I haven't posted a blog in a long time. Mostly since life as I know it has been relatively uneventful. I've recently commited myself to a few more worthy tasks that might be of more interest.I work for a very large aerospace company. Large companies like this always have big, important CEOs who stand at the head of them. Most of us who work for the company may never have the chance to see the man in person, let along engage in dialog with him. My co-worker / friend / partner in crime Chris who started with me at the company, posed an interesting idea. He heard that if you emailed this particular CEO of a $30 billion a year company, he tends to write back. I figured that since most of this spineless corporation would never take the chance we could, we might as well go for it. So, we drafted an email to our CEO to open a discussion regarding the increasing generation gap and what the company might do to better prepare to recieve the Millennials as the flood the American and Global workforce.
With the email drafted over the period of one work day, Chris and I clicked the send button on the email account without reservation. The great principle we had learned of 'Asking for forgiveness rather than permission' seemed to give us courage. Little did we know we would be asking for forgiveness that very day (within 3 hours of sending the email).
Much to our suprise, the email was responded to within several hours. Much to our dismay, we were lightly chastized in the name of mentorship. Though, dispite our mild verbal flogging, we were given several high level contacts, with whom we could work. We promptly appologized for our approach, though in all honesty, we prided ourselves in the bold manuveur. Re-reading over the email, which I had origionally drafted, we saw how our attempt to convey urgency, might have been mis-read as critisicm, demmanding or innappropriate.
Amongst other things, we were accused of possible naivetae in the area of our concern. Chris and I have taken it upon ourselves to become experts in the field of generational gaps in the corporate world so as to supremely dominate any such conversation we may engage in.
Don't ever email the CEO of a $30 billion a year company when the email may appear to tell him how to do his job, unless your ready to feel the whiplash. I wasn't ready for it, but I handled it and both Chris and I agree that we are better for it.
When later explaining the story to our ex-manager and long time mentor / friend Ben, he promptly asked "Did you guys smoke a bowl before you sent this thing?!" We reminded him that he was the one who encouraged us to push boundaries and ask forgiveness rather than permission. I think he's all the more proud of us for having done it.
$30 billion a year or not, he's just a man and I might even intimidate him!
