What are your thoughts? Do managers have to be tough and ruthless? (Remember to keep it clean.)

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What are your thoughts? Do managers have to be tough and ruthless? (Remember to keep it clean.) Share an example from a manager, coach, or leader that has been either tough and ruthless or nice, and the end results. Give specific examples to support your thoughts.

Dara Khosrowshahi and Change at Uber In August 2017, following a period of bad publicity and upheaval, Dara Khosrowshahi replaced Travis Kalanick as chief executive of Uber, the taxi ride-hailing company. Kalanick had led a company known for its "Uber Way" involving a "take-no-prisoners, win-at-any-cost mentality." This had helped the company to grow rapidly to a $70 billion valuation. However, that same corporate culture had become associated with a series of public relations disasters that began to concern not just employees but also customers, regulators, and investors. Uber's cultural norms included "always be hustlin," "toe-stepping" (i.e., "don't hesitate to challenge the boss"), and "champion's mind set" (i.e., "get Uber over the finish line"). These norms "took on a more sinister aspect in the workplace"; a former Uber employee said that "everyone used those values to excuse their bad behavior" (Wong, 2017). Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler wrote a blog that described a corporate culture that tolerated sexual harassment and sexism, with both being reinforced through disinclination to act on such behavior when it was brought to the attention of management. Following Fowler's "bombshell blog," other Uber employees were emboldened to report their experiences and around 200 claims of sexual harassment were made against the company. During the first half of 2017, many Uber employees left, not wanting to be associated with the scandals or because they felt that they had been mistreated by managers. Eric Schiffer, CEO of Reputation Management Consultants, said, "Travis had almost a Rambo-style approach to leadership, which made Uber giant. But it came with a lot of fallout." Khosrowshahi started quietly, talking to people—drivers, customer support staff, and women engineers. In the words of Jessica Bryndza, Uber's global director of people experiences and employer brand, "He didn't come in guns blazing, he came in listening." Months later, he was still listening. He also "made nice" with lawmakers in response to their removal of Uber's license to operate in London, including stating in public, "On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologize for the mistakes we've made." Meetings were held in cities around the world where regulatory disputes were occurring—something that Kalanick had not done. One journalist said that Khosrowshahi being a "measured and diplomatic leader, doesn't mean he's meek. He's dramatically reshaped Uber's famously 'toxic' corporate culture" (Kerr, 2018).