Uber is one of the biggest cab service providers of the world and whenever you think about the CEO of such a giant, you might feel that the person must be humble yet authoritative, ruthless about business yet kind-hearted towards employees.
However, the CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick, showcased absence of some basic qualities of a leader when he travelled in his own company’s cab. Travis took an Uber Black when he was travelling with two female friends.
As per the footage received by the dash-cam video, it is pretty visible that Travis and the driver, Fawzi Kamel, had a very heated debate on the matter of reducing fares. A friend of Travis can be heard, speaking slowly, that this year for Uber is a hard one, to which Travis replied,
“I make sure every year is a hard year. That’s kind of how I roll. I make sure every year is a hard year. If it’s easy I’m not pushing hard enough.”
The driver Fawzi also tried to express his disappointment with Travis over the wages paid by Uber when the CEO’s journey was almost finishing. Travis replied in anger, “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own sh*t.”
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[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns&feature=youtu.be&t=235[/yt]
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However, after this video went viral, Travis wrote an email to his staff and made an attempt to apologize to Fawzi. He wrote,
“To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away. It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.”
It’s good that Travis smelled the coffee soon. Hopefully this is a genuine attempt on his part to become a good leader!