Bob lutz book car guys vs bean counters funny

He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars and risk avoidance. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984 and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred pl sloans management classic, my years with general motors. The battle for the soul of american business fullacces download inventing times square. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers and much of american industry lost their singleminded focus on product excellence. The battle for the soul of american business, by bob lutz portfolio, 256 pp. From here he worked for bmw where he was the executive vice president of sales and marketing as well as a member of that companys board. Its the power of will, focus, selfsacrifice, and dedication to a higher goal that can not only make scared teenagers perform brilliantly in combat but also. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back. That being said, i am a bob lutz fan and enjoy his perspective and blunt nosed style. None have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. Bob lutzs double talk on apple car and volkswagen emissions cheating. Lutzs commonsense lessons with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysisparalysis menace.

While he didnt choose your exact words, i think youve made a worthy summation in your title. In his 47 year career he held senior leadership positions at gm, bmw, and chrysler, then at nearly age 70, rejoined gm as vice chairman where he served for nearly ten years. The battle for the soul of american business, legendary carguy bob lutz says to get the u. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Perhaps the book would have been better served by the title bob lutz vs. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. This is a book about general motors history and personal ramblings and selfpromotion. What matters, lutz argues, is having on board at least one automotive artist with the talent to design desirable new cars. An autocrat in the boardroom with an allergy to consensus, says former chrysler and gm executive bob lutz. Lutz who lives in the ann arbor area and recently wrote the book car guys vs. Orouke was funny but not in a very informative or factual way. I thought the analysis of whats wrong with american automakers in his book car guys vs. A misunderstood drive for excellence bore some really strange fruit says lutz. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz.

The battle for the soul of american business outlined some of the issues with management styles in the united states. The guy is a little bit full of himself but it shed some new light on how gm got in trouble, how the foreign brands got a leg up during the cafe period, how. Theres a pretty good book on this period of time in american cars, called car guys vs. Lutz may 2 20 bob lutz car guys vs bean counters bob. Commerce and culture at the crossroads of the world fullacces download population issues in social choice theory, welfare economics, and ethics econometric society monographs fullacces. Bean counters is really supposed to be about is the ignominious descent of one of americas great corporations into chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and status as a. Former vice chairman of general motors, bob lutz, has released a new book titled car guys vs bean counters. The battle for the soul of american business ebook written by bob lutz. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Car guys vs bean counters is an enormously entertaining account of how lutz. I was expecting a good discussion of the soul of ameican business finance guys sign guy and the impact on us economics. Since he is a production guy par excellence, i take a lot of his points as weaknesses tesla does indeed have.

The battle for the soul of american business bob lutz. What fun would a firstperson book be without settling some scores. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs. Battenberg, lutz writes in his new memoircummanagement book, car guys vs. Like in successful leadership, it isnt just education and intellect that matter.

Bob lutz was the largerthanlife vicechairman of general motors from late 2001 until just recently. Lutz built a career as a staunch opponent of bureaucracy and by placing the utmost importance on knowing the product as well as the customer. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs. Bean counters bob lutz training books i dont read a lot of training books, to be honest. This inside account of gms product turn around and eventual collapse due to the financial melt down of 2008 is a fast moving and entertaining read. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save. Lutz, the former auto industry executive that served at chrysler, ford, and gm was on autoline detroit to promote his new book car guys vs. But as lutz describes, flawed strategies start well up the organizational hierarchy.

In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. The battle for the soul of american business reprint by bob lutz isbn. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read car guys vs.

The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and. Bean counters by bob lutz, 9781591844006, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads. If only bob lutz were 40 years younger, the american automotive industry would be a better place. Bean counters by bob lutz,norman dietz for free with a 30 day free trial. At the tableif not running the meetingwhen most of the big decisions came down, the author, now in his late 70s, was often appalled by youthful beancounting mbas with their 4. In the 1990s, consultants were telling us the authoritarian management style is. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred p.

Bean counters, legendary auto executive bob lutz gives an. Of all of them, i really liked bob lutzs car guys vs. What does his book tell us about what really went on inside gm. I would recommend reading bobs book car guys vs bean counters and you will have a good idea how screwed up. He started his automotive career at gm in 1963 where he held senior leadership positions in europe until 1971. Bean counters, bob lutz argues that general motors lost its way when it stopped worrying about what customers wanted, and built cars based on its own internal goals. Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. I get most of my info from personal emails and conversations with guys like jay, alwyn. The bean counters makes a compelling case for why businesses decline. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. A rather blunt lutz shared his views, as have we on several occasions, that teslas constant cash burn combined. This book, written in 2011, and released in paperback this spring with a new preface, was recommended to me by one of my mentors.

Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught a sideswipe at myself and the truth about cars, which the retired vicechairman of gm describes as. Product excellence deeply ingrained in general motors with video. Selfconfident and selfcongratulatory in way that could be repulsive with anybody else, its funny, congenial and sometimes selfdeprecatory. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance. Spanning a fortysevenyear career with the big three and bmw, and after retiring from chrysler in 1998, he was asked back into gm, serving as vice chairman from 2001 to 2010, during which time it had filed for bankruptcy. Lutz has special enmity for the marketing executives. Bob lutz on decision making inside gm chevy hardcore. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around. The auto industry, writes times rana foroohar, is actually a terrific proxy for a trend toward shortterm, myopically balancesheetdriven management that has. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors.

Have american businesses been stranded by the mbas. Bean counters bob lutz worked at a various number of car companies before returning to general motors in 2001. The battle for the soul of american business which covered how the people in charge of accounting where allowed to make business decisions that resulted in shit quality, cars that killed people all in order to save money in the short term. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book. In spite of the sample listen it is not about policy or the bean counter vs. Our favorite books about cars, racing, and the automotive. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters.