General Motors CEO Mary Barra receives plenty of notes about her company from customers — and she responds “to every single letter that I get,” whether positive or negative, she said at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Dec. 3.
Barra’s habit can be seen as an example of direct and intentional communication, which some experts say is an effective way to build loyalty and trust. Handwritten cards can show other people that you put time and care into your interaction with them, and in face-to-face interactions, asking someone thoughtful, pointed questions can help you strengthen a relationship.
At DealBook, Barra recalled a letter she once received about “Tim the Tahoe,” a family’s Chevrolet SUV that she said carted the letter writer’s family everywhere, from her son’s lacrosse games to her cancer treatments. “They view [the car] as part of the family,” Barra said, adding: “This is not an easy industry, but it is a rewarding one.”
Barra has also personally responded to negative feedback — notably, for example, writing to schoolchildren in February 2019 following the announced closure of a General Motors manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio — and even letters that have little to do with her company. Back in 2015, Carolyn Rodz, CEO of AI-powered entrepreneurship platform Hello Alice, recalled an exchange she had with Barra in an Entrepreneur article.
