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CEOs on Regaining Trust After Scandals
When a leader inherits a business in crisis, the path forward is less about rigid corporate playbooks and more about the profound human connection required to heal a fractured culture, a truth powerfully illustrated by The Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón and National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman. Their counterintuitive methods for regaining employee trust after public scandals reveal a leadership philosophy rooted in vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and a radical re-centering of core purpose.For Berman, stepping into the commissioner role at the NWSL was akin to entering a storm. The league was reeling from widespread accusations of sexual misconduct and a culture described as toxic; the very athletes who were its lifeblood, like the iconic Megan Rapinoe, were publicly declaring 'Let it burn.' This wasn't just a public relations crisis; it was an existential one, with the specter of three prior failed women's professional soccer leagues looming large. Berman’s first, crucial move was not to assert authority, but to demonstrate humility.Drawing on her background as a labor lawyer, she understood that the foundation of any professional sports league is the productive, respectful relationship between management and labor. She entered conversations with players and the board of governors not with promises, but with a piercing question: 'Do you see a world where you can trust this institution?' This act of vulnerable inquiry signaled a fundamental shift.It acknowledged the deep-seated pain and validated the players' lived experiences, creating the first fragile threads of trust. It was this hard-won trust that paved the way for the transformative collective bargaining agreement, a document that didn't just negotiate terms but formally reset the power dynamic, giving players a genuine stake in the league's future and well-being.Parallel to this story of institutional rebuilding is Carla Vernón’s journey at The Honest Company. Inheriting a purpose-driven brand under public scrutiny over its products and facing dwindling cash reserves, Vernón recognized that her team—66% millennials or Gen Z—would not respond to the traditional, top-down change management tactics of 'old corporate America' from her tenure at General Mills or Amazon.Instead, she reached for an unexpected tool: the animated film *Inside Out*. By using the film’s personified emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger—as a framework, she gave her employees a non-corporate, relatable language to articulate the complex mix of fear, excitement, and uncertainty they felt about her leadership and the company's direction.This wasn't a gimmick; it was a masterstroke of empathetic leadership that normalized the emotional turbulence of change. Simultaneously, she applied the disciplined, 'less is more' focus honed at Amazon, making the tough strategic decisions to prune the portfolio and double down on the most profitable, mission-aligned products.This dual approach—tending to the emotional core of the company while enforcing rigorous financial discipline—demonstrates that stabilizing a ship in crisis requires both a compassionate heart and a steady, strategic hand. The lessons from these two leaders transcend their respective industries of consumer goods and professional sports.They speak to a universal truth in post-scandal leadership: trust is not commanded, but earned through consistent, authentic action. It is built when leaders like Berman have the courage to listen first and lead second, validating the anger and disillusionment of their stakeholders.It is forged when leaders like Vernón creatively bridge the gap between corporate strategy and human emotion, making their teams feel seen and understood. In an era where institutional trust is perpetually fragile, their stories are a powerful testament to the idea that the most effective strategy for navigating a crisis is, fundamentally, a deeply human one.
#lead focus news
#leadership
#crisis management
#trust rebuilding
#NWSL
#Honest Company
#employee relations
#business strategy
