Great Moments in PR Agency Leadership
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September 30, 2011, 1:43 pm
Filed under: Public Relations
Filed under: Public Relations
It isn’t quite, “Say hello to my little friend,” but “You will be fired for not replacing the milk” could be the next great catchphrase. Or not. Either way, Beckerman PR’s Keith Zakheim needs to remember that smart bullies never put inane threats in writing. They whisper them while grasping the back of their enemy’s head so that their foreheads touch. Its PR 101.
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If you read the email he sent, you can see it was a last move, and the message was self-admittedly not his style. Taken out of context here, you’d think he was an ogre. He’s just a frustrated boss who felt being dissed repeatedly was a firing offense.
Maybe he should have kept quiet, put in a security camera, and caught the offenders. Then the Gawker story would have been,”Paranoid Agency Boss Installs Hidden Cameras in Lunchroom.”
Comment by Steve Koenigsberg September 30, 2011 @ 1:55 pm“Out of context?” I think the context is pretty much all there. Let me quote a little more:
“The person that did this is either incredibly lazy, obnoxiously selfish or woefully devoid of intelligence – 3 traits that are consistent with the profile of FORMER Beckerman employees. … So, I am gravely serious when I write this – if I catch someone not replacing the milk, or at least, in the case where the downstairs store has close already, not sending an email to the office so the first person that arrives (usually Christa or me) can pick one up upon arrival – then I am going to fire you. Im not joking. You will be fired for not replacing the milk, and have fun explaining that one to your next employer. This is not a empty threat so PLEASE don’t test me.”
Regardless, Option 3 is that he could have explained his issue at the next staff meeting instead of sending an email in a moment of anger (or installing video cameras). How many times do you think he has counseled his clients not to send emails while they are angry?
Comment by denverprblog September 30, 2011 @ 2:11 pmBrings new meaning to the term “empty threat.”
Thank you. I’ll be here all week.
As another note, you would think a guy that runs a multi-million dollar PR agency would know basic grammar. I counted at least three, literally 3, typos.
Is he going to fingerprint the milk carton to figure out who didn’t replace it?
Comment by Marie Rotter September 30, 2011 @ 2:01 pmI would ask all who care to, to read the entire email and Zakheim’s response to Gawker, and then weigh in.
Comment by Steve Koenigsberg September 30, 2011 @ 2:26 pmThe entire email is at http://gawker.com/5844681/pr-firm-president-to-staff-you-will-be-fired-for-not-replacing-the-milk, and Zakheim’s response is in the “update” at the bottom of the post (above the comments).
Comment by denverprblog September 30, 2011 @ 2:41 pmAfter all these years in television news and corporate communications and now I find out it’s all about the milk?
Better late than never.
Comment by Brian Olson Conversation Starters Public Relations October 1, 2011 @ 6:02 amSilly, juvenile and inappropriate. “Waaaahhhh! there’s no milk! And it’s somebody’s fault! Waaahhhh!”
When you don’t assign a task to a particular person, don’t be surprised when it doesn’t get done. Duh. Or, maybe just run out to the store and pick up some goddamned milk, you insufferable bore.
Comment by Jim Dissett October 3, 2011 @ 10:05 am