Every time the gas pedal was depressed and the huge V8
engine growled its eager response, Williams could not help
but smile. And why not? The man is a car enthusiast.
TD (The Driver): When you accepted the appointment as
President of GM Canada, you knew this was to be no walk in
the park; was it tougher, more challenging than you expected?
KW (Kevin Williams): Yes, in many ways. However, we’re
happy overall with the manner that things have progressed.
We’ve taken a company from being in an unstable position
to a more sustainable position. We’re profitable and we’re
now seeing all of the parts of our planned business model
demonstrate the performance we needed. It’s challenging
when you come into a situation post-restructuring. But at
the same time, when we see where the business is today, it’s
pretty rewarding.
TD: Seems as if you encourage transparency from your team;
accountability is important to you. Bay Street and consumers
alike are seeing a more open culture from the company these
past few years. Why?
KW: It’s by design, indirectly, but it really happened
organically. The reality is that inside the company we say, “As
leaders we’ve just got to face reality and make things real.”
We avoid talking in platitudes. We exposed the issues we had
within the company. What do we do well? Where have we
failed? We address these head on and knock them down—not
just one at a time, often 10 at a time. The only way we can
get the whole organization behind us is to just be factual;
“What do we
do well? Where
have we failed?
We address
these head on
and knock them
down—not just
one at a time,
often 10 at a
time.”
be straight. Be true. True to what’s going
on. Paint the scenario. Ask the team(s) to
connect and get them emotionally and
mentally engaged. We’ve carved out a
position as creating the world’s best vehicles,
with technology backed by customer service.
This is our rallying cry. Our common goal.
TD: There is a sense of greater connectivity
within GM; from the dealers on up.
KW: If we work a problem, we will find a
solution. Our dealer network, the best in
Canada, has been terrific. Supportive—yet
vocal. And as much as we listen to our
customers, it’s just as important we do the
same with those on the front line. There
were some troubling times with our network
and some tough business decisions were
made. Those days are behind us. Everyone
is moving forward and consequently the
results have been amazing. Look at our
current lineup. Chevrolet is poised to be a
world-class brand. There has been great
effort and resilience shown all the way
down the line.
General Motors is stronger—and smarter.
We made promises to our dealers—and our
employees. We want to be recognized as the
best and that all our customers would be
at the centre of our growth. We’re not 100
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