How to Avoid a Political Scandal: Step 1- Critical Thinking

I would like to say that this post was inspired by one single politician’s error in judgement, but stories like Rep Anthony Weiner are more of the norm than the exception these days. In fact, we have heard so many scandals about politicians lately (Schwarzenegger, Edwards, etc) that it would almost seem impossible to avoid negative attention in the news.  But it isn’t.

Politicians, Celebrities, and Executives, listen up!  I’m going to give you the one-step “how to” guide to avoiding your mea culpa press release.  You don’t even have to learn the whole RED Model of Critical Thinking.  Just focus on Step 1:  Recognize Your Assumptions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian, John Edwards, Elliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton, Charlie Rangel, and Bernie Madoff each made the same erroneous assumption:  “No one will find out.”

News flash- you’re a public figure so eventually everything you do will be exposed to the public.  If you leave a lousy tip, someone will talk, so why wouldn’t you think that your affair, inappropriate pictures, or home video would become newsworthy?

STOP and THINK!

It’s as simple as that!  You don’t even need to attend a Critical Thinking Boot Camp to avoid situations like this!  Just remember that any time you make the assumption that a secret will remain a secret, you’re treading on dangerous waters.

Do you have any other sage advice for keeping public figures out of scandal territory?

Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens.  She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training.  She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting.  She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.