Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. On car guys vs bean counters the timesheet chronicles. Jun 16, 2012 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. Lutz is a charismatic, quotable car guy, without a doubt. 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. Frequently described by industry insiders as the ultimate car guya man for whom no vehicle could ever be too big, too fast. This book is an account of bob lutzs stint at general motors from 2001 t0 2010.
Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. So its no surprise that the subtitle of the book he has written upon retiring from general motors is an overreach. The authors talent, equally rare, was recognizing a good design, or a bad one drawn to beancounter specs. Bean counters by bob lutz, 9781591846222, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genre car guys vs. An excerpt from bob lutzs book car guys vs bean counters.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading 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. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. None have, until exvice chairman bob lutzs new book, car guys vs. An illuminating read by a true car guy and an excellent business leader.
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. While i didnt agree with all of his political insights, bob lutz new book on his years as vice. How bob lutz got gm to tighten up its panel gaps gm. The battle for the soul of american business ebook written by bob lutz. The battle for the soul of american business reprint by bob lutz isbn. The green car guy who says global warming is car talk. Retiring in late 2010 as vice chairman of general motors, he currently runs bob lutz communications. The battle for the soul of american business paperback may 28, 20 by bob lutz author 4. 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. Jul 07, 2011 now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar 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 the american and canadian governments and its new born. He joins morning joe to discuss his new book car guys vs bean counters, which. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors.
It got so bad the automaker hired lutz out of retirement in 2001. Lutzs commonsense lessons with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysisparalysis menace. Still, the books basic problem was alltoo familiar in the world of auto executive coverage. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again.
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. Actually this story is from the lutz book bean counters vs car guys he wrote a few years ago. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy thats starting to turn general motors around. The battle for the soul of american business, by bob lutz almost everything about bob lutz is supersized. 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. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back on track thanks to its embrace of lutzs philosophy. Aug 23, 2011 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. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs.
Still, the books basic problem was alltoo familiar in the. Jul 20, 2011 bob lutz in his recent book car guys vs. It was a pretty good read for his time at gm from about 2001 through the crisis time. 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. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars and risk avoidance. He comes off as a bit of a whiner, blaming the bean counters as well as the i always admired bob lutz. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz.
The battle for the soul of american business, has a message worth hearing. See all books authored by bob lutz, including car guys vs. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, gm is back. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. I think dagosa had mentioned it in one of the threads. About the book robert lutz, general motors, car guys vs. 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. Finally retired from general motors as vice chairman he churned out a second book the first one was called guts and became a board member of via motors, which is converting fullsized gm suvs, vans and pickups to 100mpg plugin hybrids. The battle for the soul of american business, by bob lutz. I was very interested to learn bob lutzs point of view on events at general motors back to the sixties. Bean counters, the normally outspoken bob lutz pulls out all the stops and settles a few scores. Lutz wrote every word in longhand and every sentence bears his distinctive voice.
After 40 years in the car business, including stints at all of the big three, bob lutz, at 79, is still standing. Bob lutz motivational business consulting in ann arbor, mi. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz financial times. See all 15 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. What was the most interesting aspect of this story. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz available from rakuten kobo. This changed for the worse at gm when bean counters took over and numbers held sway. The battle for the soul of american business, and icons and idiots. What made the experience of listening to car guys vs. Jun 14, 2011 the one man who has probably had more impact and insight into the american auto industry is bob lutz a legend in his own time, the 47year veteran of the auto industry,has a. The one man who has probably had more impact and insight into the american auto industry is bob lutz a legend in his own time, the 47year veteran of the auto industry,has a. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book of.
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. Look for his inspirational, upcoming book, car guys vs. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Bob lutzs unabashed perception of the auto industry were very inspiring and informative. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers and much of american industry lost their singleminded focus on product excellence. Jan 23, 2012 after 40 years in the car business, including stints at all of the big three, bob lutz, at 79, is still standing. Lutzs main argument is that companies, shareholders and consumers are best served by productdriven executives. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. Lutz has a reputation for speaking his mind and straight shooting. According to bob lutz, that is a fairly good description of gm when he arrived in 2001 as vice chairman in charge of product development. 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. His career in the auto industry spanned almost half a century. The battle for the soul of american business, the autobiography of bob lutz, former vice chairman of general motors. He turned that spreadsheet mentality around by putting the focus back on vehicles the customers wanted cars and trucks made with creativity and great design.
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. Bean counters makes the point that gm was doing fine until in the mid 1970s the mbatrained finance. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business 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.
Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of. An excerpt from bob lutz s 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. What does his book tell us about what really went on inside gm. What matters, lutz argues, is having on board at least one automotive artist with the talent to design desirable new cars. 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. He turned that spreadsheet mentality around by putting the focus back on vehicles the customers wanted cars and. It is a very good read and tells of the condition and things going on at gm when bob arrived. 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.
Author bob lutz spent 47 years in the auto industry, and he ended his career as vice chairman of general motors. 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. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read car guys vs. Pdf car guys vs bean counters download full pdf book. Lutz s commonsense lessons with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysisparalysis menace. Lutz s main argument is that companies, shareholders and consumers are best served by productdriven executives. During his 47year career in the auto industry, he worked for gm, ford, bmw, and chrysler and hes a legend in. The title is misleading as this is a book about bob lutz, not the issues gm encountered before, during, and after its liquidity crises along with the rest of the.
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