Adele Gambardella is a seasoned public relations expert with over 15 years of experience owning and managing a Top 20 PR firm in Washington, DC. She has represented Fortune 100 companies such as DuPont, Lockheed Martin, and Verizon, serving as a spokesperson and securing high-profile media coverage on platforms like Good Morning America, The Today Show, and The New York Times.

Adele has also been a PR strategist, corporate counsel, and crisis management consultant for clients including Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, and President Joe Biden. She is the co-author of the book Convince Me: High-Stakes Negotiation Tactics to Get Results in Any Business Situation. She speaks and advises globally, including at the United Nations, and has taught at prestigious universities like Princeton and Georgetown. Starting her career as a journalist, she contributes to The Wall Street Journal, Inc., and Entrepreneur magazines. Her agency, formerly titled Epic, has been reinvented to focus on the science of convincing and rebranded as the Convincing Company.

In this episode, Jason and Adele discuss:

• Career transitions and establishing a PR firm post-firing
• Strategies for simplifying crisis management in high-stakes situations
• Intricacies of media strategy and concept of 'fairness fallacy' in business crises
• Impact of predictive memory on leadership and decision-making
• Benefits of forensic listening and negotiation techniques in business and personal contexts

Key Takeaways: 

• Adele's narrative illustrates that career setbacks, such as being fired, can paradoxically open doors to greater opportunities, including starting a successful PR firm.
• Simplification is key in crisis management, as demonstrated by the strategy adopted for Marilyn Houston, showcasing the importance of focusing on a few critical points.
• The 'fairness fallacy' reveals a common pitfall for businesses attempting to navigate crises unaided, highlighting the need for expert guidance through turbulent times.
• Predictive memory emphasizes the significance of leveraging past experiences to shape future actions, with a call to remain receptive to new learning avenues and methods.
• Forensic listening, distinct from active listening, serves as an advanced skill that fosters empathy and precision in understanding, thus enhancing leadership decision-making and client rapport.

“I would say the person who is malleable is the one who will get through the crisis the easiest. If they can recognize their own role in why they got into the crisis, they'll be better able to recover. You want to forgive yourself, move past it, and understand that by taking certain actions, you can reach the light on the other side.”

 - Adele Gambardella

Connect with Adele Gambardella:

Website: https://convincingcompany.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelecehrs/ 

Adele’s BOOK: https://convincingcompany.com/convince-me-book/ 

Training So Good Program: https://trainingsogood.com/ 

Email: [email protected] 

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.