Why General Motors's CEO Responds to Every Letter Received

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, has revealed that she makes time to respond to every letter she receives from workers and customers alike.

Speaking at the New York Times DealBook Summit, Mary explained that her correspondence ranges from customer complaints to messages from employees. "I also get letters from consumers who are unhappy about something, and I respond to every single letter I receive. To me, this is such a special business," she says.

The letters Mary receives vary widely in content. Some come from customers "when their odometer turns over to 200 300 or 400", while others arrive from children.

In 2019, following announcements that the company's Lordstown plant would close, Mary sent a letter to local children affected by the decision.

She wrote "Thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures with me. I see how much you care about your family, friends and community, and I understand why you are sad and worried. I want you to know that I care about them, and about you."

"Like you, I am proud of them and grateful for the years they've been part of our GM family. We're working hard to continue finding ways to support them and your community."

How authentic communication builds loyalty

Mary's commitment to responding to correspondence extends beyond internal communications. In 2015, Carolyn Rodz, founder of the Circular Board – a virtual startup accelerator for women – wrote in Entrepreneur that she sent Mary a cold email about an initiative for female entrepreneurs.

Although Mary "respectfully declined" the offer, Carolyn says the response felt genuine and authentic. She wrote: "She not only acknowledged my request and respectfully declined, but she took the time to encourage my pursuit and commended me on my efforts. She validated my vision and affirmed my commitment."

This interaction created lasting brand loyalty, with Carolyn noting that "truth be told, she built such loyalty in just a couple of paragraphs that I'm considering buying a GM car next time I'm in the market."

Leadership research supports the approach

According to leadership development researcher Zach Mercurio, genuine interactions like these could create better leaders and improve employee engagement. Speaking to CNBC, he shared findings from over five years of research across multiple industries, revealing that employees feel they matter most when they have meaningful conversations with their boss.

He says: "They've all talked about small interactions in which someone truly sees them, hears them, is there for them and reminds them that they're needed."

Managing workforce change requires strong leadership

A strong leadership strategy could prove crucial for GM as the company navigates significant operational shifts. At a fireside chat hosted by the APA, Mary discussed the company's evolving electric vehicle manufacturing strategy amid widespread industry upheaval.

"Our destination is to get to the all-EV future we've been talking about," Mary says, noting that new tariffs and shifting EV regulations have created complexity. The company is now introducing a "pragmatic" approach by adding hybrids to bridge the gap while charging infrastructure develops.

GM reported a one-time earnings hit of $7.1bn (£5.6bn) in its January quarterly financial results, which it attributes to unpredicted strategic changes.