There’s an old saying that a fish rots from the head down.
The expression implies that corruption and craziness within an organisation stem from unprincipled leadership – and creep down from the top to infect the whole body.
Alas the truth underpinning the fish-rotting metaphor has big implications for communication in today’s world.
Scholars have long struggled to ascertain whether the fish-rotting saying originated in Ancient Greece or China or Turkey.
But wherever it started, there’s growing evidence that it applies directly to the self-serving, ally-repelling, media-berating administration of Donald Trump.
You may have noticed that when the United States President Trump doesn’t like the way things are portrayed in the news media, he has a tendency to accuse journalists of spreading “fake news”.
You might also have spotted that the President Trump approach to communicating about dealing with other countries is based on his assumption on the that they’re all over-reliant on the United States and always bent on gaining an unfair advantage.
Such communication tendencies and practices are not recommended in the world of international relations – or in the realm of business.
But these immodest and deranged communication approaches are nonetheless trickling down the fish-rotting chain within the White House hierarchy to others speaking on behalf of the Trump Administration.
Take, for example, an interview on U.S. tariffs given to the BBC by Deputy Assistant to President Trump, Sebastian Gorka.
In an interview with Newsnight presenter, Victoria Derbyshire, Mr Gorka demonstrated Trump-like aggression towards her questions about the massive new American tariffs.
These are being imposed on incoming goods to the United States from 175 countries and territories – including the Britain of the so-called US-UK “special relationship”.
Mr Gorka made the mistake of treating questions from the BBC journalist as if she were speaking on behalf of the British Government – in a country where the separation of the state and the license-fee-funded national broadcaster has been long established.
Simultaneously Mr Gorka gave a spectacular exhibition of how to look and sound paranoid in the face of reasonable media inquiries.
Repeatedly threatening to end the interview early didn’t help.
Be aware that the practice advocated within quality media training response sessions is always to deal with the substance of questions you receive, rather than focus on the actual questioner.
Brace yourself before checking out the Gorka interview here:
The Trump Administration’s fish-rotting tendency has, perhaps not surprisingly, also spread from the Oval Office directly to its media briefings in the White House Press Room.
In some democracies a person holding the position of “press secretary” can gain a certain credibility with journalists by maintaining a small objectivity distance between themselves and their political master.
Sure they will see it as their job to explain actions and policies of the politician they’re working for – just as a good company spokesperson will.
But there’s an important difference between a press secretary who explains the boss’s position and one who merely comes across as an unthinking propagandist.
It may well be challenging for a press secretary working for someone with an ego bigger than Jupiter to perceive the difference between these two approaches.
But in line with long-observed fish-rotting practice, the current White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt – articulate but empathy-free towards her audience – seems incapable of being anything but a one-dimensional Trump propagandist.
Have a listen below to her message on trade for the non-American world.
In line with long-established fish-rotting tendencies, Karoline Leavitt actually declares to the rest of the world: “We don’t need you as much as you need us!!!”
This degree of crass self-centred thinking that should never be allowed to prevail in the corporate world for a company’s own good.
Any business that sees itself as more important than its customers will find it hard to thrive – or even to survive.
Media interview response training deals with getting your organisation’s message and tone exactly right for every situation.
Anyone within a media interview training session who asserts that their firm’s clients need their company more than it needs its customers will be immediately encouraged to take a less self-serving approach.
They’ll also have to endure the agony of seeing themselves on video playbacks.
Karoline Leavitt levels of bombast never play well on screen.
Check out how she looks and sounds here:
If you and/or your colleagues need interview response training before stepping into the media spotlight – in good times and tough times – visit:
https://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media-master-classes/
When people at the top of your organisation have strong values – and at least a touch of humility – there probably won’t be any rot to spread anywhere.
The good thing about building inspiring and principled communication skills at the top is that these, too, can flow positively through every level of your organisation and beyond.
And they’re also very learnable skills!
Keep smiling,
Michael