A CEO Says Something Dumb: Drag Them or Try to Understand?
In The News
We have no shortage of executives who say things that make us ask “what were they thinking?” I have been more than willing to drag them for these clearly unfortunate remarks (and will continue to do so until they get this gaffe off repeat).
The latest was by the CEO of Kellogg’s who made the case that Americans should eat cereal for dinner in the quest to save money (read here). Being upfront, it was a stupid thing to say (or at least a stupid way to say it) and it was made worse by where he said it (while staying at a resort where the cost is over $500/night).
I’ve spoken in the past about how gaffes like this hurt managers because it makes it so much harder to keep employees engaged. That advice all holds true here. I want to take a different approach and try to explain why executives keep saying these things. As managers talk with employees, it helps to provide this type of explanation. It enables you to understand the sentiment, without ignoring its flaws.