Car guys vs bean counters book

It might seem that a book written by a businessman about how to turn around a business would have little to say about design. In his latest book car guys versus bean counters he spotlights those, he believes, who have hurt the industry the most. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. 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 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.

Its time to stop the dominance of the numbercrunchers. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz financial times. The former vice chairman of general motors and author of car guys vs. 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. Lutz is a car guy, who has the instincts to know what turns the customer on see chryslers dodge viper and pt cruiser. The battle for the soul of american business ebook textbooks. This is a book about general motors history and personal ramblings and selfpromotion. The battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz portfolio. On car guys vs bean counters i recently finished reading cary guys vs bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by former vice chairman of general motors bob lutz. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business. Bean counters hardcover the battle for the soul of american business.

General motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance guys. Bob lutz was a very successful ceo in various vehicle manufacturing firms in the united states and beyond. The battle for the soul of american business free online komp. Operation management in car guys vs bean counters book. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz.

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. Gm has routinely been singled out in the last two decades as an example of a bloated enterprise that is so focused on maximizing todays profit that it sacrifices its very future to do so. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars and. From the first sentence in this book, lutz hints that he rose up the ranks of corporate leadership in britain to become the president of ford europe lutz 7. On car guys vs bean counters the timesheet chronicles. Pdf car guys vs bean counters download full pdf book. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads. All the books listed for the financial times and mckinsey business book of the year award.

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. Now in his late seventies, bob lutz knows his auto industry history, and his latest book, car guys vs. An illuminating read by a true car guy and an excellent business leader. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. In his book, car guys versus bean counters, he chronicles the very wary gm of 2001 through its first stillborn turnaround, its acquisition by. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book. It was a pretty good read for his time at gm from about 2001 through the crisis time. Shoemakers should be run by shoe guys, and software firms by software guys, and supermarkets by supermarket guys passion and drive for excellence will win over the computerlike, analysisdriven philosophy every time car guys vs bean counter is published by portfolio penguin and is now available in book stores everywhere in hardcover for. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around. Bean counters, i devote an entire chapter to the deliberate and largely useless intellectualizing of business, foisted on america by the nations famous business schools. In spite of the sample listen it is not about policy or the bean counter vs.

Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. 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. As vice chairman, he launched a war against the pennypinching numbercrunchers who. The battle for the soul of the american business, is a piece by bob lutz who is former vice chairman of general motors. In his book, car guys versus bean counters, he chronicles the very wary gm of 2001 through its first stillborn turnaround, its acquisition by the american and canadian governments and its new born success since 2009. This book is an account of bob lutzs stint at general motors from 2001 t0 2010. The battle for the soul of american business for free. What matters, lutz argues, is having on board at least one automotive artist with the talent to design desirable new cars. Bean counters profiles the positive and negative leaders who made the strongest impression on him throughout his extensive career, sharing illuminating anecdotes that provide todays managers with leadership examples to emulate or avoid. Car guys versus bean counters general discussion car.

Bean counters, the normally outspoken bob lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores. The corporation turned itself around with a new leader only to have even more trouble in the late 1970s. Well, youre a friend, so im going to try and prevent you from ever driving your business off a cliff by urging you to read car guys vs. The battle for the soul of american business free full.

Robert a lutz when bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with innovative car design and top quality craftsmanship, the money would follow. 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 ward of the state. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz available from rakuten kobo. As vice chairman, he launched a war against the pennypinching numbercrunchers and championed the same creativity, design, and customer loyalty that had put gm on top in. To those who know lutz, he is the ultimate car guy, which is ultimately the reason he was handed vice chairmanship.

According to bob lutz, that is a fairly good description. The battle for the soul of american business, and icons and idiots. On sunday i happened to tune in to bob brinkers moneytalk radio show when former gm vice chairman and car guy extraordinaire, bob lutz, was on promoting his new book. See all books authored by bob lutz, including car guys vs. Robert a lutz in 2001, general motors hired litz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. I was expecting a good discussion of the soul of ameican business finance guys vs. Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. Why not pick up a good book to serve as entertainment when youre away from wifi. Lee iaccoca turned chrysler around again and made it profitable only to have it happen after he retired. Still, the book s basic problem was alltoo familiar in the world of auto executive coverage. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back on track thanks to its embrace of lutzs philosophy.