--- title: "John McAfee Case: What to Do When Leaders Go Astray" id: "14958" type: "post" slug: "john-mcafee-case-what-to-do-when-leaders-go-astray" published_at: "2012-12-13T18:05:03+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:20:46+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/12/13/john-mcafee-case-what-to-do-when-leaders-go-astray/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/12/13/john-mcafee-case-what-to-do-when-leaders-go-astray.md" excerpt: "Why you don’t have to always follow the leader—especially when that leader is mired in a high-profile scandal, like computing figure John McAfee. Plus: The most searched terms in Google for 2012." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Leadership" - "Risk Management" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » John McAfee Case: What to Do When Leaders Go Astray It’s an unfortunate circumstance that can happen to any association: Your leader goes astray, and public relations nightmares ensue. What do you do when your fearless leader messes up and it affects the association? How do you handle a crisis? > Social media does not belong to the marketing department. That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links: **When *not* to follow the leader:**We’ve seen it happen before: think [Lance Armstrong’s resignation (opens in a new tab)](https://associationsnow.com/2012/11/lunchtime-links-the-other-shoe-drops-for-livestrong/) in light of a doping scandal. This week, we’ve heard allegations against antivirus pioneer John McAfee, [who recently returned to the U.S. (opens in a new tab)](http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/john-mcafee-returns-us-admits-playing-crazy-card/story?id=17956463) after being wanted for questioning in a murder in Belize. When an association or company leader goes astray, it can be tough to know what to do. *Inc.*’s Eric V. Holtzclaw identifies [four key steps (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/when-company-leaders-go-astray.html) to keep in mind to navigate a crisis, including how to prevent total fallout and how to keep your cool. **Branching out:**Nobody puts social media in a corner. In fact, a good social media manager [touches nearly every department (opens in a new tab)](http://colleendilen.com/2012/12/12/social-media-the-every-department-job-in-nonprofit-organizations/) in nonprofits and associations. Colleen Dilenschneider, chief digital marketing officer at IMPACTS Research & Development, explores this idea in her blog “Know Your Own Bone.” “Social media does not belong to the marketing department,” she writes. “It’s critical to open up communications between your marketing department and other departments … to succeed in attracting visitors, building affinity for your brand, connecting people to your cause, and securing donors.” **Google it:**There’s an easy way to check out top trends of 2012: See what Google says. Zeitgeist analyzed Google queries to determine what the [most-searched words (opens in a new tab)](http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world/google-hashtags) were and recently released its results. While it’s interesting to see the funny stuff (“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” is the third most trending TV show, for instance), associations developing their 2013 strategy can take note of tech trends and flicks that got people talking. What are you taking from the 2012 trends? What are you reading over lunch? Tell us your best links in the comments. (Facebook) [Chloe Thompson](https://associationsnow.com/author/chloe-thompson/) Chloe Thompson is a contributing writer to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/chloe-thompson/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Risk Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/risk-management/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-american-speech-language-hearing-association/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 1 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-1-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoThe Future is Yours to Create. 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