More than any other time, in the midst of major crises CEO’s are seen as the face and voice of their organizations. Because of this, it’s important that they possess excellent crisis management and media relations skills. BP CEO Tony Hayward, unfortunately, has been shown to possess neither of those, as illustrated by this quote from a Slate.com article:
For CEOs in crisis, the playbook includes a proper appreciation of the gravity of the situation, a sense of calm urgency, and confidence-building rhetoric backed by confidence-building action. So far, Hayward is zero for three. From the outset, there’s been a sense that Hayward wasn’t quite prepared for this and didn’t quite grasp what is at stake. The Wall Street Journal reported that Hayward “admitted that the oil giant had not the technology available to stop the leak. He also said in hindsight, it was ‘probably true’ that BP should have done more to prepare for such an emergency.”
Through his efforts, Hayward has left a trail of sound bites and “on the record” quotes like the ones above that undoubtedly caused the reporters who captured them to squeal with glee. If there’s one lesson you learn from Haywards mistakes, it should be that when the entire world is looking to you for answers it just might be worth hiring a media trainer.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/