When Tony Hayward became CEO of BP 3 years ago, I doubt he signed up for the kind of damage control that he is presently engaged in. Tony is now in crisis leadership and needs a steady head to steer BP out of the fire.

It seems the company should go back to basics, through a thorough and continual process of questioning and reassessment. BP may have lost sight of their fundamental strengths and, probably more evidently their limitations. They need to gather this information to mobilise and move on.

The Strategic Team Development Profile (STDP) provides a sound model on which do this, by providing necessary and objective data to pave the path forward. The following questions may sound fundamental, but they get to the heart of what an organisation must know in order to move in the right strategic direction:

• Who are we?
• Where are we now?
• Where are we going?
• How will we get there?
• What is expected of us?
• What support do we need?
• How effective are we?
• What recognition do we get?

This is definitely true in times of crisis, but also applies in times of change or uncertainty. To provide your organisation with a common purpose and clear direction, you should understand and communicate your core competence. The Strategic Team Development Profile, which is based on the High-Energy Teams Model, allows you to do this efficiently and effectively.

Tony seems to have the humility to learn from his mistakes. Maybe a couple of backward steps are required before a small step forward. I hope this will be in the right direction for BP.

Julie Pigdon