Own it. That’s what a leader does if they make a mistake, especially in social media land, and there’s a great example of why this week.

The American Red Cross was embarrassed when someone goofed and posted what should have been a personal Tweet to the organization’s official Twitter account. You can read the full story and see the Tweet at the American Red Cross Blog, but basically it gave the appearance someone was drinking beer on the job.

Instead of going into damage control mode and getting defensive, Red Cross leaders responded with an honest explanation of what happened, apologized, and even injected a little humor. The result… their supporters rewarded the honesty with sympathetic posts and even donations.

A great lesson in corporate accountability.

–Tony Gnau

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