How much time does your CEO (or whatever you call the top person in your organization) have to communicate with employees? Not much, right?
Does he have time to “walk the floor” and talk to individual employees? Probably not, right? I mean, he’s busy running the entire company, for God’s sake.
And he doesn’t have time to do regular Town Hall meetings, right? Or weekly brown-bag lunches or informal breakfasts with employees, either, I’m sure.
What about answering personal e-mails from employees? Fat chance.
What about sending individual, hand-written notes to employees who are going through rough times? Okay, okay . . . stop laughing.
Your CEO doesn’t have time to do any of that crap, right? He doesn’t even have time to write his lousy 600-word quarterly column on “Synergy” or “World Class Service.” You have to write his lousy 600-word quarterly column on “Synergy” or “World Class Service.” He doesn’t even have time to read his own column before it goes out.
Well, whenever I hear this common line of thinking, I want to scream. Because I know it’s not true.
It’s the most common myth in the entire corporate world: That the CEO doesn’t have time to scratch his ass. That he has vice presidents who scratch his ass for him.
Bullshit.
Your CEO, or any CEO, has time to communicate with employees if he thinks its important to do so. I don’t care what industry you’re in, or what kind of company. If he thinks communication is important, the CEO can make plenty of time to do it. I know this to be true, because I see it in practice all the time.
In my work as a consultant, I have met far too many CEOs, in all kinds of industries, who do find time to communicate, to buy into the myth that most CEOs don’t have time. If the ones I meet have the time, why don’t the others?
To illustrate my point, I want to tell you something that happened to me last week. It was probably the nicest thing that has happened to me in my entire career.
But to tell you the story, I have to first reveal something I wasn’t going to talk about how out here. I wasn’t going to talk about it because it has to do with my wife, Cindy . . . and this is my blog, not hers. But she said it was okay.
Two weeks ago, Cindy’s mom was given three months to live.
She has been battling cancer . . . but she had been winning the battle. She had taken a slight downturn lately, but she had taken downturns before, and this woman is such a warrior that she always beat the cancer back into submission.
This time was different . . . and completely unexpected. When Cindy and her sister got the news, the world stopped for them.
Cindy’s dad died two weeks before Cindy was born. So her mom, Lynne, raised Cindy and her sister on her own, working two jobs to put them through the best schools on the south side.
It was always the three of them against the world. You won’t find a closer family no matter how hard or how long you look.
Lynne is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. I always thought she would outlive me.
So you can imagine how tough this whole thing is. When we got the news, we immediately converted my son’s room into a hospice room, and moved a hospital bed in there so that Lynne could spend her last weeks with us.
Well, the same week that we got the news and had to get the room ready, Cindy and I were supposed to be in Holland, Michigan, working with Magna Donnelly, a global auto-parts manufacturing company.
We had gone out there earlier in the year to do some focus groups and other research, and had already presented the findings to the communications team and the VP of HR.
Technically, our work was finished. The client was happy, we were paid, and it was on to the next.
But. . . . the CEO of Magna Donnelly is a man named Carlos Mazzorin. I had done some work with Magna Donnelly last year, and got to see Carlos in action. He laughs at people who say CEOs have no time to communicate.
He never said it out loud to me, but his actions prove that he thinks the CEO’s number ONE job is to communicate. He holds regular, free-wheeling Town Halls with employees, and answers every single tough question they throw at him. He walks the factory floors, stopping to talk to employees at every step of the way.
He does a regular, interactive newsletter called Comments to Carlos, where he answers questions from employees. He writes a regular column called Carlos’ Chatline, where he brings employees up to speed on what’s happening in the turbulent auto industry.
He does this all in spite of the fact that he is constantly traveling around the world to open up new markets; he does this in spite of the fact that he is under backbreaking pressure from the auto companies to cut costs; he does this in spite of the fact that the company is in a constant state of turmoil, and he has dozens of internal, business-related issues that he has to deal with every single day.
Carlos is no less busy than any other CEO out there—and probably busier than most of them—yet he makes the time to communicate.
I have so much respect for the man that, even though our work was finished, I volunteered to come back, on my own dime, at a later date to present the report to Carlos, and talk to him about it.
Carlos said he would appreciate that. So we set a date . . . and he had to cancel. Then we set another date and I had to cancel. Finally, we agreed on a date in August.
It was the same week that we got the news about Cindy’s mom. I canceled, explained what was going on, and said I didn’t know when we’d be able to get there.
My client understood, of course. And she said Carlos understood. And that, I thought, was the end of that.
Until Friday . . . when I received a hand-written note, in the mail, from Carlos.
Not an e-mail. Not one of those asshole “e-sympathy cards” that people send when they’re too lazy to go out and buy a card.
