In his CNBC interview, Stankey said he was “surprised” at the reaction to his memo. Quote: “The fact that people spent as much time on it for as many days as they did was probably a little bit of a surprise to me … I don’t know why that is — I’m not an industrial psychologist.”
Let me break it down for you, John:
You told 99,000 employees “align or leave.”
You sp-t on loyalty, mocked trust, and acted like morale doesn’t matter.
And now you’re shocked it didn’t land like a TED Talk?
You don’t need an industrial psychologist. You need common sense. Threatening the workforce isn’t “dialogue,” it’s hostility. Pretending you don’t understand the backlash isn’t leadership, it’s cowardice.
Stankey, here’s your diagnosis:
Terminal arrogance, chronic tone-deafness, and acute detachment from reality. Prognosis? Unsurvivable as a CEO once the board realizes the only thing you’ve inspired is a mass exodus.