Responsibility at a Corporate Level in Action

In the midst of one of the biggest oil spills in history, British Petroleum, the company responsible, has gained my respect, my support and my business because they are taking responsibility.

I have a pet peeve about people—or corporations, for that matter—who don’t take responsibility for their actions.  I don’t stand in judgment about mistakes, but I do admit to some bias when people don’t own up to them.

The Exxon Valdez hit an iceberg 20 years ago, and I still won’t stop willingly at an Exxon gas station.  Not because of the accident, mind you, but because of the shoddy way the company handled the situation. 

Like an ostrich with its head in the sand, Exxon managed not to see how they were responsible for the devastating mess that cost the lives of thousands of sea mammals, at the very least.  And by not assuming responsibility, my understanding is that they did a cursory job, at best, cleaning it up.

Now that may not be true.  Exxon may have done a tremendous restoration of the seas, but what I will always remember is the way in which the company attempted to skirt around the truth in the interest of their public image. 

The irony, of course, is that when corporations—or people, for that matter—get squirmy about the truth in the interest of their ‘image,’ it usually works against them.  At least, it does in my eyes.

In the world of politics and public relations, the unspoken rule is: take responsibility, apologize early, and wait for the next big news to clear the slate.  Didn’t the public forgive Tammy Faye, eyes wide as she apologized with mascara dripping down to her chin?  And hubby Jim?  Jimmy Swaggart with mouth downturned, declaring that he had sinned?  [We were even okay with Jimmy Carter lusting in his heart.]  They all gave sincere apologies, albeit somewhat dramatic.

But our hearts are colder to those who evade ownership of their actions: note the public response, recently, to Governor Mark Sanford and John Edwards.   We have sympathy for our favorite stars who go to rehab, but gossip and judgment for those challenging a DUI.  Tiger Woods and OJ Simpson?  Well, truthfully, their mixed messages leave us in limbo.  On the one hand, they made sincere attempts at apology; on the other, we just don’t know whether we believe them.

My work as a life coach is all about integrity and personal accountability.  As a coach, I help people see their foibles (without self-judgment, of course), own them, and then set about to create change in their life.  We don’t dwell on a mistake—we see the mess, clean it up, learn from it, and change our actions so it doesn’t happen again.

But you can’t make improvements if you don’t acknowledge that something needs to be changed in the first place.  It’s just like the first step when you enter Alcoholics Anonymous—acknowledge you have a problem and that you haven’t behaved responsibly.

I see acknowledging mistakes as a sign of integrity.  It shows strength of character to stand up and admit you are not perfect.  Let’s be serious, none of us are.  It’s cliché, but true:  WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.  So when people start to back-pedal, or blame others, or hide the broken crystal at the bottom of the trashcan it shows their true colors.  The ethical question isn’t about whether we make mistakes it’s about how we choose to respond to them.

And we are at choice, here.  When we respond with integrity, we are true to ourselves, and we garner the respect of others.  When we respond with evasiveness, we are disingenuous, and lose the respect of others. Doesn’t seem like such a tough choice, does it?  And yet, for some reason, it is often the road less traveled.

Even if it is a genuine accident, as the current oil spill in the Gulf appears to be, there is still a responsible party.  And just as there is nothing so annoying as someone pointing a finger, saying “she made me do it,” so, too, is it refreshing to hear the CEO of a major, international petroleum company take full responsibility for the impact that ‘honest’ mistake has on the world.

A friend of mine always says, “When someone shows their true colors, you better pay attention.”  So pay attention.  British Petroleum deserves acknowledgment for taking responsibility and leading its company to handle this mess as best it can.  He isn’t making excuses; he is simply setting about cleaning up this mess. And I am certain he is taking steps to make sure it never happens again.

Elaine Taylor-Klaus is the founder of Touchstone Coaching, an Atlanta-based Life, Executive Coaching and Leadership Development firm, and a regular columnist on ShareWIK.com.