Page 203 - The Bible On Leadership

Justice and Fairness 189

But in all this ‘‘do-gooderism,’’ Xerox did not forget to take a good
hard look at itself and the justice and fairness of its policies. It set minor-
ity recruitment goals that exceeded federal guidelines. It also identified
‘‘pivotal jobs’’ leading to top management so that women and minori-
ties could be prepared for them and directed to them. By 1991, minori-
ties at Xerox represented 25 percent of all employees, 21 percent of all
professionals, 19 percent of officers and managers, and 21 percent of
senior executives. 16
It is not true justice when one nationality or racial group is clustered
at the bottom doing the lowest levels of work while another group
disproportionately dominates the positions of power. Xerox knew this
when it instituted these programs. Pharaoh, a man blind to injustice,
paid for this blindness by losing his entire labor force on one memorable
night, and his entire army a short while after.
John Lampe was appointed CEO of Firestone during one of its most
difficult crises. A large number of the company’s tires had shredded
while being driven on Ford Explorers on the highway, resulting in 174
deaths and 700 injuries. One of Lampe’s first actions was to appear on
television to accept accountability and outline the steps that Firestone
would take to rectify the situation.
‘‘It wasn’t my ambition to be on TV, but customers want to hear
from someone who is accountable,’’ notes Lampe. First, Lampe publicly
apologized to the families who had suffered deaths or injuries. He
changed the manufacturing process at the plant that had made the tires,
and spent $50 million to upgrade the facilities. He offered extended
warranties (up to four years), free thirty-day test drives, and refunds to
any dissatisfied purchasers.
And in a rare and courageous move for a tire manufacturer (whose
income largely depends on good relationships with the auto industry,
its major consumer), Lampe also challenged the Ford Motor Company
to acknowledge its share of the responsibility for the accidents. 17
Lampe’s actions and statements were congruent with the pronounce-
ments made thousands of years earlier by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘‘Woe
to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by
injustice.’’ ( Jer. 22:13) If the leaders of the auto industry had heeded