What You Can Learn From Tony Hayward's Job Loss At BP

Let me start this article by stating that I am not defending BP or any of its actions, merely creating a conversation around a job loss and things you can do to avoid the same position.

Today news broke that BP CEO Tony Hayward will leave his position atop the oil giant in October after posting a 32 billion dollar loss. That's probably more responsibility than you will face in your job search here in Tampa, even as an executive.

Here are some lessons to learn from this situation:

You have to accept responsibility for your team. While Tony didn't physically build the pipes, he was ultimately in charge of the plan that was put into place. In your own career, you need to ensure that you stand up for your actions and the actions of your team members. Gaining trust from your peers and colleagues is vital to an optimal performance.

Understand consequences. If you are going to undercut, over value or turn your shoulder to a situation, you need to understand what the repercussions may be. Then you must accept them if things don't go according to plan.

When your face is public, make sure to answer concerns about your character. This also happened in the Tiger Woods scandal. The world is very face and very public. We demand answers. Whether it is right or wrong you need to defend your character, giving the public the truth , as there is always someone out there smarter who wants to uncover the truth.

Provide value. This one seems simple, but you must always strive to give back to your community, your coworkers and your customers. Make them all feel a part of your family. This will help you in times of hardship.

What other lessons can we learn from the dismissal of Mr. Hayward at BP? Leave your comments below or send us a message on Twitter.