The other evening Gibbs & Soell hosted a CSR leadership discussion with senior communicators and sustainability advocates.

It was pure conversation at its finest.

One question triggered a chain reaction of comments like water rings from a stone dropped in a lake. Speakers turned the tables on the audience, peppering them with their own questions.

And, best of all, PowerPoint slides were banned.

During the networking session that followed, discussions naturally turned to the oil spill in the Gulf.  The estimated flow of oil was reported to be 35- to 60-times greater than first thought.  We debated the impact this news would have on President Obama’s address to the nation later that evening. 

The importance of reliable feedback systems was the common thread between our program’s topic and the White House’s role in the crisis.

The government initially relied on BP’s estimates which proved to be too rosy, and then had to assemble its own team of experts to try to measure more accurately.  As the estimates of flowing oil grew, the credibility of the estimators and of the “Communicator in Chief” declined.

Unfortunately, President Obama’s reputation remains at the mercy of an oil spill playing 24/7 on live video feeds put in place by BP 5,000 feet below the water’s surface. 

When a company pursues a path toward sustainability, it is taking responsibility for the flow of information within and outside their organization.  Without complete and trustworthy feedback, a well intentioned claim of improved environmental stewardship can turn into a growing accusation of “greenwashing” as results prove otherwise. 

And once marred, credibility can be as tough to restore as plumes of oil that have escaped from a deep sea well.

(Guest contributor Ron Loch is a senior vice president at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. He leads the firm’s Greentech & Sustainability Practice, collaborating with G&S colleagues specializing in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, professional services, and technology and general science.)