Lee Iacoca, before he asked for a dollar, lowered his salary to $1.
Engendered good will. Lead by example.
Rick Wagoner, on the other hand, said he won’t resign for government dollars.
Angered lots of potential allies, showed hubris, and by his statement gave the impression that he came first before the company or the taxpayer’s hard earned money.
The contrasts here are stark. According to Sarah Webster, a reporter for the Free Press while on WDET’s “Detroit Today,” Chrysler did a PR smash in 1978, showing people what was in the pipeline, having much more apparent transparency – and what does GM do? Show the Volt, and that’s it. Nothing more about their plans. Nothing to the vast parts of America who have misconceptions about Detroit because they’ve been disconnected for a generation. Cerberus, being the private venture entity they are, is even more of a curtain.
A friend of mine talks about “The Ask.” He talks about how in order to get people to care about helping you, they need to know you. Right now, the Big 3 are doing a horrible job with the public; in many ways, they’re taking the same approach the financial industry did for their bailout, and it’s only angering folks.
Sure, there’s majority opinion in some polls to help the US automakers, but it’s tenuous. America does not have the affinity for US carmakers that they once did, and do not have the knowledge of the changes that have been made because of their multi-faceted disconnection with Detroit. Many are taken care of by their foreign purchases; and their friends are employed in foreign-owned plants, service centers, and dealerships. Toyota and Honda are as American to them and their lives as General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.
The Big 3 need to start, today, having a real conversation with the community, put the hubris away, and start treating the taxpayers like the good citizens they are; that if told the story and engaged would be more than glad to lobby even their conservative congresspeople to get a sensible plan with the right regulations passed.
Even more importantly than the congresspeople, the nation needs to be behind this package so that they feel they have ownership; even be more motivated to buy U.S. automaker’s vehicles because “they’re doing their part” instead of what’s happening right now, which is dragged along for the ride.
Update: Looks like a senator from Florida, Bill Nelson (D), agrees:
The Florida senator also said he worries that, unlike 1979, when Chrysler got $1.2 billion in a government bailout, there is no figure like Lee Iacocca – the company’s head back then – to soothe doubts that the auto industry was ready to change.
“Where are the Lee Iococca’s?” he asked. “We don’t see them.”
Interesting that the good Senator asked “Where are the Lee Iococca’s” considering that Mr. Iococca recently wrote a pretty solid book entitled “Where have all the leaders gone?” In it he mostly pans Bush and Congress, but he does do a little number on the car companies too. It’s too bad that we don’t have a leader like him either in politics or in the auto industry at present.
I am not happy with the events of this day and I shared some of my thoughts about it on my blog. It’s a very strange time to be a Detroiter. The mixed emotion from “good, let ‘em fail” to gut wrenching “I can’t believe they didn’t pass this” is going to require a lot of empathy and healing over the coming days. I am happy that the decision isn’t final, but, it doesn’t look good. Perhaps we can get enough of the Democrats over their illnesses or back into session so we can get the 60 votes needed. It’s crazy. I would like to see the roll call for today.
Nice post Jeremiah.