Sometimes journalists come up with surprising interview proposals. What should you say in response?
Janne Tervola, an experienced journalist at Tekniikka&Talouden, was looking for an interviewee on Linkedin for a story about mental health.
The instinctive reaction of many people responsible for a company's reputation is unequivocally negative. No one in our company will participate in that. Any discussions related to the company that go beyond the brand manual are a risk for the company.
Except that sometimes it's worth taking a risk.
Nowadays, it is an advantage if a company and/or leader is known for their humanity. They are perceived as approachable. Publicly opening up their humanity, without coercion, is one of the best ways to achieve this.
You can make a particularly big impact if you work in fields known for their Teflon-like and fierce competition, such as the world of finance, management consulting, law firms, or the management team of a listed company/international corporation.
The interviewee would become known as a human being among robots. That's a good image.
Of course, you should prepare well for the interview. It's worth thinking about where the conversation might lead and what follow-up questions you can answer.
There are good reasons why it might not be worth giving an interview. If the issue has not been previously discussed at work, publicizing it through the media can cause confusion. In the most severe mental health disorders, people will certainly also wonder whether the person will be able to cope with their job.
