| When Debbie Quintana started an association to try | | | | ways to add value for her company, and advance a |
| to help her industry in the down economy, she | | | | healthier exchange of ideas about promoting and |
| encountered an unexpected negative attack on her | | | | improving the industry. |
| reputation. Debbie is the CEO of Gourmet Gifts, a | | | | Debbie says she drew three key lessons from the |
| gift basket company that creates and delivers unique, | | | | incident: |
| affordable gift baskets. I spoke with her after she | | | | Lesson #1: Empower yourself after a negative attack |
| and Operations Manager Dawn Riley reflected about | | | | Reading the false accusations motivated Debbie to |
| how Debbie's creative response turned the attack | | | | make the truth overwhelmingly stronger. If her |
| into an advantage, and set a great example for | | | | accuser said she lacked credibility, she made herself |
| others. | | | | more available to demonstrate her credibility. She |
| Debbie says that like many business owners in tough | | | | published references and testimonials, and made sure |
| times when sales are down and one's attitude can | | | | that her audience knew even more about her |
| get affected, she tried to stave off fear by looking | | | | positive efforts for the industry. Debbie created |
| for ways to improve her business. Having helped | | | | podcasts so people could hear her voice and passion |
| other gift basket companies recently, she thought: | | | | directly, and come to their own conclusions. She |
| What if we had a platform where we could share | | | | proactively shared ideas and plans for the industry |
| ideas, meet new people, talk about challenges and | | | | association, so others could weigh in too. She publicly |
| truly partner to build a community of gift basket | | | | posted answers to the toughest questions that came |
| professionals? Debbie created The Gift Basket | | | | her way. In short, she dealt with any negativity that |
| Association, a new community of gift basket | | | | came in by redoubling her efforts to publicly express |
| professionals, to pull together, support each other, | | | | the truth about what she stands for, and her positive |
| and to make progress on their collective common | | | | vision for the industry. |
| interest of strengthening the gift basket industry. | | | | Lesson #2: Adversaries can become allies |
| Theirs is a one billion dollar industry, and they set the | | | | The person attacking Debbie had put a message on |
| goal to double the industry in the next five years. | | | | the front page of his website saying he didn't |
| This is where the conflict came in. Debbie was | | | | endorse the association Debbie was helping to create. |
| shocked to hear that one of the people to whom | | | | People became curious about the statement, and |
| she sent a message as part of building this | | | | whenever someone contacted her about it, Debbie |
| community was speaking poorly of her to peers in | | | | reframed the encounter as another opportunity to |
| the industry. She heard he was making accusations | | | | change negative biases. |
| that sounded so untrue that it brought her to tears. | | | | There were several cases in which people contacted |
| How could someone who never talked to her judge | | | | her saying harsh things based on rumors and third |
| her and make such detrimental false statements? It | | | | party information, but because Debbie maintained her |
| didn't stop there. In the ensuing weeks, more | | | | calm and stuck to what she knew was true, they |
| damaging comments were made in blogs and | | | | invariably ended on good terms. It even helped to |
| discussion forums, with the unfounded accusations | | | | expand the association, because several people who |
| getting passed along and amplified. | | | | contacted her heard the benefits of joining, and did. |
| Debbie considered her options. Get mad? Ignore it? | | | | Lesson #3: Pass along the positive |
| Respond with her own accusations? None of these | | | | Debbie also says it is important to pass along what |
| options were attractive to her. Instead, she sought a | | | | she learned. When we see others experiencing |
| way to use these events to her advantage. So she | | | | negative attacks and bullying behavior, she |
| changed her thinking. She knew there must be a way | | | | encourages us to help them turn it into a learning |
| to learn from this experience and improve as a | | | | experience for how to be stronger and look for |
| businessperson. She stopped trying to figure out why | | | | ways to create value. Because of Debbie's great |
| someone would be so negative and disrespectful. | | | | response to these harsh negative attacks, the Gift |
| Instead she focused on how to turn this conflict | | | | Basket Association is more robust than it would have |
| around, by getting her perspective in play, looking for | | | | been. She hopes her story helps others too. |