Does Bob Lutz’s Candor Hurt His Chances to Be GM’s Next Boss?
Jerry Flint of Forbes thinks so:
In an age when public relations departments carefully coach and script every public word uttered by their chief executives, Lutz never learned how to be politically correct. Sometimes Lutz speaks with too much candor, such as the time last year when he called Pontiac and Buick damaged brands–which, of course, is the truth. Dealers thought Lutz wanted to kill Pontiac and Buick, and they went berserk. In fact, Bob was working hard to save those nameplates, but he was just being honest.
Is Flint right? Maybe.
We think Lutz’s frank approach is refreshing — but every company culture is different, and in many, being an outspoken industry “rock star” will only take you so far up the ladder.
The same thing happens in politics. Witness rock-star McCain’s ongoing assimilation dance.
Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing
This word ‘Culture’ keeps poping up in PR blogs.
If we imagine organisations as mini cultures and their role is to influence wider cultures, then I think we get closer to what Public Relations has to achieve in a digital, networked era.
It is a very different form of PR but as dead tree PR fades, some of us need a new role.