Lessons on the Anniversary of “I’d Like My Life Back…”

Two years ago yesterday, BP CEO Tony Hayward inadvertently got his wish when, in thick of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, he told a press conference, “I want my life back.” He was sacked soon thereafter. In  the battle for public opinion—for trust, support, the benefit of the doubt—Hayward lost. It was a failure of leadership on a massive scale. And it began with a failure of communication. And that failure, in turn, was a failure of discipline.
Hayward’s blunder is not unique to him. It should be a wakeup call to CEOs and other leaders, to all who leadership responsibilities require inspiring trust and confidence verbally.
Today SmartBlog on Leadership published an excerpt from The Power of Communication: Skills to Build Trust, Inspire Loyalty, and Lead Effectively, starting with Mr. Hayward’s blunder, and moving from there.