Thursday, June 28, 2018
It was nearly 10 months ago that Dara Khosrowshahi accepted the position of CEO at troubled ride share company Uber.
The former CEO of Expedia, he was relatively unknown and the issues at his new job seemed quite large: ongoing problems with drivers, allegations of sexual assault by passengers, a culture of harassment and discrimination–even being stripped of their right to operate within the city of London.
Khosrowshahi was about as different from founder Travis Kalanick as you could get. The question was, could he save Uber from themselves?
In less than a year Khosrowshahi has made great strides. From a marketing campaign where he talks about his values, to new policies for tipping and safeguards for both drivers and passengers, to committing resources to changing the corporate culture–Khosrowshahi appears to be serious about change.
This week, the city of London restored Uber’s license on a probational basis. Their reasoning: It sounds like you’re willing to act differently, now prove you can do so. Many former Uber customers may be asking the same thing.
The jury’s still out as to how this will play out in the long-term. But Uber is making the right moves. To change corporate culture, you need to start with the leaders and then be crystal clear as to what is expected and what will not be tolerated throughout the organization.
Only then can you expect to drive lasting change.