Whistleblowers, Responsibility And My Life Before Advertising

Hard to believe it, but I actually had a job or two before advertising. (By the way, this story relates to any workplace).  I worked in the Auto Industry – for a division of Ford Motor Company, and later, for a division of Toyota of America.

I have seen a lot of shoddy work roll off the line that really doesn’t have to be. It’s frustrating, and bottom line, it’s all about responsibility, caring and culture.

Last week I wrote about management putting process (or tools, or just have a real culture, for crying out loud) in place so they know what’s going on – and can act on issues that affect anything from their bottom line to their customers.

I noted a few instances of where leaders [claimed they] “didn’t know” and I called B.S. on that.

One of those instances was faulty ignition switches – which is the latest big issue that GM is addressing.

An article on Bloomberg Businessweek about whistleblower Courtland Kelley talks about his efforts to alert GM management of issues which were met with, well, they didn’t want to hear about it. Mr. Kelley’s predecessor was demoted for making an issue of defects and was removed from his position; and Kelley who continued to make management aware of problems (more than the ignition switch), finally sued GM. GM denied there were problems, the judge sided with GM (that judge should be removed), and Kelley was demoted. He was a lifetime GM employee reduced to doing stuff that doesn’t upset anyone.

It is a really lonely place to be when you decide to take serious issues to management. In Kelley’s case, these were life-and-death issues. And the really heinous part was (and still is) an issue of cost – it was “too expensive” for GM to recall and repair the vehicles.

I can’t even imagine what Mr. Kelley felt when he read about the fatalities that he knew were a result of GM’s inaction – issues he warned them about. In writing. Multiple times.

Is it really cheaper to pay restitution to the victims’ families than to recall and fix those defects out on the road?

Unbelievable.

So, way back when, I worked at Ford. Actually, it was a Predelivery Service plant where we did a few tweaks, like alignments; installed a few accessories; fixed any minor damage done during transit (via rail car); and basically made the car clean and pretty for the dealer. The shop had everything from mechanics, to body and paint, to detailers.

It was the early- mid-seventies and the gas crisis hit. I was laid off three times during those glorious times, but while I was working, I first did claims – both damage claims during transit that the rail carrier paid, and warranty claims that were paid by Ford; then I became an inspector. As an inspector, there were things I could see – the hold-down broke during transit (from the Midwest to Oregon), and along the way the car bounced around and got pretty beat up; and things I couldn’t see – usually the warranty stuff . . . like missing piston rings or brake pads.

We documented everything we found to be a problem and fixed every car. Those warranty claims always went to Ford corporate. I have to wonder if they ever tracked trends.

We jokingly called ourselves Final Assembly.

I worked there when the Pinto was rolling off the line like mad because it was Ford’s only fuel-efficient car. We had no idea it was so faulty that it would eventually be pulled from production due to dangerous design.

Segue to keeping management informed  . . .

The point is, telling the truth is really important. That’s where culture comes in. There have to be channels for employees to advance issues to management. Employees have to not only feel safe raising the red flag, but able to do so without fear of retaliation.

At least at Ford, I had the warranty claims process to inform management. What they did with that data is a mystery.

But as for Mr. Kelley, he told the truth – and then, due to stonewalling by his bosses, even sued the company for not taking action. They rewarded him with demotion, humiliation and an end to his career that was far from what he ever planned.

But we all have to go with our conscience. GM’s management went with their pocketbook.

I have raised issues many times and have been shot down more often than been a witness to change. If they don’t know about it, they can’t fix it – right? I can never shake the feeling that if it seems wrong, it is usually wrong. I have to speak up.

As much as we hate to bring something that went horribly wrong to our boss, it really is much cheaper to fix it now than later. Damage control is hard, expensive and hangs on forever.

Do what’s right. Use all your channels, and as I said before, do it diplomatically.

Management, at any level, can be a bunch of jerks. Be prepared for whatever happens. Save your email – send them to yourself. You just never know when your hard drive at work will crash, or IT won’t be able to recover your saved emails.

Oh, and my stint at Toyota? In thousands of cars that were processed while I was there (they came by ship from Japan back then), I only saw one – really one – with a defect: a broken tie-rod. Of course that was a long time ago, before they too became greedy and started ignoring issues.

We’re learning a lot about culture here, so pay attention.

How does your agency or company work with employees who ask questions or enlighten management about issues with regard to product, workplace or improvements?

You can develop great ideas, turn out great work, enjoy your job – and management is there to support and promote you all along the way.

That’s why we do what we do. That’s when we have jobs we love. That is great culture.

When Management Knows What’s Going On

Earlier this week I wrote about management taking responsibility and having the tools (and even more so culture) in place to know what’s going on.

And that includes responding to issues – hopefully having the wherewithal to respond.

Part 1: Know what’s going on

Part 2: Responding in an intelligent, thoughtful way

Therefore, when issues arise – and they always will – how management responds is a highly reliable barometer of how engaged they actually are. Are they attending to their own agendas or are they looking out for the firm?

