Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
S4-Ep13: The Power of Simplicity & Clarity: How a Shell Oil CEO Led through Crisis
Guest: Jeroen van der Veer
Crisis and scandal hit your company. The very first thing you must do: abandon your gut instincts. Blame, downplaying, and delay will all make the situation worse. Then follow the example of guest Jeroen Van der Veer; he became CEO of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell in the midst of a major scandal.
He shares what he learned about navigating through crisis in this episode.
Here's what Jeroen and Maureen cover about crisis management and more:
- Why owning the situation, even if you didn’t create it, solves far more problems than playing the blame game;
- How brutal honesty and absolute clarity bring faster resolution and collaboration with your stakeholders; and
- Why future leaders must prioritize the organization’s needs over personal career goals…and how that benefits you much more in the long run.
Produced in conjunction with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/
Other episodes you'll enjoy:
- Navigating the Global Storm with Cynthia Cherrey
- How Leaders Thrive through Rapid Change with Chirs Nolan & Mike Schindler
- When Tragedy Informs Responsible Leadership with Ann Mukherjee
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.
RESOURCES:
Learn more about Jeroen on his speaker site at https://bit.ly/JVanDerVeer.
Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.
Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8 . The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.
Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.
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OUR PODCAST TEAM:
Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf
Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko
Graphics Editor: Stacia Rogan
CONNECT WITH US:
YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2
Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com
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About Our Guest:
Jeroen van der Veer was Non-executive Director of Royal Dutch Shell 2009-2013. Previously, he was CEO of Shell since 2004. Before that he was President of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company since 2000, having been a Managing Director since 1997. As CEO, van der Veer led Shell through major change. He is currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., and Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Equinor ASA (Norway).
In October 2012 he became Chairman of the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. Van der Veer is an Honorary Citizen of Singapore, and has various roles in several foundations and charities.