“I can’t tell you why this happened.” How honesty saved GM

It's the moment everyone dreads: You're leading a meeting when you discover a serious problem. Your company's reputation is at stake. Years of work could unravel in moments. What would you do?

This was Mary Barra's reality during GM's ignition switch crisis. Her response demonstrated the power of clear and confident leadership.

Today, I want to share with you 3 practical lessons from Mary's playbook and how you can apply them to increase your confidence and respect at work.

But before we start, let’s recap Mary Barra’s journey:

in 1980, when she was an 18-year-old college student, she started at General Motors, inspecting car parts to pay for her tuition. Over the next 30 years, she worked her way through every level of the company - from engineering to manufacturing to HR - learning the business inside and out. In 2014, she became GM's CEO, the first woman to lead a major automaker.

Let’s dive into the 3 elements that made her such a confident leader:

Lesson #1: Choose Honesty in Tough Times

During a crisis like the ignition switch recall at GE, most CEOs would have hidden behind careful statements and legal teams. Instead, Barra faced the public directly and said, "I cannot tell you why it took years for a safety defect to be announced... What I can tell you is that we will find out."

💡 Lesson for You: Being direct about hard truths isn't easy, but it builds lasting trust. The moment you're most tempted to hide the truth is often when honesty matters most.

Try This: Next time you have difficult news to share, skip the sugar-coating. Say what needs to be said, clearly and directly.

The more honest you are = the more confident you appear.

Remember: People are more upset by delayed honesty than immediate truth.

Lesson #2: The Power of Simple Trust

Barra looked at GM's detailed dress code policy and saw needless complexity. She replaced 10 pages of rules with two words: "Dress appropriately." This small change sent a big message: "I trust your judgment."

💡 Lesson for You: Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is remove rules, not add them. When you trust people, they often exceed your expectations.

Try This: Find one overly complex rule or process in your work. Ask yourself: Could this be simpler? Could I trust the team to make the right decision? Remove it.

The more you trust your team = the more confident you appear.

Lesson #3: Learning the Whole Business

Before becoming CEO, Barra worked across GM – in engineering, HR, communications, and manufacturing. Each role taught her how different teams think and work. When she reached the top, she understood how all the pieces fit together.

💡 Lesson for You: Understanding different parts of your business isn't just helpful – it's essential. The more you learn about other teams' work, the better your decisions become - and the more confident leader you will be.

Try This: Have lunch with someone from another department this month. Learn about their challenges. You'll be surprised how this knowledge helps you later.

The more you know about the bigger picture = the more your confidence grows.

TL;DR: Mary Barra shows us that leading confidently often means doing the simple things, even when it's hard:

• Telling the truth
• Trusting others
• Always learning