“How many times have you been in a meeting with someone who felt compelled to contribute, even though he obviously had no idea what he was talking about? In those circumstances, silence is golden. As a CEO, you know that everyone wants to impress you, so I sometimes ask a question to which I already know the answer as a way to test someone’s character. Confident people know their strengths and weaknesses, and they don’t try to b.s. you. You are not expected to know the answer to everything. Smart people simply say ‘I don’t know’ — and go get an answer.”

“Crisis communications is one of the most important and highly visible areas in the entire PR profession. While a solid media visibility campaign can help put a new company on the map (or put a company that’s been declining or stalling out back on the right track), the lack of crisis communications skills can literally kill a company of any size.”

“If I told you lying was good for you, you probably wouldn’t believe me. But trust me–I’m not lying. Simply put, we lie because it works. When we do it well, we get what we want.”