Comments on: BP’s Beyond Petroleum: Hypocrisy, or caught in the act of learning?

By: ultrasound technician

ultrasound technician — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:05:09 +0000

Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article

By: Guy DeWhitney's Heretics Crusade

Guy DeWhitney's Heretics Crusade — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:34:44 +0000

Who is Guy DeWhitney? What is The Heretics Crusade?…

I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog …

By: cv harquail

cv harquail — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:34:54 +0000

Hi Mignon,

I’ve been thinking about you and your own expertise on authenticity and BP as this whole crisis continues. you were one of the first people I talked to about BP (years ago) who was willing to see their Beyond Petroleum effort as something both hopeful and hollow.

It’s interesting to revist these ideas, over a year ago! Reputation, Beyond Authenticity

By: cv harquail

cv harquail — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:31:26 +0000

Gabriel, that’s a scary thought, but I think you’re right. I don’t mean to be completely cynical, but I think there is such a fundamental element of denial (denial about the earth, climate change, ecology, etc.) at the core of the petroleum industry that maybe ‘sustainability’ can never be authentic to organizations in this industry. cv

By: Gabriel Gheorghiu

Gabriel Gheorghiu — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:06:04 +0000

Great post – frankly, i think that if you replace BP with any other oil company, everything you wrote here will still make perfect sense.

By: cv harquail

cv harquail — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:28:32 +0000

Jeremy, I love that quote!:

“If the intention is good and the attention is focused, you can claim authenticity.”

Using that simple guideline, it looks like BP fails the test.
For now.

Your comment also suggests that you have (and we should have?) some hope for BP. I wonder if there is a way that BP can redeem itself, not so much in the eyes of others but in the way it thinks about itself. Can it ever become a company that acts rightly? Hmmm.

Thanks so much for your comment- cv

By: Mignon

Mignon — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:14:50 +0000

Hi CV,

Thank your for this post. Your thoughts in this post are a great inspiration for developing a business case on strategic change & branding.

Mignon

By: Jeremy J Lewis

Jeremy J Lewis — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:27:33 +0000

Love the blog CV! You’re top of my “things that make you stop and think every day” list.

And as for BP, hey you gotta fail if you’re going to learn. So what have been the derailers for the CEO? A little aloofness in his PR, for sure; arrrogance overtaking the usual decisiveness and self-confidence, perhaps … ? The Gulf of Mexico spill is an unprecedented disaster and deeply regrettable from so many perspectives. But can BP refocus? Hell yes.

Nothing wrong with their passion and vision. And for me this is what authenticity is all about – alignment of words and actions. This requires both the will to make stuff happen and the capability to deliver it. To pay attention to the present with the right intention for the future. You do need both/and. And if the intention is good and the attention is focused, you can claim authenticity.

Yes, it is that simple. No one said it was easy though.