A Day in the Life of the President: Bo Andersson, AVTOVAZ

President leaves the office. Returning in exactly 10 minutes and not receiving a descent answer, he takes the delegates to a small ten-meter room. He sits the union representative and foremen in front of him and says:
If I don't show up to work tomorrow, nothing will happen. If senior manager doesn't show up to work tomorrow, nothing will happen. If you don't show up to work, AVTOVAZ will be in trouble. Salary reflects your value. It has to be fair. However, simple raise will not solve a problem completely. We will definitely incorporate a motivation system. I promise you that the issue with foremen salary review will be settled today. Next time, if you have any problems, you always know where to find me.
President goes out of the room leaving the workers with smiles on their faces. We go into the elevator. According to the schedule our next stop is “Automobile industry. Automobile components 2014” forum. 

— I couldn't sleep for half of a night. You see, it's unfair when employees get higher salaries than their directors. Unfortunately, I can't know everything. I am truly happy that somebody was courageous enough to write such a letter. I am glad we'll fix everything today. Their work has to be rewarded and rewarded fairly.
We are approaching a building of the “Olimp” exposition complex. Manufacturers and providers of automobile components came to the plenary meeting to discuss their interaction during sales slowdown. Key market payers exchange handshakes and some words with each other before they start. Bo does not stay aside:
— If you produce cast-aluminum wheels, you  will never beat the Chinese because 40 % of cost is the cost of energy, which is used during production. Cost of energy in China amounts to only 10 % of the one of Russia.  
— When I was young, there was only one sportsman who could run 100 meters faster than in 10 seconds. Now there are 120 of them. The same is with providers. You have to compete with everybody. 
The President is invited to the stage. Bo Andersson gives a bright, emotional speech. He doesn't use prompter assistance or printed text as usual. He talks about hard two months, problems with providers, success in new models launch and...his salary. 
— I am tired of the gossips about my salary rate. Some sources wrote recently and the rest of them outspread immediately that it amounts to 374 million rubles a year. This is not true. I made an extract record and sent it to the prosecution office. Those outspreading false information about me can always make a formal inquiry and make sure this is a lie. 
— Next year is a year of AVTOVAZ. We are launching Lada Vesta in 300 days and planning to launch Lada Xray  virtually at the same time. 
The President is sitting on stage listening to other speakers of the forum for about two hours after his speech. If you look at him at this moment, you feel that he is in the foreign environment. He should have been working out there in the shops right now. He looks explicitly bored.

Bo presents project leaders of Lada Vesta and Lada Xray on the stand with new AVTOVAZ models. Giving away a mike, he looks at the watch and quickly leaves the exposition center.

We are arriving to one of the factory buildings and going up to the events hall. More than 200 foremen and department managers are present here. The President approaches the mike.

— You will never have the same wage rate. This is normal. Abnormal is the fact that people who work on the different assembly lines just in 50 meters from each other get different salaries while doing the same job. I didn't know about that before and I am determined to change this. Since the 1st of January we are launching a gradation system that will give us a possibility to calculate a wage rate in a proper way.

— I know you are aware of the reason we gathered here. As I have alrready said today, I got an anonymous email tonight. Maybe, its author is sitting among you right now. I am not going to search for the sender and, what is more, I would like to thank him for his courageous act.

— As it turned out, we did forget to raise the foremen salary having raised the workers' one. I am standing here to announce my decision. Since December 1 your salary will be increased by 25% for the six months period, which will be followed by the first in the AVTOVAZ history clear motivation system that will be developed for every department and its employees. Any questions?

The answer he gets is applause. Without waiting for reaction, the President leaves the hall rapidly.

The watch shows 1.40 pm. We are heading to the office.

— Things you don’t manage to do during your first year will never be done. That is why I work so much. 7 days a week. I have little time and a lot to do.

I nod in response and take a look at the watch meanwhile. The president is about 9 hours on the move and didn’t have a minute to rest. It feels like midnight already.

— It’s time for a dinner. Take a seat.

Greek salad, trout and creme-soup with mushrooms are served. We take a seat and I can't help but ask a question. That very loud announcement that he made 3 hours ago from the forum's stand.

My salary in AVTOVAZ has nothing to do with the numbers that were stated by journalists of some periodicals. What 10 million dollars were they talking about? That's a lie.

We keep quiet for a couple of seconds. The camera shutter is loudly clicking in silence.

— You asked me to be honest with you earlier this morning. Take it as a keepsake. This is a record extract from my salary account.
I don't believe my eyes. I am unfolding two sheets carefully: one is written in English, another – in Russian. They contain October salary, amount of paid taxes and total annual income of the President. The sum is tens time less than it was expected.
— What surprised you that much? Numbers? Are you disappointed?
Bo smiles. He is definitely satisfied with the effect it made. I ask him whether I can publish it. 
— No. However, do what you think is right. I don't need to prove anybody anything. Doing this I just want to show that  I am absolutely honest and have really nothing to hide.

— When I announced that we would weld the first Lada Vesta body as soon as on November 1, which was a month before, nobody including the responsible ones believed in that deadline. I gave 24 hours for a team to find out the reasons that could impact the terms and together we found a solution. And we made it.

Having finished his fish, Bo gave me a slit-eyed look. I ask him what’s next.

— Factory — extrusions, intrusion molding, meeting with top-managers and shareholders, a meeting with the minister.

I interrupt him specifying that I meant his private life. The president takes a moment to think.

— You know, I believe this job is my last one, provided that I get the possibility to implement all my intentions. If not – above all, I would get disappointed. Perhaps, I would spend some time traveling and then I'd become a teacher in some middle-school. Yes, you heard it right. I like teaching and I love kids. I have things to tell, to share and to teach.

— I am a manager with a 41- year experience. In Russia people neither believe in themselves nor in what they are continuously promised. My first goal is to give my employees a hope. A second one is to steer their efforts to the right direction. My third goal is to reward those whose truly deserve it.

I ask him to tell about the portrait which consists of thousands of tinny pictures. When you approach it you can distinguish people, when you step back – the picture turns into the portrait of the President sitting on the floor with “GAZel” fragment on his right hand and a brand logo.

— This is a present from GAZ employees. They spent more than 400 hours to make it. This is how they expressed their gratitude for my attitude towards them and work...Do I miss GAZ Group? I definitely do.

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