I guess there are times when it is appropriate to keep secrets. Spies have to keep secrets. People invited to a surprise party have to keep it a secret. I certainly want someone giving me a Christmas gift to keep its contents secret.
But as a business strategy, being secretive fails time and time again.
It seems that Toyota is learning that lesson the hard way. Today’s Wall Street Journal article about Toyota, “Secretive Culture Led Toyota Astray,” makes it clear that Toyota leadership knew as early as 2007 about problems with gas pedals in its Lexus models. Following a fatal crash in September 2007, Toyota recalled floor mats [emphasis mine], but failed to admit that the gas pedals themselves were responsible for cars’ malfunction.
On October 5, 2009, Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles; January 21 it recalled 2.3 million and recalled another 1.1 million a few days later. On January 26, under order from the U.S. National Highway and Saftey Administration, Toyota stopped selling cars in the U.S.
The problems with the cars will ultimately be fixed. Toyota’s engineers will undoubtedly correct any defective engineering in its models.
But how long will it take for consumers to trust Toyota? Can its communication staff help management see the harm that secrecy can do to a company? Can they help the company repair the damage to its reputation?
I don’t care how many times I do it.
It doesn’t matter the number of templates I’ve created, the formats and ideas I’ve borrowed (stolen) The input I’ve asked for, the time I’ve spent getting buy-in. I should be used to it. But every time, it’s a big hairy communications plan and every time, I love it and I dread it.
There’s something edgy about building a big picture. Searching out and assembling all of the parts. Stepping back and knowing that it’s just not right, grinding your teeth over whatever’s missing, but then, the aha! moment. A new idea hits and actually makes sense and fits in with the whole. It’s looking good and you feel sooo satisfied with creating something fresh, something you can believe in. Of course it has old, reliable, time tested parts. It’s got new stuff too, new exciting stuff to deliver and make work and measure and achieve. What a powerful good feeling when the pieces become a mosaic that tells a story and you, the storyteller, got it right.
But I’m procrastinating. Going through the ritual of kvetching before I plant myself on the task. My first communications plan at IABC. Creating a plan to communicate to the professional business communicator. They tell me its a scary job. I will be under a microscope. But my thinking is this - each and everyy one of us - when we’re taking on the job of building something that holds such value and weight for our organizations - we’re all of us under a microscope. And we’ve got each other to make it come out right.
So what’s so scary? A search of the IABC web site is showing me a boatload of resources. MyComm, an online planning tool is smart, it makes me think, it’s giving me direction. Articles in Communication World, manuals in the Knowledge Centre. The eXchange site is downright awesome. There’s a lot to get my juices flowing. Steve Crescenzo’s March 12 Strategic Communications conference (wouldn’t I just love to be there). The World Conference is going to make me wish my communications plan wasn’t due for another couple of months.
But what I really want are more aha! moments right in front of me, right here, right now. That “thing” thats going to make everyone do the happy dance. A big bucket of creative, interesting, workable ideas. I’m tired of thinking about it in the shower. Better yet, won’t somebody just tell me what the next great idea is? Oh right, that’s what we’re all thinking about in the shower.
In the meantime, I’ve got resources up the whazoo, I’ve got an online tool to keep me on the right path, I’ve got a brain and experience and most important, I’ve got my friends and colleagues, the network I turn to for critique. In a nutshell, I’ve got all of you.
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