Paul, at least where I work, I have never seen so much spent on infrastructure. All designed to keep the wheels rolling faster. No deferred maintenance here.
For those of you interested, all the numbers are here:
http://www.cpr.ca/en/investors/earnings-releases
I’m sorry if I offended environmentalists with my analogy of “clear-cutting” the trees off the right of way. It was meant tongue in cheek to get people interested in this topic. I understand the purpose of clearing the right of way. It is a very noticeable change where I am. The trees are all gone.
Comparing the difference between American and Canadian work ethics was not foreseen by me. I do agree that Canadians are more laid back than Americans in general, it only makes sense our work ethic might be laid back too. At the end of the day I think we all want the same from our careers.
CPRT
You sound like a guy who takes his work seriously and wants to deal as constructively with the changes at CP as you can…even to going back to read Mr Harrison’s rationale and outline for changes at CN. You’ve got a lot of ‘skin in the game’ as I see it and you really want to understand the changes you face. I applaud you.
I think Mr Harrison’s management style is ‘excessive’ (for lack of a better word). You have outlined in some detail the ways in which this is so in your work environment. Bullying, treating people poorly and less than honestly and shredding contracts certainly won’t produce a good, stable workforce much less a good working environment over the long term.
My impression of him has always been that of a person whose goal is to get the company profitable and efficient. Fair enough. However, his view of labour relations probably was in vogue 100+ years ago. Corporate change can occur in a variet
He’ll be turning the reins over to Keith Creel soon enough anyway. Apart from Harrison’s idiosycracies, a big company is like a big family; there’s alot of dysfunctional stuff going on. Things don’t make sense sometimes, and to the casual observer or to someone who isn’t privy to the “big picture” it can look as if the management isn’t capable. CP is undergoing alot of change right now… and most people generally don’t like change even if the end result is a better company at some point down the road.
Harrison is a strong personality, and that’s generally the type of person who gets ahead in big business. The shrinking violet, the people pleaser, and those who try to play by the rules don’t get far up the ladder. Moreover, management is a very inexact science, and success is often subjective. Look at Harrison’s numbers at CN and now at CP… looking at the numbers alone one would conclude that he’s a genius. Yet he’s reviled by some because in their estimation he’s failed as a manager…i.e. the successes are built on a mortgaged future etc. Now look at a guy like Tiger Woods… nobody, even his most ardent critics, would suggest he’s a lousy golfer, because Woods’ professional results are black and white… there’s no gray. Same can’t be said for managers.
CP is a work in progress. Just because you see problems and there’s some confusion and dysfunction doesn’t mean that the Company isn’t going in the right direction. Harrison and his predecessor Paul Tellier turned CN from a moribund government bureaucracy into the most efficient railroad in North America, if not the world. In time, I believe that he and his protege Keith Creel will do the same for CP. So hang in there, be positive, things could be alot worse.
I am not trying to be too critical of Canada here but it’s NOT just CN and CP that faced serious financial trouble before Hunter Harrison stepped up to right the finances. Didn’t Air Canada need to import an American CEO to fix things? Also, name me a Canadian University whose business school is on par with the many business schools South of the border. I had a Canadian Manager part of the time I worked at General Motors. He appeared to be hardworking but had the attitude in a manufacturing firm that nice guys finish first. Which was one of many misconceptions that eventually led to his replacement. Another was if he overloaded himself with tasks, some of which would never get done, nobody would raise questions about him leaving each night at 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. for home.
I have no experience with Canadians in the Western provinces only Ontario and points East. I have heard that there is a split between EAST and WEST in Canada in Culture, Political Beliefs, Personal Beliefs. So it could very well be the work ethic is different in the WEST of Canada vs Ontario. I am also, just going off personal experience here. I could not believe the VIA rail crew on the Jasper to Prince Rupert train spouting off all their conspiracy theories about Hunter Harrison to the Passengers (granted there were only 4 of us on the train car). It was pretty bizarre to listen to and I wondered more than once what rational person would believe such nonsense.
