Watch your words
I’m sure the CEO of BP has thoroughly regretted his offhand frustrated comment about how he’d like his life back. When you are in a leadership position and especially in the media, it is unfortunate, but you really have to watch what you say. When you are in management, what you say gets attributed to the company. You no longer have the luxury of being able to say something offhandly candid, off color, or snide. You really should watch it wherever you are because you never know who is listening.
A good rule of thumb is to think about whether you would want your words on the front page of the New York Times (because they could be), the lead story on CNN, or would you say them in front of your minister, your children, or your mother. Reticence is the better part of valor when it comes to tense situations.
Unfortunately, we are also human and when someone presses you constantly as the media tends to do, you say things under duress that given a chance to think about it, you wouldn’t say. I once did a training session for senior managers of a delivery company and we set up a situation where a truck containing hazardous materials had turned over and some media people just happened to be in the area and got to the scene quickly. It was very interesting to see how the managers in charge handled the simulated pressure. If you haven’t ever had any kind of disaster drill at your work, it would be good to set up one. What would you say if xxx happened there? Being a good leader means thinking ahead. BP has learned this the hard way. Don’t make the same mistake.
