I’m a professional
Better decisions about public positions
For the people who have something valuable to protect and may be asked, with little warning, to say where they stand.
When the controversy arrives, it is already too late to start deciding what your organization believes.
Most organizations have a crisis communications plan. Many have a cybersecurity plan and a disaster recovery plan. Very few have a plan for deciding whether to comment when a political or social controversy suddenly involves the brand. The result is improvisation under pressure: a statement drafted in an afternoon, a silence nobody chose on purpose, or a reversal that becomes a bigger story than the original decision.
The Unofficial Ballot is not commentary about the political environment, and it does not tell you what to believe. It is a repeatable decision framework for whether to speak, when to stay neutral, and how to do either one deliberately. Politics is the environment. Reputation and decision-making are the product.
The framework
Six steps, each with a test that can stop you
From Chapter 17, The Core Decision Framework. Run the steps in order, before any statement is drafted. The goal is not a “yes” or a “no.” It is a decision you can defend six months from now.
Connection
Does the issue touch what you actually do — your products, workforce, supply chain, or stated mission? “Our customers care about it” is a marketing impulse, not a connection.
Standing
Have you earned the right to speak? Name the action you have already taken that you could show a skeptical reporter.
Audience
Who are you actually speaking to? Name your core customers, your employees, and one other group that matters, and where each is likely to land.
Fallout
Price the downside of speaking, of staying silent, and of speaking and later reversing. The reversal is almost always the worst of the three.
Action
What will you do beyond words? A position with no funded action behind it is a target with no armor.
Consistency
Can you hold the position for years, and does it fit your past? If you would fold the first time the pressure flips, do not start.
Who it is written for
Find your starting chapters
Every reader should start with Chapter 17. These are the chapters to read next, by role.
Corporate communications and PR leaders
Chief communications officers, corporate affairs executives, communications directors, and PR agency principals who are asked, often within hours, whether the organization will say something.
CEOs, founders, and business owners
Leaders whose personal reputation and the company’s are difficult to separate, and who can be asked to take a position by customers, employees, or a viral post with little warning.
Attorneys and corporate counsel
Business, employment, media, and in-house counsel who advise organizations and executives on public statements, shareholder pressure, and the reputational side of legal risk.
Reputation and crisis-management professionals
Crisis PR firms, reputation consultants, and brand-safety specialists who need to tell a genuine customer revolt from coordinated noise before recommending a response.
Marketing executives and agency owners
CMOs, brand strategists, social media directors, and agency leaders responsible for campaigns, partnerships, and sponsorships that can put a brand on the ballot.
Free download · PDF · 3 pages
Start with the free worksheet
The Corporate Positioning Decision Worksheet condenses the book’s decision process into ten questions to answer, in writing, before any statement is drafted. It prints cleanly and can be filled in on screen.
Bring the framework to your team
Bill Hartzer works with executive teams, communications departments, and industry audiences on the decisions this book is built around. Formats include a keynote, a 60- to 90-minute working session built on the decision framework, and closed-door executive briefings. See speaking and media for topics.
Quantity pricing is available for leadership teams, communications departments, agencies, and conference attendees. Use the contact page and include the number of copies and the format you need.
The book and this site are educational and are not legal, financial, or public relations advice. See the disclaimer.
Take a side or stay neutral — but do it on purpose.
The book is available now on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and Kindle editions. Have a question, or want Bill to speak? Get in touch.