This was a hand-written note, like they used to write in the old days. And remember, I had met this man for all of 35 minutes more than a year ago.
“Hello Steve,” the note started out. “I was so sorry to hear the sad news,” it went on. I don’t want to reprint the entire note, but it ended with Carlos writing: “I only wanted you to know that I’ll be thinking of you and keeping your family in my prayers.”
I can’t tell you how much the note meant to me and Cindy. Cindy is taking this one day at a time, and that note helped her get through Friday.
And it came from a man who is running a company in one of the most turbulent industries in the world. He’s up to his ass in alligators every single day, yet he takes the time to do something like this? And he’s still making time to communicate every single day with his employees?
The next time you hear that CEOs are far too busy to communicate, call to mind Carlos Mazzorin. And blow that bullshit myth right out of the water.
Postcript:
I wrote this blog item on Friday, and didn’t get a chance to post it because Lynne took a sudden turn for the worse. We lost her Monday morning. I didn’t feel right not including this information . . . and I didn’t feel like rewriting the item, either. I’ll be back later this week.
Comments (20)
Our thoughts are with you and Cindy.
From all of us at Simply.
Posted by Marc Wright | August 22, 2006 11:46 AM
Posted on August 22, 2006 11:46
My deepest condolences to you and Cindy both. I am so sorry for your loss.
Posted by DeAnna B | August 22, 2006 11:55 AM
Posted on August 22, 2006 11:55
Ohhh, Steve. I'm sorry. My thoughts are with you both.
Posted by Meredith | August 22, 2006 2:22 PM
Posted on August 22, 2006 14:22
Steve - Please let me know if there's anything I can do in a practical way for you now. You and Cindy are in our (mine and Rebecca's) thoughts and prayers.
I've met a lot of CEO's, too. A few pricks, but mainly, you can see how they got to be CEO's - really smart and great with people.
Not sure it has anything to do with what we teach - face-to-face communications, for example. Think it has more to do with what kind of people they are.
As an example, I met a great one - retired military general, former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CEO of San Antonio's largest company, an insurer - a decade back, and famous for the kindness and candor in his relationships with employees. I asked him: "How did you become you?" He said: "The way my parents raised me."
I hope, though I don't know, that the real greats - Welch, Gates, Buffett - would say the same.
I think our work is with the people between the CEO and the employees, our professional peers.
But by the time you get to be CEO, you're not going to change those things about you that made you CEO.
Trusting that your optimism, energy, common sense, love for Cindy, and humor will be the light in even this darkest of times,
Patrick
Posted by patrick williams | August 22, 2006 3:31 PM
Posted on August 22, 2006 15:31
Steve:
Thanks for sharing your story. My thoughts are with you, Cindy and her family.
Posted by Eric Eggertson | August 22, 2006 4:02 PM
Posted on August 22, 2006 16:02
Steve -
I'm so sorry for your loss. My sincere sympathy to Cindy and you. Although I've never met Cindy, I've heard enough about her from you to feel like I know her. Take good care of her.
We haven't talked for a long time, but I'm a faithful reader. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Posted by Maribeth | August 22, 2006 4:09 PM
Posted on August 22, 2006 16:09
On this topic of CEO communication, I met - several times - the CEO of the leading provider of pharaceutical contract services (clinical trials, etc.)in the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina. And when I asked him the secret of his success - from university professor to billionaire in 20 years - he said: "I treat my clients, investors, executive team and the janitor the same way."
I said, "Why?" He said: "My father was a fish monger in London, got up every day at 4:30, had to deal with the fishermen, his crew, the grocers. He told me: 'Treat everyone the same - like they're the only one.' "
That's one of the virtues I admire most in you, Steve - in addition to all the professional stuff. You treat everyone the same way. A good way.
Thanks.
Posted by patrick williams | August 22, 2006 4:22 PM
Posted on August 22, 2006 16:22
Steve - deepest condolences to you, Cindy and your families. At times like this you always want to do something to help, but of course there isn't anything you can do. Except to send prayers and hopes for some peace to those bearing such a loss. Please know that I am sending both for you and Cindy.
Kristen
Posted by Kristen | August 23, 2006 7:08 AM
Posted on August 23, 2006 07:08
Steve,
Maribeth said what I was thinking, that even though I don't know Cindy, I feel like I do from knowing you and reading your blog. Please tell Cindy that she is in all of our thoughts and prayers. May the memories of her mother's love comfort and keep her in the tough days to come.
You take care too.
Sonya
Posted by Sonya | August 23, 2006 12:43 PM
Posted on August 23, 2006 12:43
My thoughts are with you both...
