Is it just me, or has this been a year of unprecedented reputation management disasters? Think about the tally so far: Toyota’s recall. Tiger Woods’ dalliances. BP’s massive oil spill. And now a ridiculously large egg recall. Is there any guidebook to follow when such a disaster occurs?

It has become standard practice to cite the famous (and of course infamous) Tylenol recall as the standard for how to handle crisis well. Bedrock of any such effort, of course, is complete transparency. That’s certainly a view the team at Charleston|Orwig shares in our Rules for Reputation and Crisis Management.

In Sunday’s New York Times, author Peter S. Goodman has further thoughts. His piece, “In Case of Emergency: What Not to Do,” explores extreme situations. In such cases, in addition to following proven protocol, one might just have to accept the fact that nothing will avoid being publicly pilloried. It’s an article worth reading.

In one instance, Goodman certainly has it right: No amount of transparency was going to keep Woods from taking a beating. In such a case, time and redemptive behavior may well be the best tools available to repair a damaged reputation.