A great culture is evident when the bosses put all the personal stuff and political crap aside and do what’s best for the firm – that means the product they produce and the people who create it have priority. But . . . there has to be great culture in order for that to happen.

Kind of a chicken-or-egg thing.

Now, I have worked for awesome companies and agencies that truly care about employees, the product and profit – only to have one employee (in a key position) completely f*ck things up. That person is usually in HR, but I digress. . .(why is HR such a pain?).

So I find it a complete mystery - and really sad - when an agency or a company has to have an anonymous suggestion box, or worse, do a survey to take the pulse of the employees to reveal any issues that are causing grief.

Surveys are usually anonymous, but these days, no one truly believes that.

I can go one step further. One step that's worse:

Holding formal queries of staff to get their un-censored take on the firm, their department, their boss and their colleagues.

Total transparency some say, and complete vulnerability I say.

I have worked in and with several places that have done just that.

I was always candid.

I thought my employer [finally] cared enough to really know what was happening – and how I thought we could make it better. They wanted my input!

What happened next? Absolutely nothing came of those gut-wrenching episodes.

So you’ve poured your heart out – both about issues that need resolution in a serious way, and heartfelt, intelligent ways to make it better – and now management knows more about you and your great ideas that you know about them.

Would I take another survey? Yes. I̶’̶m̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶e̶t̶e̶r̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶m̶i̶s̶t̶.̶  I’m a pragmatist, so I’ll be honest within reason.

When I’m asked for my unfettered opinion on issues and recommendations for improvements I will always give them. Diplomatically. It can’t be personal. It has to be about getting the work done, identifying the roadblocks and gaps, and finding solutions.

That is what I do every day for every client.

That is what you should do if you’re ever asked open-ended questions on a survey.

Be realistic. If management is asking you to tell them something they should already know, do so with focus and clarity on problem/solution.

Maybe they do care enough to query staff and make improvements and things will get better. However, if it all remains the same, prepare your resume or settle to keep doing the same things in the same way with the same frustrations. It can be “just a job.”

For me, as a consultant, I talk to every single employee and get their take on issues and improvements. I never reveal sources and I’m always totally honest with management on what needs fixing and ways to implement change.

That’s my job. Whether management chooses to adopt it is a different issue.

Therein lies the culture of a firm.

The Buck Stops Here: Management Taking Responsibility

Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that read The Buck Stops Here.

Taking responsibility is paramount for our leaders, whether they are the President of the United States, or Agency CEO / Partner / VP of the Marketing Department.

As a project manager, or more so, as a director of a department managing project managers, I had to know everything that was going on. It was ultimately my responsibility to ensure everything got done – on time, on budget, and left the agency without error.

It was my responsibility to follow up with my team to know project status, have tools to jump in if someone was too busy or [lucky enough to be] on vacation. I kept an open door, attended all daily stand-ups and got clarity on and prepared mitigation plans for projects that had the slightest chance of going off the rails.

It was also my responsibility to push any issue that was beyond my control, which would jeopardize any one of those criteria, up to my boss and get a speedy, effective resolution.

She had a right to know what was going on that could affect the health of the agency.

She had a responsibility [and authority] to make judgment calls on matters that affected the client, the agency’s relationship with the client, the agency’s reputation, profits – and even matters that directly affected the effectiveness and morale of the employees involved – affecting culture.

This is where management sets the course of an agency or marketing department.

Recently, in the highest-ranks of our country, we hear leaders claim “they didn’t know.”

I call bullshit on that statement to everyone from a department manager to the President.

The recent events at the VA, Benghazi, IRS, traffic patterns, state healthcare websites, faulty ignition switches and other ‘scandals’ have brought to light how detatched leaders can be from the reality of the organization they supposedly run.

Even our President – according to his press secretary – didn’t know about these events until he heard / read about it on the news.

That bothers me. That concerns the hell out of me.

The Buck Stops Here.

So in a piece in NY Magazine about responsibility for Benghazi, they write,

“So the president's decisions are his alone to make. That's very different than the idea that the president must take responsibility for decisions he didn't even make in the first place.”

The article goes on to say,

“And as Clinton acknowledged, micromanaging the security plans for the nation's 275 worldwide diplomatic posts isn't part of the president's workload.”

But there’s something else that is far more important.

Command Responsibility

Command Responsibility, in very general terms means that you are responsible for your subordinates and liable if you fail to have the proper channels in place to know what’s going on. Granted, the definition stems from the military and war crimes, but it has made its way to laws that define how we manage our staff.

It is the “known or should have known” standard I wrote about back in April. 

Especially for those who served in the military, the code of responsibility is clear and absolute.

You cannot claim ignorance of an issue.

“I didn’t know” just doesn’t cut it.

So it is deplorable when anyone – your manager or the leader of your company or the country – didn’t know that something was wrong.

They had their head in the sand. They were delusional. They intentionally stayed out of the office, or out of contact with staff.

They have no excuse.

I wholly believe that we are all responsible for success. And for failure.

I choose success.

Be informed. Keep your manager informed.