What’s Your Reputation Worth?

  1. July 9th, 2013  | 

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Published in Event, Reputation

Aaron Hernandez was arrested June 26 on charges of murder, and two days later the New England Patriots waived him from the team.

This past Saturday, the Patriots opened the team store early so fans could exchange at no cost their Aaron Hernandez jerseys for any Patriots jersey in the store.

By closing time on Saturday, more than 1,200 jerseys had been exchanged, a cost to the club of approximately $200,000.

Why would the Patriots voluntarily make such a costly offer?

A 2012 study commissioned by Aon, the multinational insurance company, concluded that when a reputation-threatening event occurs, “there is an 80 percent chance of a company losing at least 20 percent of its value (over and above the market) in any single month, in a given five-year period,” and “in each case, the value loss was sustained.”

Forbes magazine estimates the Patriots’ value at $1.635 billion.

It’s simple math. The Patriots figured $200,000 was a small price to pay to maintain their reputation as one of the most successful NFL teams in modern-era history.

About the Author: Greg Bustin advises some of the world’s most admired companies and leaders, and he’s dedicated a career to working with CEOs and the leadership teams of hundreds of companies in a range of industries. He’s facilitated more than 250 strategic planning sessions, he’s delivered more than 600 keynotes and workshops on every continent except Antarctica, and he coaches leaders who are inspired to take their career to the next level. His fourth leadership book— Accountability: The Key to Driving a High-Performance Culture (McGraw-Hill) —is a Soundview Executive Best Business Book.

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