Recently I had to deal with a weird, awkward and perplexing situation. It involved local press, hurt egos and a disappointing revalation about a person's character.
The Conflict
I have a podcast that has become somewhat popular locally and we were recently featured in an article in a local newspaper. Unfortunately, the writer ended up publishing a different timeline than what we had told him. The article came out and, at first, I was pleased. It was a very positive review of the show and my co-founder and I looked great. Unfortunately, our third member, who has been around since the beginning as well, was made out to be a replacement for another early contributor. He was rightfully upset about this. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to defuse the situation, he quit the show and essentially ended his relationship with both of us.
The Source
There are a few things at play here: ego, inexperience and maturity. I could empathize with him because, despite significan roles in several operas in college, I was left out of every single review done by this same newspaper. It sucks. It hurts your ego. However, it is also important to realize two important things: you ultimately have no control over what goes out in print and this newspaper serves a small demographic, relatively speaking. As a member of something like this podcast, it is important to talk to your partners and express your disappointment and even anger, but also try to hear the other parties out. This is a very telling sign of maturity and trust, neither of which were evident in his reaction.
Inexperience also played a role in this. My co-founder and I have never been asked to be featured in an article before. We were excited and didn't keep everyone's best interest in mind. We are proud of what we started and both gave our partner lots of credit in our interviews. We wouldn't be the show we are without him. We learned valuable lessons about how the press works and will be more prepared to ensure that proper credit is given in final print.
Did I help or hurt?
Tough to say. By the time we both recieved the text from our partner, it was very clear he wanted nothing to do with us. I texted and called him top express my sincerest apologies and try to explain that we can't control what ultimately comes out. I don't think it mattered what I did or said. He was done with us and was moving on with his life.
What would I change?
I certainly wouldn have had the writer get in touch with our partner to interview him as well. I think my ego got in the way and I didn't think to make sure that everyone was equally represented. I was also responsible for providing media to the newspaper to use. I sent them several images of all of us together but they weren't high quality enough. I ended up sending them some promotional shots of my co-founder and I before our partner was on the show and it ended up making it look like we were the only ones involved. I regret ever sending them those images, but again, I wanted to be as helpful as I could be. Also, I was in the pictures, so my ego wasn't at risk.
What did I learn?
I learned that I need to be more prepared to handle these types of opportunities and make sure I cover all my bases when talking to the media. I also learned that people aren't always interested in hearing your side of the story. However, I am glad that I tried to make things right. I think I did everything I could to salvage the situation and the relationship.