James Watson - no longer a credible source

James Watson, world-famous as one of the team at Cambridge University who discovered the structure of DNA, has done irreparable damage to his reputation by making comments linking intelligence to race. In fact, Watson's critics now point to this as one in a long chain of similarly unscientific comments in his past.

How does this apply to your message management? You might not be a Nobel prize-winning biologist, but if you're in a leadership position, you do have some authority because of that position. But don't take that authority for granted. Some audiences are more skeptical than ever, and will take apart everything you say. Make sure your messages are grounded in fact, not speculation - and certainly not in ignorant bias.