This story was covered in the July 30, 2010 online version of the Wall Street Journal. Hayward seems to be most comfortable living outside the shadows of reality. The horse is dead, I won’t beat it.

Instead, read the post below on how Tony Hayward could have avoided his personal crisis.

www.rosscrisismanagement.com/blog/what-bp%E2%80%99s-hayward-can-learn-from-umpire-jim-joyce/

So my wife and I were traveling north on Interstate 75 leaving Florida, when we came upon an accident. Two retirees riding in a motorcycle and accompanying carriage flipped over at a high rate of speed. We were one of the first to arrive as bedlam was just settling in. Blood was everywhere.

My wife, who spent over 20 years in the medical field, began to triage the two. When we approached the gentleman we could see directly into his knee cap. His leg was torn open. We looked and saw his wife’s bottom lip hanging down from under her helmet. A horrific scene.

My wife directed onlookers to immediately call 911. When the helicopter landed and the ambulance drove up something became apparent to me. Nobody was rushing.

Amateur onlookers were crying, gasping and running back and forth. But the professionals were moving intentionally with little talk. Saying only that which added clarity for their colleagues around them. It was almost as if the panicked environment required a peaceful offset. In crisis, slow is fast.

This doesn’t mean one shouldn’t move with haste. It means one must move with seasoned precision, and many times precision takes time. The two accident victims survived because of the “slow moving” medical professionals. Never let a crisis tempt you into unthoughtful action just for action sake.

The line between love and hate is still thin. Lessons learned from the recent LeBron James “Decision” saga are multi-layered. Let’s discuss a couple.

Leaving is worse than being left

It’s easy to forget pro athletes are simply employees. I didn’t say they make what regular employees make, but they are employees none the less. They have a boss (team owner), they have a manager (team coach), and they have colleagues (fellow teammates). Anytime you don’t sign your own check, you work for someone else.

That being said, rather curious is the increasing anger coming out of Cleveland.  In essence, an employee of the Cleveland Cavaliers simply decided to take another job opportunity. What is more disturbing is the haste with which owner Dan Gilbert released his sharp letter. One has to wonder whether his letter was pre-written, along with its supportive opposite. It seems as if both were sitting on a table waiting for deployment. It’s a thin line.

Would the reaction have been as personally targeted had Gilbert decided not to renew James’ contract? Of course not, employers are expected to make difficult decisions.

LeBron played with fire – unnecessarily

Concerning LeBron, he is learning a critical lesson. A crisis can be positive and negative at the same time. While he is being welcomed in one city, another city has all but outlawed his name. How could he have reduced the severity of negative reactions? Very simply.

The problem with LeBron’s media campaign is he became his own context. Let me explain.

When making a decision with grave implications, you must work to create context for the onlooking public. In this way, you avoid becoming an island. During his ESPN interview, LeBron should have memorized 3-4 historical figures, in sports or business, who made major, controversial decisions that turned out well. He should have placed his decision within historical context.

One has to be seen as following wisdom not creating it.

BP has managed to make an immeasurable environmental crisis worse. They’ve made it worse through managerial mistakes. Mistakes that could have been avoided just by watching a missed call by umpire Jim Joyce.

Jim Joyce is an experienced Major League Baseball umpire with 22 professional seasons under his belt. On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had a chance to register the 20th perfect game pitched in major league baseball history. Jim Joyce called the first base runner safe when he was clearly out. The next few steps are a clinic in crisis management.

Almost immediately after realizing his mistake, Joyce pivoted on this new information. Joyce said; “I just cost that kid a perfect game.” His body language was even more articulate.

His body language was glowing with regret. His eyes flirted with tears. He felt as bad, if not worse, than Galarraga himself. Those of us watching quickly moved from accuser to sympathizer. There was a point where Joyce, his face flushed with embarrassment, gave Galarraga a firm tap on his back. To everyone watching, this said “Please forgive me.”

At that very moment, the crisis for Joyce was over. Did Joyce make a bad call? Yes. But the brilliance of Joyce was to restrain from conceit and arrogance. He avoided climbing the perch of umpire dictatorship and embraced his error with humility. Very powerful.

I predict that unlike many bad calls in the history of sports played over and over throughout the years, this will be one that fades. Joyce has won over the public with authentic remorse. We feel his pain, and have no desire to make it worse.

The oil in the gulf is still gushing. Its chief executive officer Tony Hayward continues to show indifference, and even contempt for critique. If Hayward displayed the sentiment of Joyce, not only would the public be on BP’s side, but we would argue down anyone trying to negatively paint the company as greedy. Crisis management is everything.

The right moves can put the public on your side, even when the crisis is clearly your fault. Good job Joyce, good job.

Your corporation has just announced a major product recall after several child deaths. TMZ has just published a photo of your client and his girlfriend on vacation. The only problem is, your client has a wife and five kids. Your number one selling Disney actress has been accused of cocaine use, she is only 15; What will you do?

Seasoned crisis managers never operate in panic. This is because the above scenarios have been planned for. Press releases, news conferences, the entire blueprint is waiting for deployment. This doesn’t mean every word is planned, it means every strategy point is. The plan must be flexible as to language, timing, and of course legal considerations. But a crisis, like everything else, can be managed into a successful event.

The biggest mistake made by those in a crisis is based in speaking. What you say, how you say it and when is critical. One may think this leans toward contrived phrases to accomplish a shrewd objective. It is the opposite. Honesty, authenticity and ethos is powerful. The public will forgive and move on if at anytime they perceive the “violator” is just like them. The best crisis management strategies are not perfect, they are real.