Archive for May, 2010
Is BP’s Reputation Sinking?
Monday, May 10th, 2010Earlier this week I attended a conference in which one of the speakers was describing the corporate reputations of various firms and industries. Her message was largely about how advertising campaigns and, more recently, effective management of social media can tremendously influence the public’s perception – for the better and for the worse. This conclusion itself was not particularly surprising, but when paired with a particular example, it really got my attention. The story the speaker shared described the changes in British Petroleum’s (BP) reputation over the years.
You may be familiar with BP’s most recent advertising campaign in which, following a merger with Amoco, the firm was attempting to reinvent itself as a socially conscious company. BP used its acronym as a play on words suggesting that the newly formed company was ‘beyond petroleum’ and provided examples of the various ways in which it was going green. In fact, BP was the first oil company in the industry to suggest a link between energy use and global warming. (more…)
5/7/2010- Dulles SHRM Spring Seminar
Thursday, May 6th, 2010Erika will be leading a session at the Dulles (Washington, D.C. area) chapter SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Spring conference. Her session will be from 3:30-5:00pm. For more information, contact http://www.dullesshrm.org/.
Feedback from attendee: “It was great hearing you speak at the Dulles SHRM event of Friday…you gave us a new perspective! “ - Eyad Hasan, SPHR
Not of Their Making
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010I recently responded to a question posted by the Washington Post’s “On Leadership” series regarding the airline executives symbolic flights to show that air travel was safe after the Icelandic volcano. There are several things to consider here.
Today’s executives are leading through considerable turbulence. For the airline industry, the on-going financial challenges alone are a perfect example. Now add to those long-standing burdens the situation in which thousands of planes were grounded as a result of volcanic activity. The result was lost revenue (to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each day that flights were canceled), agitated passengers, and an operational nightmare. Who can prepare for a crisis like this?
Interestingly, a volcano eruption has interfered with air travel before so the situation is not a new one. Consequently, although one cannot predict a crisis like this, there is reason to believe leaders would have systems in place for dealing with an operational disruption of this sort, though perhaps not of this magnitude.
Perhaps a more compelling question is what should an effective leader do in the midst of a crisis? (more…)