco Bell marketing manager, was all over the news as the Uber passenger caught on camera attacking his driver. He was drunk and claims to have no memory of the incident. Now he has offered an apology. Now comes the classic evasion of responsibility: the old “it was the booze that did it.” “It’s not me in the video, it’s not me,” Golden said. Except It Is Him. On the most superficial level, t

Is there any offense that’s so terrible that no apology can be its equal? Rabbi Barry Freundel leaves the D.C. Superior Court House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. Freundel accused of videotaping women at a Jewish ritual bath, was in court for a scheduled status hearing. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) This is one of the most common questions I hear as I talk about effective apology. We now have an offense that tests the question. It’s the case of Barry Freundel, a once-influen

Some people dismiss an apology as “just words.”  A gesture without substance. The words of the minister perform a legally-enforceable action. But the following are also “just words.” Or are they something more? Minister: By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married. Jury: We, the jury, find the defendant guilty. Judge: I hereby sentence you to 55 years in state prison. King: I dub thee knight. Official: I now christen this ship The Constellation. Boss: You’re fired!