To start, you may have a personal opinion that is not necessarily tied to your business brand but you need to be discriminating and pick and choose when to be vocal.

Did I really Say That Out Loud?!

You are still a brand 24/7 and if in fact you are concentrating on the promotion of your brand, you have to mute personal opinions if they are controversial.  Hot buttons for most people, and therefore off limits in terms of publicly expressing a position include sex, politics, abortion, race,  etc.  You can hold strong political viewpoints without having those viewpoints leak over to your business communication.  That’s not to say you can’t express your opinions, but discretion and how you say what you say counts enormously.

Think about Ellen Degeneres.  She expressed strong opinions on gay issues and buried herself for some time.  She is now back but certainly off the topic of gay preferences and rights as a result of the backlash.

Instead of saying something along the lines of “While I am obviously disappointed, I accept the fact that you win some and you lose some.”  She instead blamed the lost deal on the “incompetence” of her husband’s partner.  Like Bundchen with Brady, the wife’s reaction will invariably have a negative impact on her husband’s relationship with his partner.

Once again, it pays to remember that you are your brand (and part of the brand with those whom you are close) 24/7, and as such, you should avoid making yourself and your image vulnerable to open criticism by saying something in the heat of the moment that you will likely regret later.  Which if you think about it, is the best rule of thumb for all relationships and not just the outward facing relationships we have with those with whom we interact in public.

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