Still, the book s basic problem was alltoo familiar in the. Lutz may be retired, but his influence lives on in this book as well as in gms current and upcoming product line. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. Jun 15, 2011 an excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters june 15, 2011, 10.
This is the essential guide for it and project management professionals who struggle to give auditors and accounting departments what they want. 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. 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. Lutz had a background not often found in a senior executive in an american company. The radical right wing ranting of this book made it unbearable. Bean counters, legendary auto executive bob lutz gives an eyeopening account about what went wrong in the u. Learn how to talk the talk, walk the walk and make the friggin bean counters happy while completing your project on time and on budget. Bean counters as its meant to be heard, narrated by norman dietz. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. Like almost everything that has ever issued from the mind of robert anthony lutz, car guys vs bean counters is defined by his maximum maxim often wrong, but never in doubt.
After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back on track thanks to. This book, published in 2011, takes a look at gms rise and fall, but with an eye toward the future something that lutz sees as promising for one of the largest automakers in the world. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which focuses on how auto companies lost their way and how they can recover their lost greatness. The drive to manage away the idiosyncrasies of these very individuals in the name of consistency and process misses the stark fact that often times it is precisely that idiosyncrasy that generates the spark. Oct 04, 2011 none have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. The battle for the soul of american business for kindle. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, robert a. Bean counters now in his late seventies, bob lutz knows his auto industry history, and his latest book, car guys vs. 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. It might seem that a book written by a businessman about how to turn around a business would have little to say about design. I felt like the whole book was a long excuse for why they made it impossible for gm to. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs.
Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since. Have american businesses been stranded by the mbas. Jul 26, 2011 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. Conversely, he argues that any company left only to the bean. The former vice chairman of general motors and author of car guys vs. It was a pretty good read for his time at gm from about 2001 through the crisis time. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance guys took control of product development from the car. Bob lutz was a very successful ceo in various vehicle manufacturing firms in the united states and beyond. Car making, in essence, is a simple, if difficult business which requires the instinct of product experts car guys to be successful.
None have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business book. The american automobile industrys road from glory to disaster. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance guys took control of product development. As you might expect, this perspective produces writing that possesses many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the cars lutz oversaw. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz.
Pdf car guys vs bean counters download online ebook. Bean counters, he shares what he thinks went wrong at gm, and for american automakers as a group, in the leadup to the 2008 financial crisis. By midjuly it had climbed to number 16 on the business bestseller list compiled by nielsen bookscan, the source that book. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred p. Apr 21, 2014 when bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers and much of american industry lost their singleminded focus on product excellence. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside. Aug 27, 2014 a recent book by lutz is titled car guys vs. In his book, car guys versus bean counters, he chronicles the very wary gm of 2001 through its first stillborn turnaround, its acquisition by. Its time to stop the dominance of the numbercrunchers. But then gms leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the waste and personality worship of the bygone creative leaders.
Chief among his targets, as the book s title suggests, is the cult of the management consultancy. The battle for the soul of american business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and highlevel decision making at gm. The auto industry, writes times rana foroohar, is actually a terrific proxy for a trend toward shortterm, myopically balancesheetdriven management that has. He has lived in the most inner circles at ford, bmw. Motorworld by alex taylor iii gms bob lutz tells all. 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. The overproduction created a glut of cadillacs on the market, lowering resale values, increasing the lifetime cost of ownership, and destroying. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around.
Car guys versus bean counters general discussion car talk. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. Dec 02, 2012 bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. From the assembly lines of henry ford to the open roads of route 66 and jack kerouac, americas history is a vehicular historyan idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by the acclaimed author of crash course. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz available from rakuten kobo. Jul 21, 2018 read ebooks free car guys vs bean counters the battle for the soul of american business full ebook. Jun 24, 2011 although he officially retired from general motors in 2010, ending a 47year automotive career that also began with gm and included stints at bmw, ford and chrysler, lutz is now a consultant as well as an author, having published two books including his recently released car guys v. 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. Pdf car guys vs bean counters download online ebook sumo. I felt like the whole book was a long excuse for w. Car guys gives the reader insight into the man whose influence in this.
Car guys offers to the reader an insiders glimpse into an industry gone wrong, but one that is far different from what we saw as recently as 2008. The battle for the soul of american business audible audiobook unabridged bob lutz author, norman dietz narrator, tantor audio. The battle for the soul of american business, legendary car guy bob lutz says to get the u. Lutzs commonsense lessons with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysisparalysis menace. I can handle a little difference of opinion if it doesnt get in the way of a good book p.
Pdf bean counters download ebook full get book fast. The battle for the soul of american business to be published june 9, industry vet bob lutz recounts how he was hired out of retirement by gm. Jun 24, 2011 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 a web site that often offers anything but. Bean counters library edition by bob lutz, 9781452632933, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. 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. I turned it off because the political ranting got to be too much. Car guys versus bean counters general discussion car. Aug 18, 2011 earlier this year he published a book titled car guys vs bean counters. Jun 14, 2011 the car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like cadillac, buick, pontiac, oldsmobile, gmc, and chevrolet. Jul 20, 2011 july 20, 2011 bob lutz in his recent book car guys vs. Autoline detroit recently played host to bob lutz, and, as is always the case, the former general motors vice chairman dished out some great commentary. 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. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads.
Girsky, vice chairman of general motors car guys vs. I bought this book because i am interested in cars. Now in his late seventies, bob lutz knows his auto industry history, and his latest book, car guys vs. Bean counters does a great job articulating how the dreamervisionary guys and gals need executionfocused partners to get anything done.
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