Originally Posted by
angryrat
It doesn’t really matter what you want to call it but if the reply of the CEO was to make it out into the public, he should be able to stand behind the reply without having to stand down the Captain.
If he is feeling exposed or feels that his reply being made public undermines him, then maybe he needs to look within about how he addresses his employees. Unlikely as he has proven that he likes to rule with an iron fist.
One might assume an over compensated CEO, who spends his time in the big office, would want to actually venture out into the big world and engage with people. After all an airline is a big team sport.
The only engagement Mr Joyce is courageous enough to make is either surrounded by CPP (Close personal protection) or lawyers.
Gordon Bethune when he became CEO of the beleaguered Continental Airlines, dismissed the security details for senior executives, wedged open the doors to the executive levels of the company and gave his personal telephone number to staff.
Rob Fyfe at Air New Zealand made sure senior managers (all of them) worked in various parts of the business on regular intervals.
As the author of the email asserted, even Mr Strong personalised a people business, recognising milestones and personal landmarks.
To attempt remotely to 'rule' with an iron fist, will work no better than the countless historical figures who tried.
What this now has the potential to do is unite the workforce, who know precisely the way Mr Joyce deals with any open critique, to work against senior management.
A bigger man would have simply called the email author and invited him down to QCA, sent his security detail out to walk around the block a few times and had a chat..