ON WORK
LUCY KELLAWAY: Legendary grumpy boss could teach modern CEOs a lesson
DO NOT speak to me when you see me. If I want to speak to you, I will do so. I want to save my throat. I don’t want to ruin it by saying hello to all of you sons of bitches."This memo to staff was written on January 13 1978 by a man who later acquired the label of the world’s grumpiest boss.Edward Mike Davis was the founder and CEO of Tiger Oil, which went bankrupt in the 1980s. When he died in September, his misanthropic letters were widely reprinted, allowing everyone to marvel at quite how grumpy he was.Yet, on reading his missives to staff, I was struck less by his grumpiness than by his excellent command of the genre. When it comes to getting a message across, Davis set a standard that the e-mails of every modern CEO should be judged by.Another of his underappreciated masterpieces goes like this: "I swear, but since I am the owner of this company, that is my privilege ?.?.?.? That differentiates me from you, and I want to keep it that way. There will be absolutely no swearing, ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.