“I'd like my life back.” Oh, my goodness. You could almost hear the collective gasp of every journalist, PR person, and blogger when BP CEO Tony Hayward uttered those words on May 30. Not long after — and following an equally infamous appearance at a Congressional hearing — he got his wish. The face of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was sent packing by his boss, Carl-Henric Svanberg, who had an uncomfortable moment himself when he voiced his concern about the oil spill victims by solemnly declaring, “We care about the small people.”
Showing a stiff upper lip, Hayward was seen two weeks later at a glitzy yacht race around England's Isle of Wight. His egalitarian-named yacht “Bob” finished fourth.
Hayward and Svanberg are certainly not alone when it comes to verbal gaffes or ill-considered public actions. However, in today's electronic world where seemingly every embarrassing moment immediately goes viral, company leaders simply must become more adept at guiding their organizations through situations where corporate reputations are at stake.
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