Business Jujitsu: How to Fight a Hit to Your Credibility

Jujitsu is a Japanese martial art wherein, when assaulted, one absorbs the attack and converts that energy to something positive. That's the idea here.

When things in business go wrong, the initial reaction for most people is to deny there is a problem. It's a natural reaction, and seems to be the one of NBA commissioner David Stern.

But it is also the wrong reaction, grasshopper.

Business Jujitsu requires that you face the problem head on, learn from it and thereby use it to your advantage.

For example, back in 1982, someone laced bottles of Tylenol in stores with cyanide, resulting in several deaths. The executives at Tylenol had several courses of action available to them at the beginning of their corporate crisis:

1. They could blame others.
2. They could obfuscate.
3. They could take responsibility.

Not only did they choose No. 3, they did so in a Business Jujitsu way: They voluntarily recalled all Tylenol from all over the country, and before putting it back on the shelves, they invented tamper-proof caps. They also proactively told consumers they would only put the product back on the shelves when they themselves were 100% sure it could be made safe.

By doing so, they saved their brand.