Could adv. Avi Himi done anything differently?
First off: check your record. When you plan on leaving your anonymity behind and pursuing a public facing career that includes taking to the podium and preaching to the people — you might want to consider that in doing so, you will cause people who had contact with you in the past, to be reminded of you. Do they all have only pleasant memories of you? Probably not. Nobody is perfect, and we all have a historic nemesis holding a grudge against us. But if that grudge revolves around anything more than childrens’ play, like criminal behavior or even worse — don’t expect things to just wither away. And yet, even though the past cannot be buried, its resurrection can be anticipated — allowing you to prepare the framing and your responses in advance.
Consider you are a target. You’ve already embarked on your public or political career, and you’re experienced enough to know that danger is lurking around every corner. People are after you, collecting data about you, and building up your “shame portfolio”. The only thing that should come as a surprise is the timing of their attack. The easiest thing you can do is immediately stop anything less than perfect that you’re up to, and make sure you don’t have any open ends. Do that ASAP so that when the time comes, you’ll be able to say, “I admit, I’ve been through some rough patches, but I’m over it now. I’m in a better place, I’ve changed”. And as terrifying as it may sound, you should share those less-dazzling moments of your life with your family and loved ones, sooner than later in your career. Who knows, maybe they’ll forgive you. And when the scandal comes out, you’re gonna need them by your side. And maybe, just maybe you’ll decide that the stakes are too high: that you’re better off stepping down in order to minimize the damage that could be done, starting now. And yes, that means you’ve been defeated, but it could have cost you much more.
If you have evidence, expose it immediately and don’t stall. Why? Because collective memory is much like casting iron — it forms in the very first moments after the eruption. Say you had a love affair with a subordinate of yours (which is first and foremost not cool, as well as prohibited): if you manage to convince the press that it was a genuine love story (which surely isn’t fair to your spouse and probably not a pleasant experience for them either but), the public narrative, as well as the decree of the hasty public trial will be entirely different, than say, if the story was about someone who “sexually exploited their subordinate and subjected them to an unequal relationship”. From the public’s perspective, you will never be innocent again. But presenting convincing arguments can minimize the damage.
Don’t let embarrassing publications be the last word the public hears from you. Think about the day after. If you sentence yourself to retreating from the public eye, keeping your head low and disappearing into the abyss, you’ll be killing your career and for good. You’ve probably lost your current position. The public acclimation that you counted on will probably have to wait. But what’s wrong with shaking off the dust and building yourself up again? Look around you at public figures (at Yinon Magal for example that was previously mentioned) who, with no hint of shame are now in talk show studios analyzing your downfall, only a few years after they themselves were the stars of similar controversies.
Choose your battles. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. For example: stepping down. It doesn’t mean you’ve given up on the fight on your reputation and innocence, if you are convinced of them. But at least you’ll lower the flames around you. That’s what Himi actually got right.
Photo: Michael Cohen | CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33218887