American icon
by Bryce G. Hoffman · first published 2012
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Account of Alan Mulally's turnaround of Ford through the 2008 crisis; readers value how it shows one leader changing company culture, and its detailed, well-researched look at the company's decline and recovery.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
At the end of 2008, Ford Motor Company was just months away from running out of cash. With the auto industry careening toward ruin, Congress offered all three Detroit automakers a bailout. General Motors and Chrysler grabbed the lifeline, but Ford decided to save itself. Under the leadership of charismatic CEO Alan Mulally, the man who had saved Boeing, Ford had put together a bold plan to unify its divided global operations, transform its lackluster product lineup, and overcome a dysfunctional culture of infighting, backstabbing, and excuses. It was an extraordinary risk, but it was the only
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> In my opinion he was a net positive for the company That opinion is well founded. In the book American Icon by Bryce Hoffman (Detroit News journalist) he chronicles that entire time period. Mulally pulled off one of the greatest challenges, a bonafide turn around. They had a company culture that was all about…
on “Ford's answer to EV supply chain hell: Cheaper batteries” ↗Company culture can definitely be changed, either by a handful of motivated team mates or by one effective leader. For an example of the latter approach, read this book: "American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company" by Bryce G. Hoffman.
on “Ask HN: How do I inspire my fellow employees and change company culture?” ↗…guy, and it's hard to disagree with the normalized vectors of change he is describing. The magnitude of these vectors however are up for much debate. Lots to think on, agree with, and disagree with. American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis. It's got some flowery parts that idolize these men too much IMO but a great book on leadership and problem solving. Lights Out - a…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023” ↗I would recommend anyone read the book American Icon, which is about Ford's rise from the ashes in the 2000s. It's one of those thick reads, but well worth it. It's sad to see them struggling, because their car lineup has been absolutely brilliant for…
on “Ford to cut North America, Asia salaried workers by 10 percent” ↗Related reading is Cringely’s long history of writing about IBM Blog: https://www.cringely.com/tag/ibm/ The Decline and Fall of IBM https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Fall-IBM-American-Icon/dp/099...
on “IBM’s Old Playbook” ↗I just finished reading American Icon by Bryce Hoffman. Ford realized they needed to change long before this; around 2001 (around the same time that Bob Lutz was preaching to GM). Bill Ford and Mark Fields were already planning to do many…
on “G.M. Invests $500M in Lyft” ↗Thanks, I suspected that this was the case after I read the Cringely book on IBM (https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Fall-IBM-American-Icon-ebook/...). It gives one the distinct impression that connections matter a lot, and that getting the contract matters more than actually completing it successfully.
on “The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java” ↗…documentary was part of Alan Mulally's plan to make Boeing play nice internally. [1]You can't be as nasty if there's a film crew watching. 1. https://books.google.com/books?id=18idhw_C4xgC&pg=PA61&lpg=P... American Icon, page 61,62
on “Stress-testing airplane wings” ↗