The more I read these threads, the more I see the same people saying the same things. It’s a bit sad really.
Former employees. Retirees. People who left years ago but still seem oddly invested in every headline and every rumour. I know a few of them personally - nice people but it’s a bit tragic how their identity is tied to a company. They read something in the papers and appear here as though they’re still sitting in the office. They would spend their kids wedding taking about what bp is doing wrong - true story. I find it quite sad, if I’m honest. At some point, you have to move on. Bp owes you nothing. You signed the contract. They followed it.
On bullying, there is truth in it. The post naming initials was accurate. Some of those behaviours were disgraceful and remain a stain on bp’s history. During the ‘good’ years, too many people got away with things because they delivered results. BL a casing point. There are others who could be added to that list. The difference now is that those behaviours are no longer ignored.
What I struggle with is the constant bitterness. A lot of the loudest criticism comes from people carrying old grudges, people who never got the promotion they wanted, or people who have convinced themselves that bp was the source of every setback in their career. That’s an easy story to tell yourself. It just isn’t always true. Let’s leave the future to the generation trying to turn this around.
One of the best things bp has done recently is show some backbone. Poor behaviour is being called out. People are being held accountable. BL and AM are examples. One person who should not be allowed to quietly disappear into the background is (*D) AC. A complete failure of leadership, judgement and self-awareness. Time to go.
The portfolio review is the right decision. Not everyone will agree with it. That’s fine. Leadership is not about making decisions that please everyone. When the details are announced, the reasoning will be clear enough.
And on Meg, I couldn’t disagree more with some of the comments made here. I’ve worked with a number of CEOs, inside and outside bp. She is one of the most impressive. The direction is right. The priorities are right. And she has dealt with a series of challenges that were not of her making with real composure and resilience.
I’ll leave it with this:
“It is not the critic who counts…”
It’s always easier to sit in the stands and tell everyone else what they should have done. Much harder to be the one making the decisions when the outcome actually matters. That’s the difference.