JOHNZEUS.COM

Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford has made global headlines since the police announced they have a video of him smoking  “what appears to be a crack pipe”,  and the Mayor himself later admitting to smoking crack cocaine.

There’s a few lessons we can take away from the Mayor’s public struggles. Although his actions are the main problem, his struggles are made worse by how he handles situations when confronted with the issues.

How you phrase things matters

When asked if he smoked crack, Rob Ford replied, that yes he had, “probably in one of my drunken stupors.” #inoneofmydrunkenstupors was trending on Twitter for days. The line was repeated on every news broadcast and comedy show. His choice of words compounded the issue. Now he was saying that not only does he smoke crack, but that he also has ‘drunken stupors’.

In a workplace, be careful how you say things. Taking greater care of how a message is delivered can have a huge effect on how others react to it.

Taking responsibility for mistakes is good

It would have been better if Mayor Ford said, “Yes, I have tried crack cocaine. It was on a night when I had too much to drink, and that led to my making a very poor choice that I deeply regret. I apologize to anyone who is let down by this, and I have entered into an alcohol addiction program to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

With that choice of words he would not only owned up to his mistakes, but he would also have apologized, and detailed an action plan for ensuring that it would not be repeated. That is what people want to hear.

Learn from the mistake, and fix the problem

Sometimes we all make mistakes at work and they don’t have to be career-ending – I’m not talking about mistakes as severe as Mayor Ford’s or mistakes that break the law. The key is to learn from mistakes, be up front in taking responsibility for the things we get wrong, and implementing changes to ensure that the same mistakes aren’t made twice.

That kind of honesty actually builds trust in the workplace. Denials and half-truths just tend to spiral out of control and end up making things worse. ^

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Canada’s largest online job site, Workopolis polled users after the mayor’s admittance asking them if the news stories were having an impact on workplace productivity, 64% of people said yes, because “nobody is talking about anything else.”

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Adapted by John Zeus from original source: Workopolis: Career Lessons From Rob Ford – Part II – Peter Harris

Toronto, mayor Rob Ford was shown on videotape pacing around an unknown living room ranting gibberish and gesticulating wildly.

In Toronto, Canada lately, the news is all about Rob Ford. Another story or video emerges and goes viral. Our city hall has become a zoo with reporters camped out all the time in front of the mayor’s office. City counsellors and staffers alike engulfed in the daily drama that takes them away from important city business and their jobs. This has affected the whole city. Workopolis polls even show 65% of respondents saying they lost productivity at work because “this is all everyone’s talking about.”

Today it’s about another video. The Toronto Star released footage that shows the mayor inebriated and acting foolish in a private home. They purchased the video for 5K, released it, and it went viral. More fodder for American late night talk shows.

Most of us know by now that Ford shouldn’t be our mayor in his current state. He needs to step down and seek help. There is no need for the media to keep piling on every day. Journalists need to stop harassing him at home. This city needs to get back to work. ^

The video sourced, along with the mayor’s response is added below.

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WARNING: Graphic content. 

Mayor Rob Ford Caught In Video Rant

The Toronto Star, Toronto’s highest-circulation newspaper has obtained video of Mayor Rob Ford where he appears to be in a state of extreme agitation. The context in which it was shot is unclear, but his language and mannerisms clearly indicate he’s angry. – Source: You Tube

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Moments after the Star published the video online, Ford emerged from his office and apologized.

Mayor Ford’s Public Reaction To The Video Released Earlier

“The Toronto Star just released a video that I was very, very inebriated….”

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s statement following the release of video that show him yelling wildly, swearing profusely and acting erratically. – Source: You Tube

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‘Yes I have smoked crack cocaine’ – Rob Ford, Nov 5 2013
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admits to what many of us suspected for months.

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My thought of the day
In light of Mayor Ford’s admission today at city hall and the negative media attention focused on our city, I’d like to assure my friends here in Toronto, across the country and abroad that Toronto is still a great city. A clean, green and liveable city, the place I call home. Mayor Ford does not represent who we are as Torontonians and Canadians. By his actions he’s embarrassed us internationally, he’s become our dirty laundry.

Mayor Ford has been lying to Torontonians for months about this issue and it really saddens me. Most of us have made mistakes in life we regret, and when asked about our lives most of us are honest with our responses. More importantly, we truly learn from our mistakes because we want to be better people and be responsible to those we serve and those we love.

Our mayor needs to take responsibility immediately and take a medical leave of absence or resign, and get help for his problem. It’s the right thing to do.

John Zeus

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The Twitterverse was bursting with reaction to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s admission today. Many people were in shock, with several asking for him to resign. You can follow the buzz using  #TOpoli #RobFord.

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Video Source: You Tube