As for the CEO communication deal - we're small here, and we just got smaller due to cutbacks in the late spring/early summer months. My firm has never been good about communication. In fact, they are probably at the bottom of the barrel. We've had employee cutbacks before, and they were handled terribly. But this last time? The partner/owner sent a note out in the morning, explaining that there were going to be more cutbacks and that it's not anyone's fault. That he believes in the quality of work that's being produced and we're a victim of some political crap going on in our industry. It was well written and I think helped soften the blow.
Now we're facing another small business crisis. Our health insurance company is dumping us. And we all know what a shithole healthcare is right now. This is devastating to the firm and extremely hard for our owner who has always prided himself on getting us the best health insurance possible.
On Tuesday he called each employee into his office one at a time to explain what was going on, answer any questions, and try to put to rest any fears this may cause. He restated his commitment to finding us an affordable healthcare solution and promised to have it resolved before our current policy expires.
It was reassuring, appropriate and well done.
Posted by Rebecca (token IT Goddess) | August 23, 2006 1:02 PM
Posted on August 23, 2006 13:02
Steve, my prayers for you and Cindy and all the other family who are no doubting mourning deeply.
Posted by Susanne | August 23, 2006 1:08 PM
Posted on August 23, 2006 13:08
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
This post was not harsh,; it came from the heart. Thank you. I have printed this post and placed in my meeting portfolio to remember when I am in the C-suite.
Posted by Lauren Vargas | August 23, 2006 1:58 PM
Posted on August 23, 2006 13:58
Steve, It sounds like Lynne was a very strong person that you respected. Have peace knowing that she is no longer suffering. Your wife will need your support now more than ever.
Posted by Carol | August 24, 2006 2:05 PM
Posted on August 24, 2006 14:05
First off, very sorry for your loss. Don't forget to take care of yourselves in the middle of taking care of everyone else.
Next, I want to share a recent conversation with our brand new CEO. She specifically asked me her first week here to prepare a plan for communicating with employees. I never even got the opportunty to pitch and sermonize on the importance of such a task. Wow!
So this week I presented my recommendations and as we all know, you ask for more so you can settle for something in the middle.
I asked for nine specific tasks - everything from attending staff meetings (30-40 meetings in all) to do her "stump speech" about visioning, etc. I'm not talking Town Hall meetings, but small groups to really "meet and greet".
The list included practical suggestions such as bulletin boards, webcasting, electronic bulletin board where she actively participates, whole staff social events, etc. It was a Christmas Wish List if I ever saw one.
She went for eight with no hesitation. The ninth is on hold. To be honest, I could care less about that one, it was what I consider to the least effective and it cost nothing. She approved the ones that cost bucks with ne'er a blink of the eye.
I am not naive enough to realize being new she has reason to do this and it could realistically dwindle down with follow-up, but damn I am excited for now.
Posted by Melody | August 25, 2006 1:06 PM
Posted on August 25, 2006 13:06
Melody---wow, don't feel bad; we take our victories where we can get them! She opened the door to a great CEO relationship, so keep it up---very cool!
=) Laurel
Posted by Laurel | August 25, 2006 2:16 PM
Posted on August 25, 2006 14:16
Plus - you now have the golden opportunity to show your new CEO the results of her approving those things contributing to the success of your business, i.e. more engaged employees working with her to meet the company's goals, rentention, you know - we'll all keep our fingers crossed that you get to keep all the things you now have. Good Luck Melody!
Posted by Kristen | August 25, 2006 2:56 PM
Posted on August 25, 2006 14:56
Sorry to read of your loss, Steve. My prayers are with you and Cindy.
Posted by Lee Hopkins | August 28, 2006 2:30 AM
Posted on August 28, 2006 02:30
Steve,
I'm so sorry for your loss. You and Cindy are in my thoughts.
With deepest sympathies,
Kelly
Posted by Kelly Kass | August 28, 2006 12:17 PM
Posted on August 28, 2006 12:17
Wow . . . Cindy and I just finished reading all these terrific messages. Thanks to all of you for helping us get through what has been a horrific week.
Cindy and I both really appreciate it. Now it's time to let time do what time does best.
Thanks again, everybody.
Steve C.
Posted by Steve C. | August 28, 2006 6:06 PM
Posted on August 28, 2006 18:06
Steve,
My thoughts are with you and Cindy.
Great article! I agree with you, Carlos was my mentor when I started with Ford Motor in Brazil, he is a great personne and has carisma and interpersonnel skills second to none. I have not met Carlos since,this is some forty years ago. He did well and deserves the best!
Pio
Posted by Pio Dacosta | January 15, 2008 4:46 AM
Posted on January 15, 2008 04:46