‘Did I Really Say That?’
How would you feel if one of your ‘quick response’ emails found its way to the press?
That’s what happened to Gregory J. Knox, President, Knox Machinery, Inc. Franklin, Ohio.
When he arrived at work awhile back, he had an e-mail from Troy Clarke, president of General Motors North America. Mr. Clarke was asking for support for the auto bailout being considered at that time.
Seems Mr. Knox didn’t think that was a good idea.
When Bad News Is Good News
Mr. Knox’s response to Mr. Clarke pointed out the failings of [tag]management[/tag] and [tag]unions[/tag] at the Big 3. Here’s his opening salvo:
“Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation, awaiting our new “messiah”, Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep “living the dream”… Believe me folks, The dream is over!”
Mr. Knox then proceeded to point out the failings and problems management and union leadership have demonstrated which led to the mess the companies are in. (Read the reported excerpt here.)
While I applaud Mr. Knox’s comments and clarity, I want to point out something else – according to this report,
“Within days, Knox’s response… had become one of the hottest viral e-mails in the country. He said calls began rolling in, first from around the country and then from all over the world…”Our office has been flooded with thousands of calls, e-mails, faxes and letters globally – everyone form autoworkers to politicians,” Knox added. Most of the correspondence has been positive and many are even calling for Knox to run for office.”
Do You Get This Kind of Information?
When was the last time you were able to speak your mind about problems, like Mr. Knox, and most everyone was supportive?
As a business leader or manager, when was the last time you had someone tell you about the problems they saw – with you as a contributor – and you were able to receive and encourage that?
Many managers and leaders become encased in an “information cocoon” which only allows in good information, or at least information which is not personally threatening. Once it crosses the level of personal threat, some managers will either just discount it (”they’re just upset about our computer personal use policy”) or because of their power position will act to remove the threat.
It takes a strong and wise leader to hear everything that is being said, and be able to filter out the “truly valuable” from the noise.
It’s Worth Looking For
Some can’t do it. They need help. They need to have more direct feedback. Many organizations use suggestion boxes (if yours does, let me know how well it works). Some use [tag]employee surveys[/tag]. These can be very powerful when handled in the right way and given real attention. Some organizations use manager reviews, including [tag]360-degree reviews[/tag].
In any case, getting the real feelings of someone – like Mr. Knox – on the issues you’re working on is critical. I doubt that Mr. Knox would have “made his voice heard” in support of the auto industry financial support plan whether or not he wrote the email.
Workforce Expertise:
Find out what employees are thinking, not just saying. Some employees are less prone to express themselves, but have a very good pulse on the business. Get a complete view of the organization from managers to employees in every area of the organization. Use every avenue you can to learn what they are thinking (coffee talks, employee surveys, manager reviews), because thoughts ultimately turn into actions – for your gain or loss.
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