Uber’s New CEO Just Sent an Amazing Email to Employees – And Taught a Major Lesson in Emotional Intelligence

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In just a few short sentences, Uber’s new leader demonstrates the power of seeing the big picture.

Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has only been on the job a matter of weeks, but a recent email to employees is proof positive that he’s the right man for the job.

Yesterday, government officials in London announced that they would not be renewing Uber’s license to operate in the city. Shortly thereafter, Uber announced its intent to appeal the decision.

Uber’s chief executive responded to the news with a remarkable email to employees. You can find Khosrowshahi’s entire message at the end of this article, but it’s the following piece that stuck out to me as especially noteworthy:

While the impulse may be to say that this is unfair, one of the lessons I’ve learned over time is that change comes from self-reflection. So it’s worth examining how we got here. The truth is that there is a high cost to a bad reputation. Irrespective of whether we did everything that is being said about us in London today (and to be clear, I don’t think we did), it really matters what people think of us, especially in a global business like ours, where actions in one part of the world can have serious consequences in another.

In just a few short sentences, Uber’s new leader teaches some major lessons in emotional intelligence.

What’s EQ Got to Do With It?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify emotions (in both yourself and others), to recognize the powerful effects of those emotions, and to use that information to inform and guide behavior. In essence, it’s the ability to make emotions work for you, instead of against you.

Uber’s new CEO follows what I refer to in my forthcoming book as one of the 10 commandments of emotional intelligence: the ability to learn from other perspectives.

A lesser-skilled leader may have seen the London transportation authority’s decision as unfair, insulting, maybe even a direct attack on innovation itself. (In fact, previous actions by Uber seem to flaunt the positions of regulatory authorities.)

But while Khosrowshahi expressed strong disagreement with the decision, he also demonstrated his ability to see the big picture–including past, present and future. He resists the temptation to focus on right or wrong; rather, Khosrowshahi helps his people to understand how perceptions differ, and the reasons behind this. He realizes that evennegative feedback is a gift–because it can expose blind spots and lead to necessary improvement.

Most importantly, the new CEO implied that in order to succeed, Uber has to change its de facto motto of “disrupt first, ask questions later.” More than simply following the rules, Uber must go a step further: Essentially, it must convince regulators that it is willing to play nice with others.

Of course, this is why Khosrowshahi’s here in the first place.

After a series of mishaps and scandals kept Uber in the news for months–because of all the wrong reasons–the company’s board of directors decided that former chief Travis Kalanick was no longer the right man for the job. Looking to bring a sense of maturity and wisdom to Uber, the board unanimously voted Khosrowshahi, who was serving as the chief executive at travel company Expedia, to replace Kalanick as the new CEO.

And from the beginning, Uber’s new leader made it clear that major adjustments were coming.

“This company has to change,” Khosrowshahi said in his opening remarks, at his first all-hands meeting with the company. “What got us here is not what’s going to get us to the next level.”

It would seem that Mr. Khosrowshahi is making good on that promise.

Here’s Dara Khosrowshahi’s full email to Uber employees, as first reported by Bloomberg’s Eric Newcomer:

Thanks Pierre, and thanks to everyone working on this issue.

Like all of you, I’m hugely disappointed in the decision by London’s Mayor and Transport for London. It could have profound negative consequences for the 40,000 drivers who depend on Uber for work and the 3.5 million Londoners who rely on Uber to get around.

It’s particularly discouraging that this is happening in the UK, where the team has led the way on partnerships with local groups to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible and electric vehicles on the road.

While the impulse may be to say that this is unfair, one of the lessons I’ve learned over time is that change comes from self-reflection. So it’s worth examining how we got here. The truth is that there is a high cost to a bad reputation. Irrespective of whether we did everything that is being said about us in London today (and to be clear, I don’t think we did), it really matters what people think of us, especially in a global business like ours, where actions in one part of the world can have serious consequences in another.

Going forward, it’s critical that we act with integrity in everything we do, and learn how to be a better partner to every city we operate in. That doesn’t mean abandoning our principles–we will vigorously appeal TfL’s decision–but rather building trust through our actions and our behavior. In doing so, we will show that Uber is not just a really great product, but a really great company that is meaningfully contributing to society, beyond its business and its bottom line.

Thanks for everything you’re doing to make Uber the best company it can be, and particularly to our teammates in London and across the UK.

–Dara

 

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