I understand that some business executives are not popular and in a union shop especially negative rumors grow like weeds. My Father was a VP at a $30 million a year firm in SE Wisconsin. Saw both the before and after picture in regards to unionization. Before picture, most were afraid to voice an opinion. After picture, my Father had a Rolls Royce hidden in his garage
Western (in London) and University of Toronto are as good as any in the US. But formal schooling in business isn’t all that its cracked up to be. Harrison never went beyond HS and I have an MBA who works for me driving truck.
One other comment on Executive life. My first job after college (and previous to that a 5 year stint in the Army Infantry as enlisted), was being introduced to one of the 12 Executive VP’s of General Motors in Detroit. He was a former Economic Adviser to President Carter and I was going to support him and his staff technically. Guess what was in his office? A small bedroom with cot, washroom with shower, small mini-kitchen, etc. How often do you guys think he got to see his wife and kids? He was a resident of Washington, D.C. that worked in Detroit HQ in the New Center area. True GM paid for his commute each week via use of their private plane fleet and he was in the office M-F before anyone else usually and left after most people. Would any of you want to live that life? I know it changed my plans on becomming a business executive myself and it was a definite eye opener for me.
CM…
Please be careful about this kind of statement.
I read in the Vancouver Sun business pages today that the number/amount of US subprime loans are approaching their before '08 meltdown levels. Stock exchanges need regulators and overseers too, as do corporations. Recent history does have lessons to teach us IMO.
Something about the fox and the henhouse comes to mind here…
Charlie
Chilliwack, BC
I agree. Sometimes life experience equates to schooling. I remember from my Army experience…7 years in the Infantry and your a Mid to Senior SSG, you already have most of RANGER school under your belt with pure experience. School is supposed to in most cases accelerate your life experience and bring that experience forwards to a younger age…in my belief.
As for the MBA, yes some folks have self confidence issues, some cannot market themselves, some just do not want to pursue a related job field to their degree. Lots of explanations there.
No idea what is going on there and well there are exceptions to every rule but there are sector analysts on NYSE that participate on the investor calls that should understand this stuff and price risk into the market value.
I also remember the Milwaukee Road to CP transition. Interesting to hear about those changes as well. Milwaukee employees felt CP was pulling up too much rail or making other changes too hasty…then came the signaling and dispatching improvements and some of them started to piece things together.
Thanks to CMStPnP, Ulrich, and lenzfamily for their insights.
I agree with CMStPnP that the lifestyle of a manager is not for everybody. It’s not for me. Even junior management is not for me. I don’t think I would be able to sleep very well with the added pressure of being a manager. Also, I like to be home with my family.
I understand why some of the junior managers at CP are so rude and belittling. It comes from above them. They run around scared of the email from above and that pressure ends up being put on my shoulders. Fair enough. I have one story of a Supt. (who has since left the company), who was so stressed that he was unapproachable. One day I was inspecting my locomotives at the start of my shift. He pulled up in his pickup, rolled down the window and yelled, “What the F*** are you doing? Get back to work!” I looked up at him and noticed he did not have any PPE so he could not get out of his pickup. So I just ignored him and carried on with my duties.
In my eyes this man was an idiot. First, he gave me 0 respect as a member of the human race. Second, he had no idea what I was doing. I would never he
Observation from playing the game for near 50 years.
From the Division level on up - the Division Manager is the diplomat, the Asst. Division Manager is the screaming idiot hatchet man. The pattern follows at each level up the chain of command.
The guy who asked you what the F you were doing is indeed an idiot. Shouldn’t be a manager or in any other role that requires interaction with people. Hopefully Hunter’s culling of the herd will include him and others of that ilk.
"They are getting rid of the old school mentality and replacing it with fresh new kids. They are being taught in conductor school the “new way.” This is fine and dandy. Why don’t they teach me? Anyways the proof of this is the number of people that have been fired or bridged to pension. If you look at the employee roster today and compare it to a couple of years ago, it has been reinvented and retrained. Retrained except for the older people who still survive. We have not been retrained. We have been beaten down for trying our best during difficult times. "
That right there is the pressure, if you ask me. Has anyone asked management why it seems the younger kids are being treated differently and slightly more favorably than the existing employees? What was the response?