Tonight I had a client face a potentially fatal public relations crisis. Without going into too much detail, we solved it by figuring out that it was all a big misunderstanding. But the point is this. This company was saved a lifetime of humiliation all because we were able to address the concern immediately and stop it before it went semi-viral -- which could have severely damaged their good reputation overnight.
In the end, the customers with the misunderstanding apologized publicly and the client was able to put an even better face on it by addressing the issue, showing genuine empathy for their plight.
The moral: PAY ATTENTION to your little campfires. Take your eye off them and they can set the whole forest ablaze.