SPRING 2022 / REAL-LEADERS.COM 89 COMMON GROUND General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Transforming a Crisis into Brand Loyalty Mary Barra has worked at General Motors her entire life, starting at 18 as an electrical engineer and culminating with her ascension to CEO in 2014. Her achievement marked the first time that a woman became the chief executive at a top-eight auto manufacturer. But something happened on her way up the ladder — the revelation of an issue that involved widespread defective ignition switches in thousands of GM vehicles. Three months into the job, Barra faced multiple investigative hearings before Congress, including allegations that 13 people had died and dozens more injured from accidents caused by the faulty switches. In addition, the company faced a multi-billion-dollar class-action suit and the largest recall in its history. However, Barra masterfully handled the crisis by expressing genuine compassion for the victims, committing to transparency with investigators and regulators, and creating a new company culture. While promising to unearth the root cause of the failure, Barra did not focus on a blame game for the tragic deaths but smartly accepted the responsibility to make it right and fix GM. Her strategy was to break information silos and fix systemic dysfunctions within the company, thereby transforming GM’s culture internally and in the eyes of consumers. “As a visionary leader, you should be thinking about more than just the next quarter. You should also be thinking about the next decade, and what your company’s reputation and place in the world will be after 40 quarterly results.” — Mary Barra we have now, but they are the voices we need. The world yearns for this kind of leadership. The more altruistic the guiding values, the longer the time horizon, and the broader the human needs leaders address, the more remarkable that leader’s vision can prove to be. Transformative leaders serve a transcendent purpose pointing the way to a better and more sustainable future. One example of a transformational leader is Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation (pictured left), who believes that becoming a leader is ongoing. The Ford Foundation is a $16 billion international social philanthropy organization. Walker has a very different approach to how he runs the organization. He believes that transformational leadership hinges on three fundamental requirements: listening, communicating, and being authentic. Walker listens first, trying to get ideas from people, and then supports causes that will have the most impact on transformative social justice action. He strongly believes in the work the foundation is doing and has a solid commitment to its principles. Under Walker, the Ford Foundation became the first nonprofit to activate real change to strengthen and stabilize multiple nonprofit organizations. Walker wasn’t just trying to further the causes of his own organization; he was doing the same for other organizations by supporting their important work as well. Walker puts the greater good of others first rather than his self-interest and elevates others around him rather than only focusing on his success. His approach to the grants they give to nonprofits is that recipients are best to decide where the money is best spent, whether it’s a homeless charity or an organization addressing systemic racism. He recognizes that they know best how their money should be used, and where it will have the most impact. In this regard, Walker’s approach is transformative in that he inspires others to push ahead with their ideas for change. It doesn’t matter in what sector a leader may find herself; transformational leadership applies across the board and can be a powerful tool. For CEOs and political leaders alike, bringing people along with you as you move forward is a vital trait of a transformational leader. The mark of a true leader is when they put personal differences and grievances aside and work with those with differing views for the greater good of people or a nation. This is the way forward. This is what is needed now. n Dr. Eileen Borris is a clinical and political psychologist specializing in international conflict resolution. She has helped peace efforts in more than 15 of the world’s most volatile and war-torn countries. GETTY IMAGES / PAUL MORIGI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjY3Mjcw