POWERGRAMS

6 TRANSITION "whether an internal or an external issue, Charles could put together the right coalition and work the different constituencies to achieve his desired result. that can-do attitude has and will continue to pay dividends for Alabama Power and Southern for many years to come." it's that skill set which helped McCrary achieve things many thought were unattainable. "i remember when we first made the promise to have 99 percent of the power restored by a certain day after a storm," McCrary says, referring to the catastrophic hurricane ivan, which left 825,701 customers without power. "At that time, we never made promises like that, but i knew we could do it and the customers needed to know what to expect. it set a precedent and was a real turning point." that wasn't the only bold move McCrary made during his tenure. in 2006, he gave a speech to the Birmingham Kiwanis Club in which he said, "there will be a far smaller Birmingham to lead unless all of us take action." it was the elephant in the room that needed to be recognized. "i did it because at some point your level of frustration has to bubble out and escape or you will explode. i saw how hard people were working in Birmingham, around Birmingham, to make Birmingham and the state grow and i saw other areas grow and yet nothing was happening in Birmingham," McCrary says. "i was just going to say what i thought. i didn't know whether other people were going to agree with it or not, i had no idea. i knew it would make some people angry, i was just so frustrated with the fact we weren't moving fast enough so i knew i had to say something or quit complaining." And say it he did, loud and clear. Not only did people listen, they responded. McCrary's speech became the first in a series of blunt warnings from leaders, both business and political, across the state, according to the Birmingham News on March 11, 2007. "in speech after speech the stakes were made clear: Leadership, they said, is the difference between success and failure, between growth and stagnation. Ultimately, they said, it is the element that will lead Birmingham to prominence among Southern cities, or leave it in the dust of irrelevance," the story said. McCrary's willingness to put his neck on the line and say what he felt needed to be said, no matter the consequence, spurred the movement to take a stand and revive Birmingham. McCrary's influence extends far beyond Birmingham, according to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. "Results have always mattered to Charles," Bentley says. "he played a vital role in making Alabama a national leader in the automotive, aerospace and steel industries. the jobs he helped bring here have changed lives, and his legacy will be felt for generations to come." Although McCrary had many successes, he is haunted by what he calls "the darkest days, the ones that stay with you" — the ones when an employee dies on the job. it was one of those dark days that became a catalyst for one of the most significant and successful relationships he changed — the one between management and the international Brotherhood of electrical workers. in 2004, contract negotiations between management and labor were contentious. the Brotherhood was prepared to strike, but an agreement was finally reached after six months, just days before hurricane ivan wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast and caused the largest power outage in company history. it was during that storm restoration that employee Bobby turnbloom lost his life. Bill Frederick, the iBew business manager at that time, and McCrary both realized things had to change. "A strong relationship between labor and management is vital to company success," McCrary says. "it creates a united front on behalf of all employees for various initiatives including safety, employee morale and customer satisfaction." Current iBew and System Council U-19 Business Manager Casey Shelton agrees. "what Charles was able to do when he opened the door for management and the union to come together for the common good of the employee was unheard of," he says. "in the past, there wasn't a lot of communication going on and there was enough mistrust to go around. "when we lost Bobby turnbloom, that tragedy brought us together and the dialogue was opened," Shelton says. "Charles had the foresight to understand that if we could just learn to communicate, we would see we all want the same thing and that's a safe and fair working environment for employees. what he's done at Alabama Power in terms of that relationship is legendary throughout the industry." McCrary says he's proud of that relationship, "but it's not only the relationship, but the whole culture of appreciation of how important all employees are." McCrary mentions a lesson he learned from his mentor, the late Joe Farley, who also led Alabama Power: "You don't run a company off the backs of employees." And just as Farley served as a mentor to him, McCrary has served as a mentor to so many. John Hudson, vice president of Public Relations and the president of the Alabama Power Foundation, says McCrary didn't offer a single, defining mentoring moment. "instead, it was his constant actions – the countless things he did right, the depth to which he built relationships, his compassion for others, his focus on loyalty, his appreciation for those who were prepared and his commitment to excellence – that served as a guiding example for me." Nick Sellers, vice president of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, says McCrary taught him how to be a leader, not by ever saying a word about it, but by example. "he did it by treating everyone the way that he wanted to be treated. And by expecting as much out of himself as he expected of his team," Sellers says. "he has great self-discipline and always is in control of his emotions. he taught me how to be steady when the world around you got rough. And after gathering as much information as you can and making a decision, he taught me how to be resolute in following through." hudson and Sellers both served as assistants to McCrary. "Charles is a part of his father douglas' legacy, and Charles' legacy will continue to be felt in the generations of leaders he has mentored," Fanning says. "Like so many at Southern Company and Alabama Power, i feel fortunate to have personally and professionally benefited from his leadership, wisdom and friendship." Long after McCrary's career has ended, his subtle touches throughout the company will live on: the "Results Count" signs hanging in the elevators of the Corporate headquarter to serve as a reminder to employees to stay accountable; the size of employees' names on name badges, which he says "just made common sense to have the first names big enough to read, so when you are talking to someone and you've just met, you know who they are;" and the history he's preserved, displayed and even created, alive and well in the company archives. McCrary may be leaving, but his presence will remain. his advice to a younger version of himself is simply, "don't miss ballgames of your kids and … don't stay away from home as many nights as i did." his parting advice to employees is the same advice it has always been: "work hard and don't round corners. Smile. enjoy your job, life's too short. treat everybody with dignity and respect." it is advice that served him well in a stellar career, and may be at least as much his legacy as his many accomplishments. By theresa helms McCrary used his ability to build coalitions and persevere to achieve success. McCrary pushed to strengthen the relationship between management and the union. McCrary surveys restoration efforts after a hurricane. "Work hard and don't round corners. Smile. Enjoy your job, life's too short. Treat everybody with dignity and respect." cHarles mccrary

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