"Harbison mistaken: Joyce far from Australia's best CEO."
Its, astounding Alan Joyce’s supporter base hasn’t dropped off even though he was a wrecking ball who almost destroyed Australia’s once iconic flagship airline, Qantas.
Joyce of course had a team of highly paid executives who were equally as incompetent as their supreme leader.
Since Joyce’s appointment as CEO in 2008, Australia has seen the overt and gradual destruction of Qantas, to what it has now become thanks to Joyce and a malevolent group of Qantas Board clowns - a tinpot airline.
Knowing what Qantas now is, how does Peter Harbison declare support of Joyce in a piece he wrote for the Weekend Australian, claiming the Grim Reaper, as Australia’s best CEO?
Whatever, Harbison is thinking, it’s no doubt based on delusional reality and has marred his capacity for rational reasoning.
It’s an extraordinary piece of commentary no matter how bewildering Harbison’s beliefs are.
What Harbison fails to acknowledge or refuses to accept is Joyce as CEO left a lasting destructive impact on Qantas and all who worked there.
Rather than Qantas be a tale of resounding success, it’s been overcome with controversy and questionable decisions that demand a harsh, uncompromising investigation.
The time may have come for Qantas to undergo a complete overhaul and for a new CEO appointed. Six weeks into the job, and Vanessa Hudson isn’t obviously up to the task.
Her appearance at the recent Senate proved that.
Joyce interestingly by some has been portrayed as Qantas’s saviour Qantas -and secured its survival, is an overly naive and misleading narrative.
It’s a narrative that ignores the efforts of the organisation and minimises the significant challenges faced by the industry.
History is a fascinating interpretation of reality. Joyce was never Qantas’s saviour - he’s been the complete opposite.
Fifteen years of history has revealed him to be the architect of ruination – time’s finally caught up with Joyce to expose him for what he really was, a failed CEO motivated by greed and self-interest.
COVID posed unprecedented challenges for airlines worldwide, but Joyce's handling of the crisis was characterised by consistent failings.
Poor customer service and the appalling treatment of customers, massive layoffs, and a lack of empathy for stranded travellers, revealed a deep-seated cancer within Qantas.
Interestingly though, Harbison downplays Qantas's response during this period.
What’s difficult to understand is why Harbison is attempting to paint a rosy picture of Joyce.
Regardless of his claim Qantas is positioned for continued profitability, the Flailing Kangaroo has been embroiled in a series of consumer complaints, lawsuits, and allegations of political interference in recent months that have taken its toll.
Ignoring their impact and describing them as ‘mere noise’ fails to acknowledge the importance they’ve Qantas’s brand, the failure of trust and mass exodus of loyal customers.
For all the damage and ruination Joyce created, along with a supporting cast, Harbison’s belief surrounding Joyce’s multi-million dollar exit package he received was fair is disturbing.
There’s not many Australians would exactly feel the same way.
Furthermore, Harbison fails to delve into the allegations of political interference and ethical dilemmas surrounding Qantas under Joyce's leadership.
A comprehensive examination should include a discussion of these allegations and their implications on the airline's reputation.
All companies pursue profit, it’s a reasonable objective for any corporation - businesses survive on their ability be profitable, but, it shouldn’t be at the expense of social responsibility.
Environmental sustainability, and employee well-being are all important for any company that should never be overlooked when evaluating a business’s performance, but to disregard its importance or downplay it as Harbison has, isn’t how corporate Australia should behave.
If Harbison was serious about his evaluation of Joyce and his time at Qantas, he should have considered the achievements and concerns that have arisen during his leadership and not a narrative of delusion.