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Topic: Where have all the leaders gone?
| Author | Message |
| UGoGirl | Posted – 4/25/2007 9:02:52 AM | show profile I don't know a whole lot about Lee Iacocca, but his book sounds pretty good. ** Quotes: "Had enough? Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged." And from a related interview: Q: And what's the most important new technology auto buyers don't know about yet? A: Plug-in hybrids. They're being touted as the wave of the future, and I think they are. I can imagine a scene in the not too distant future when a wife will turn to her husband at bedtime and say, 'Honey, did you remember to turn off the lights, bring in the cat, and plug in the car?' Q: How do you think the auto industry can and should face concerns about the environment and rising gas prices? A: I have to confess that like many business people - especially in the car industry - I came late to enlightenment on global warming and the energy crisis. But now I'm making up for lost time. Automakers have to get aggressive about building hybrids. Why is General Motors building Hummers? That doesn't make sense. I'll go a step further: I think we should raise the gas tax and spend the money on developing alternatives to oil. Let's face it, finding more oil does not constitute an energy policy. |
| Iron Eagle | Posted – 4/25/2007 9:53:57 AM | show profile I did enjoy Dennis Kucinich's impeach Cheney moment yesterday. He's kind of in an influenical position where those around don't take him to serious allowing him leeway to bring up serious issues. I applaud him! Good question about leadership. I don't see them. The whole power structure is so inbred no one seems to want to make a courageous move. |
| j.hodl | Posted – 4/30/2007 12:09:50 PM | show profile Iacoca was one of what is now a rapidly shrinking breed of people who run corporations. He was (and still is) an entrepreneur. When he took over an ailing Chrysler, he formulated a business plan and made it work by putting the best possible people in key positions. And where there was sacrifices to be made, he shared them. When factory workers were asked to take a cut in pay, Iacoca lowered his salary to $1 a year. And he confounded his critics by paying off the federal loans ahead of schedule and with interest. Today, an increasingly number of corporations are run by what a small businessman of my acquaintence describes as "people who think MBA is Latin for smarty pants. They know and can recite all the theory of business management but are totally clueless as to how it really works." Such fellows seem to think all you need do is cut costs. They fail miserably at involving workers at all levels to work as a team. And they siphon off revenues that could be used to improve products and services that will make the company bigger, stronger and more competitive. At far too many companies, R&D money is being bled away was executives who aren't even doing a good job cashing in the stock options they demanded as a reward for doing a good job but had written into their agreements as due even if the company tanks. Any executive who says the best way to improve a company is to fire all of its most experienced employees and replace them with lower-paid amatuers (as Best Buy recently did) should be a candidate for an insane asylum instead of the boardroom. |
| catlondon | Posted – 4/30/2007 8:33:49 PM | show profile Aside from the government bailout of Chrysler in the 80s, which helped save Iaococa's butt, the thing I remember most about him is his appearances on TV saying if the United States made shoulder seat belts mandatory in U.S. cars, auto makers would go out of business. Interestingly enough, one of the things that led to the Chrysler bailout was Chrysler continuing to build gas-guzzlers during the 70s oil crises and having its clock-cleaned by the Honda Civic. So when Iaococa muses about why General Motors is making Hummers, maybe he should just cast his mind back to when he was making similar vehicles while people were waiting in long lines at the gas station. Then he can answer his own question. But it's never too late for anyone to see the light and I'm glad he's out there talking about it. A country that believes as much in business as we do will listen to someone like him. |
