BP North America Gas SPU

Business challenges

BP North America Gas SPU (BP) recognized that employees who feel valued, respected and appreciated are more likely to generate stronger business results. In BP’s culture, leaders were often viewed as good at either people issues or business issues, but not both. The challenge was to develop leaders who were skilled at effectively managing both people and business issues while gaining the respect of their employees.

Client goals

• Develop leaders skilled at handling people and business issues
• Treat employees with respect, appreciation and concern
• Provide leaders the tools necessary to deal with adaptive challenges—those situations for which there are no easy answers

How JMJ helped

BP acknowledged JMJ’s Leadership Development program as being more comprehensive than other leadership programs they’d experienced in the past; focus was not only on the individual, but also on the impact the individual has on others. JMJ helped the leaders more deliberately focus on leadership and personal development. A particular area of attention for JMJ was the development of integral leaders within BP who take responsibility for and are engaged in resolving adaptive challenges. Special attention and skills are required for those situations for which there are no apparent solutions. JMJ helped BP’s team members both understand how to manage those situations and gave them the tools to do so.

Results

• Impacted 400 leaders’ views of their responsibilities and influence within the organization
• Developed leaders who can address adaptive challenges
• Promoted conversations among leaders centered around both the employee and the project
• Improved employees’ sense of feeling valued; survey results indicated this shift

BP’s leadership team experienced a profound impact from the leadership development program. Specifically, the leaders have a greater appreciation of their responsibilities as leaders, the importance of continuing to develop and refine their leadership skills, and how significantly their actions impact and influence others.

The leader’s newly learned skills are a natural complement to BP’s previous Incident and Injury-Free™ (IIF™) safety work with JMJ. Combining leaders with advanced, values-based leadership skills and the IIF safety approach already has delivered impressive results in terms of reduced workplace incidents and injuries.