BP Provides Lessons in Crisis Management, Biz Coach

May 6, 2010 - PRLog -- As a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, BP has not handled its oil-spill crisis well, according to Seattle Biz Coach Terry Corbell.

He says apropos is a quote by the late Dr. Peter Drucker who said: “Arrogance is being proud of arrogance.” He believes BP’s actions are a case study for worst-practices in crisis management.

“First impressions demonstrating empathy and competence are vital,” he writes. “It didn’t appear BP was prepared to successfully deal with such a catastrophe. A good old-fashioned SWOT analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with worst-cases scenarios would have sufficed.”

He says about every 20 years, there’s a major oil-spill disaster. None has been handled well, PR-wise.

“On Jan. 29, 1969, an oil spill involved Union Oil off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA and on March 24, 1989, it was the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska,” he explains.  

He quotes former Shell CEO John Hofmeister, who contends oil CEOs earn their reputations for arrogance and blow opportunities to create the right image.

“Retailing fuels is basically a secondary exercise from the oil company’s point of view, a way to get rid of the product it has spent so much time and money producing,” Mr. Hofmeister explains. “This makes the retail side the least valuable part of the business, more often a nuisance than a value creator.”

Mr. Corbell says BP has not been front and center of the media.

“And when it has been in the media, it’s not a pretty picture, such as offering $5,000 to potential plaintiffs not to litigate in anticipated lawsuits,” he explains.

“Nor has BP been seen as compassionate and aware of their social responsibility,” he contends. “Nor has it appeared eager to roll up the proverbial sleeves to work with government to minimize the ecological damage.”

He offers a total of seven recommendations for BP in his analysis at http://www.bizcoachinfo.com/archives/3494.

Mr. Corbell’s expertise is why the New York Times featured him twice. First, columnist Brent Bowers profiled him ("Been There... Done That... Here's How - New York Times"). Mr. Bowers also asked him to take questions from the newspaper’s readers. It resulted in an avalanche of readers seeking Mr. Corbell’s business counsel ("Advice on Taking an Entrepreneurial Leap - New York Times").

In addition to his Web site, The Biz Coach is also published on the Money News page at Seattle's CBS-TV affiliate, KIRO. KIRO is the "2009 National Edward R. Murrow Award Winner for Overall Excellence."

Mr. Corbell has written more than 500 business-coaching columns since 2001 for several media Web sites.

Mr. Corbell has provided confidential business solutions and best-management practices for Seattle-area companies ranging from high-tech to professional service firms, and for the public sector since 1992.

As managing member of CMS Associates LLC, he is developer of The CMS Approach – strategic proprietary systems and best-practices management.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/terrycorbell

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Biz Coach Terry Corbell is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. As a longtime media columnist, he publishes performance-enhancing strategies at The Biz Coach: http://www.bizcoachinfo.com, Proven Solutions for Maximum Profits.