A Crucial Communication Reminder from Aaron Rodgers, Meghan Markle, and Jes Staley

From celebrities to CEOs, everyone needs to remember this

What do a quarterback, an actress, and a CEO have in common?

Aaron Rodgers, Meghan Markle, and Jes Staley

It feels like the set up for a joke, but last week quarterback Aaron Rodgers, actress (and Duchess) Meghan Markle, and ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley were all in the news.

What do their stories have in common?

Communication.

What they said – or failed to say – has brought their integrity into question and damaged their reputations.

First up, Aaron Rodgers, who played a cat-and-mouse game with his ‘I’ve been immunized’ response when asked if he was vaccinated several months ago.

He wasn’t vaccinated, he didn’t follow the NFL protocols for unvaccinated players (reinforcing the belief that he was vaccinated), and then he got Covid.

But hey, if you misunderstood and ‘felt misled’ by his comments, Rodgers ‘takes full responsibility.’

Whatever that means.

He didn’t actually issue an apology or use the words ‘I’m sorry.’ He didn’t show remorse, or regret, or embarrassment for what he said, or apologize that his actions might have put people at risk.

But he ‘takes responsibility.’ And now, back to football!

While across the pond in the UK…

New information came to light in the court case between the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Associated Newspapers.

Markle sued the publisher for breach of privacy and copyright after they published a letter she had written to her father. And last February, a High Court judge ruled in her favor, saying publication of the letter was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.”

After Markle’s victory, the publisher said it would appeal, and new evidence was presented to the court last week that presented a different narrative to the one we’d been originally told.

Jason Knauf, the former press secretary for Markle and Prince Harry, shared text messages and emails revealing that Markle had considered the letter she wrote her father would be leaked.

Markle had told Knauf that she “lost confidence” that her father would not leak the letter to the media, and had therefore been “meticulous” in her word choice.

She had even “deliberately ended each page part way through a sentence so that no page could be falsely presented as the end of the letter.”

She also questioned addressing the letter to “Daddy,” but acknowledged it would “pull at the heartstrings if leaked to the media.”

The Court also heard that Markle (and Prince Harry) had cooperated with the authors of the pro-Sussex book, Finding Freedom, despite their assertion in September 2020 that they had not.

Knauf said the book was “discussed on a routine basis” and “discussed directly with the Duchess multiple times in person and over email.”

And Knauf had the receipts – emails and text messages where Markle had given him background notes to brief the authors.

Knauf also revealed that Prince Harry was aware (and supportive) of him briefing the authors, too, writing that the Sussexes needed to be able to say they “didn’t have anything to do with it,” but then adding, “Equally, you giving the right context and background to them would help get some truths out there.”

Markle apologized to the court for the fact that she had “not remembered” these exchanges at the time, but the new evidence is catnip to Markle’s detractors.

And, finally, our story that mixes the UK and US...

What happens when you’re a multi-millionaire banking CEO with a questionable relationship to a notorious sex offender?

That’s the question facing Jes Staley, former CEO of Barclays, and former friend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It was no secret that when Staley ran JP Morgan’s private bank, Epstein was one of his most valued ultra-wealthy clients.

It’s also been widely reported that Staley visited Epstein in Florida in 2009, while Epstein was serving his sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution and a separate count of soliciting a prostitute.

But Staley has insisted that his relationship with Epstein tapered off after leaving JP Morgan in 2013.

However, in 2015, Staley visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island before he took on the helm at Barclays.

And in 2019, UK regulators began investigating the relationship between the then-CEO of Barclays and the convicted sex offender. According to Barclays, the investigation focused on the way Staley characterized his relationship with Epstein.

And when the regulators shared their preliminary findings with Staley, he stepped down as CEO of the bank.

So what did the investigation discover?

While it hasn’t been revealed what the findings actually were, the Financial Times reported that Staley and Epstein exchanged 1200 emails during a four-year period, with content that included unexplained terms like ‘snow white.’

Staley stated he intends to challenge the investigation’s findings, and has already lined up one of Britain’s top QCs to help him fight the battle.

But we may never know the findings of the investigation.

Depending on the outcome of his challenge, it could delay or ultimately block regulators from releasing the investigation’s findings to the public.

So what do these three stories have in common?

Aaron Rodgers misled the public. Meghan Markle misled the High Court. And Jes Staley may have misled the regulators – though we may never know the details.

Their stories are a reminder of the importance of communication.

What you say matters.

How and when you say it matters.

But the only thing that matters even more is telling the truth.

*******************

Beth Collier helps people improve their communication, creativity, and leadership skills through private coaching and team workshops.

She brings global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm – and an endless supply of pop culture references to keep things fun!

She lives in London where it is hard to escape news about the Royal Family - but easy to miss news about US sports.

What do a quarterback, an actress, and a CEO have in common?

So what do these three stories have in common?

Want a dose of positivity and fun in your inbox?