On the Human-Rights Watch at BP

I decided to attend Yale School of Management after five years in the nonprofit and public sectors in the U.S. and Asia. I joined BP, a large oil and gas company with operations in over 100 countries, first as a summer intern in the London headquarters, then full time upon graduation.

I spent my first three years with BP in Indonesia and China, where I assessed the potential social impact of two of our large investments. In Indonesia, I worked on the Tangguh project, a liquefied natural gas facility currently under construction in the remote province of West Papua. My team developed and began implementing an integrated social strategy for the project. We covered issues including human rights, resettlement, and community investment.

In Shanghai, I worked on a chemicals joint venture, ensuring that the temporary accommodations for the migrant construction workforce was built to stringent health and safety standards, and that the local government and community were prepared for the influx of population.

DRAWING UP GUIDELINES.  I came to London about a year ago to join the central corporate planning team, which synthesizes data from all of the businesses around the world for senior executives. Our work helps to inform documents such as our five-year plan and events such as quarterly performance reviews.

My primary responsibility is to develop a new human-rights policy for BP, which means facilitating internal conversations and training sessions on the topic. I spend a lot of time keeping up-to-date on external developments, such as current lawsuits and business or NGO (nongovernmental organization) initiatives, in the debate on business and human rights.

My other responsibilities include supporting one of our managing directors in his activities with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a Geneva-based membership organization of 175 companies committed to sustainable development. Further, I manage the company's partnerships with institutions such as Yale and Tomorrow's Company, a London-based think-tank.

Here's a snapshot of a typical day in my life:

7:30 a.m. -- I stroll to the Tube for my short commute to work. My boss isn't traveling this week. He arrives in the office at around 8 a.m. when he's in town.

8:00 a.m. -- On my way into the building, I run into our regional coordinator for Asia. We arrange to meet for coffee later to discuss my trip to Jakarta next month to facilitate human-rights training for the field team there.

8:10 a.m. -- Twenty-two e-mails since I logged off last night. The ones of substance are primarily about a U.S. journalist interested in visiting the Indonesia project. Since the Asia team is in the office now, I call one of them to discuss logistics. E-mail is the wrong medium for discussing nuanced issues, particularly across cultural boundaries.

8:30 a.m. -- I go downstairs to our print room to pick up the latest version of the human rights training package that I've put together for internal use. I'll send this out to some of our business unit leaders around the world so that they can facilitate their own internal mini-workshops.

9:30 a.m. -- I facilitate a conference call with representatives from the nine companies taking part in a World Business Council project on the role of business in tomorrow's society. We've agreed on a few topics that will help us frame this discussion -- poverty, environment, global interdependence, and population. My biggest challenge is to make sure the discussion isn't merely academic but actually informs how we do business.

11:45 a.m. -- My boss has an external lunch meeting. I head to yoga at the gym around the corner and pick up lunch on the way back.

1:30 p.m. -- I walk across the floor to our press office to see if anyone there can find original press clippings from the late '90s, when BP was accused of complicity in human-rights abuses in Colombia. Our internal business leaders understand the issue intellectually, but the graphic images help drive the point home.

2:00 p.m. -- Meeting with a human-rights lawyer to whom I'd sent my latest version of the training pack. We discuss the issue of complicity -- what responsibility does a company have in actions (specifically, human-rights abuses) committed by government? For example, do we have a role to play in encouraging China to release political dissidents, since we're the largest foreign investor there?

4:30 p.m. -- Coffee with our regional coordinator for Asia. Our greatest concern is that this training isn't seen as an attempt to impose Western standards where they don't belong. We discuss how to engage team members in shaping the training to make sure it's relevant and useful for them, and we identify a few people in Asia for me to call right away to discuss the proposed curriculum.

5:30 p.m. -- Skim the latest book on one of our competitors' human-rights debacles in the developing world. There are some sections worth highlighting to show how some people might take what we say out of context. I write a brief memo for my boss summarizing those sections, with some suggestions.

6:45 p.m. -- I tear myself away from the latest Human Rights Watch report on China -- there's always more to read -- and meet friends for a drink.

INTERNAL ROTATION.  It's not obvious that I need an MBA to do this job, but the business vocabulary and understanding of basic business drivers are critical to comprehending BP's challenges and coming up with useful solutions.

Perhaps, more important than the academic experience at Yale School of Management was the diversity of my classmates. Working with people from all over the world and from varied industries prepared me for the range of stakeholders with whom I now work.

BP has an official intake vehicle for MBAs -- the Global MBA program -- which selects candidates with substantial international experience and professional achievement. Without an MBA or other specialized degree or training, it can be difficult for people to get into the company. Most people here switch jobs internally every two years, and many have been with BP or one of its heritage companies since graduating from university or graduate school.

In moments of self-doubt, I question whether I should be in a position where I would be able to more directly apply the specific disciplines I studied in business school. But with more time and perspective, I increasingly return to the same conclusion -- you must be true to yourself. Stepping out of your comfort zone is good, but you must have a job that you care about. That will enable you to thrive.