What’s a CEO to do when staff morale is low? Some might dish out free lunches or provide an all-expenses paid trip to Disneyland. Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden did something much more drastic.
The professional soccer player turned chief executive recently revealed that he gave out his number to every single Adidas employee (that’s 60,000 workers, no less) during his first town hall at the company, to boost morale after the infamous Kanye West crisis at the company.
“Some people think I’m crazy,” Gulden told The Wall Street Journal, adding that he thinks it’s better for leaders to be more open when coming out of a crisis.
When he took Adidas’ helm in January 2023, the German sportswear giant was still reeling from its 2022 breakup with West, who now goes by Ye, after he made antisemitic remarks online. Some 142 people lost their jobs and Adidas was stuck with $320 million worth of unsold Yeezy shoes, as the company—and consumers—distanced themselves from the rapper
In a statement at that time, the company said it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.” It added: “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
But this did not end internal problems at Adidas. A year after the scandal, Adidas’ employees continued to complain about a perceived lack of transparency at the firm, Gulden told the Journal.
This meant Gulden faced the challenge of improving staff motivation while increasing sales—and giving out his phone number seems to have done the trick.
In the weeks that followed, Gulden heard from employees—to the tune of 200 messages a week, at one point—who suggested changes at the company.
It’s now been almost exactly one year since Gulden took the helm and offered his number to all, and Adidas is on track to return to profitability this year, he told the Journal.
Fortune has contacted Adidas for comment.
Adidas’ impressive turnaround
In a testament to Gulden’s turnaround prowess, Adidas’s resurgence comes as competitors are struggling.
While Adidas’ shares are currently up by 17.5% over the last year, shares at its main rival Nike have been sinking after the company warned that sales for the year were likely to rise by only 1%—a more pessimistic view than its previous mid-single-digit percentage growth forecast.
Nike’s stock price is currently down 18% from last year and it has recently announced that it plans to cut hundreds of jobs to save $2 billion.
Meanwhile, the popular British sports shop JD Sports has experienced a drop in share price, of 30% since last year.
Nespresso CEO encourages being contactable too
Gulden isn’t the only boss who recommends being easily contactable by your staff.
Anna Lundstrom, CEO of Nespresso’s U.K. and Ireland business, previously told Fortune that she can be reached by her workforce on various platforms at any given moment, from Teams and email to WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
In Lundstrom’s eyes, being always available keeps her abreast of trends, her team, and the competition.
“I think I’d always rather know something than not,” she explained, adding that her phone is always within reach from the moment she wakes up.
“I would hate to miss something, to not be aware of something or to be tone deaf, you know? So that’s why I’m somebody who likes to be active and actively communicate because I feel like that feeds me with information.”
