Ford Tough: Bill Ford and the Battle to Rebuild America's Automaker [Hardcover]

David Magee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2004

An inside look at the company that defined American industry and the man who runs it
Ford Tough is the contemporary story of a company fighting to position itself in a new era of business, with the founder's visionary great-grandson as the leader of the new Ford Motor Company.
Bill Ford Jr. is the first Ford family member to run the company since 1979. A self-professed environmentalist and by all accounts a "nice guy," he might not seem the most obvious choice for a hard-nosed corporate leader. But his vision of the company's future, his genuine care for his employees, his well-timed toughness, and his obvious concern for the long-term well-being of Ford Motor Company have proven to be essential characteristics for the leader of America's most famous brand.
Ford watched the company decline beginning in 1999 as then-CEO Jacques Nasser tried to remake the automaker into a new economy business. When the plan did not work, Ford stepped in to rebuild the automaker and restore faith from employees, consumers, and dealers. He guided Ford Motor Company through its troubled times and a successful centennial celebration.
With its massive size and a troubled economy, leading Ford Motor Company into the twenty-first century will be no easy task. Ford Tough looks at the modern rebuilding and the future of a company that defines American know-how and American culture.
David Magee (Lookout Mountain, Tennessee) is a former newspaper editor and columnist, as well as an automotive expert who has been featured on National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV, and the Discover Channel, among other news and media outlets. He has written for the Associated Press, the Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), and the Oxford Eagle (Oxford, MS), and is also the author of Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Throughout its 100-plus-year history, Ford Motor Company has proven itself to be one of the world’s most tenacious, resilient, and forward-looking business organizations. As the company approached the century mark, however, a series of disastrous years made it clear that Ford’s problems went deeper than those caused by a cyclical downturn and a weak overall economy. The company that virtually invented the auto industry was close to losing its footing. Clearly, it would take more than the average CEO to put the legendary automaker back on track.

Ford Tough tells the inspiring story of Bill Ford, scion of one of America’s most celebrated business dynasties, and his heroic battle to revive and reshape the company. His objectives: to compete successfully in a rapidly changing environment and to reinvigorate Ford Motor Company’s role as an industry innovator and standard-bearer, facing and overcoming the daunting challenges faced by every twenty-first-century automaker.

This crisply written narrative is the product of author David Magee’s unequaled behind-the-scenes access, both to the dynamic young CEO and to the inner workings of the company. Magee examines Ford Motors’ past successes and failures, explains the lessons Bill Ford has drawn from them, and reveals how he is using these lessons to drive the company toward a new era of innovation and growth. He also offers a richly detailed portrait of the first Ford to take charge of the company since 1979, a self-professed environmentalist who cares deeply about his employees and possesses a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibility–characteristics that have played a crucial role in the company’s turnaround.

Ford Tough is more than a powerful business biography, more than a fascinating company history, and more than an insightful portrait of a unique management style. It is a stirring, modern-day epic, the compelling tale of one man’s battle for the things we value most in life, including family, tradition, and a promising future.

From the Back Cover

From FORD TOUGH

The accident is serious. There are injuries, maybe deaths. The site is unstable. We are in contact with authorities.

Bill Ford Jr. drove to World Headquarters and was met in his 12th floor office by Vella and by Neil Golightly, who was in his first weeks as director of the chairman’s office, with duties that were part public affairs and part executive assistant for Ford. Golightly remembers Ford being visibly concerned and distraught when he walked into the office and sat down for updated information on the accident. Details were still sketchy.

"Do you think I should go?" Ford asked.

Golightly was barely three weeks into his job and still getting to know and understand the man he worked for. The company’s CEO was out of the country. Its head of public affairs was out of town. The chairman bore the company name and the Rouge was an unstable accident scene at a volatile, 78-year-old powerhouse with boilers fed by natural gas. Golightly followed his first gut reaction and advised Ford not to go.

"That’s ridiculous," Ford said. "I’ve got to go."

"Generals don’t go to the front lines," another company adviser told the chairman.

"Bust me down to private then," Ford responded, "because I’m out of here."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471479667
• ISBN-13: 978-0471479666
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Magee is a non-fiction author, radio and television personality, and motivational speaker. He is the former host of the national television program The David Magee Show.

The author of 12 books, including MoonPie: Biography of an Out-of-This-World Snack; The John Deere Way; Jeff Immelt and the New GE Way; The Education of Mr. Mayfield, named best non-fiction book in the South in the 2010 IPPY Awards; and How Toyota Became #1 (Penguin), named by the American Library Association's Booklist as a Top Ten Business Book of the year in 2008. David hosted The David Magee Show in 2010 that aired in 21 million homes.

A frequent guest on national news programs over the years, Magee began his media career at a commercial radio station at the age of 18 and became a daily newspaper news editor at the age of 24. He began writing books in 2002 and has since made more than 200 media appearances, including NPR, the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting Network, Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek.com.

As a speaker, he's addressed audiences from Quebec to Japan to Dallas, Texas.

Previously, David was a city council member in the college town of Oxford, Mississippi, a small business owner named to Mississippi Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 at the age of 29, and the vice president of a national advertising and public relations company.

A journalism graduate of the University of Mississippi, he and his wife live on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and are the parents of three children, including two sons who are students at the University of Mississippi and a daughter who is a junior at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story of Bill Ford, June 28, 2005

By 

Motor City Man (Detroit, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ford Tough: Bill Ford and the Battle to Rebuild America's Automaker (Hardcover)

When Bill Ford took over Ford Motor, the company was in dreadful shape. Under his leadership, Ford has made plausible progress. This book recognizes that, but it also recognizes there are still problems with the company, due in large part to industry ailments, the end of SUV sales and outdated products.
The books makes it obvious however that he is not hiding from these issues and is instead addressing them head on.
This is the first account of Henry Ford's great grandson and it offers much insight into how he sees the world and runs one of America's most important companies.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of how Bill Ford revived the Ford Motor Company, January 6, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ford Tough: Bill Ford and the Battle to Rebuild America's Automaker (Audio CD)

Ford Tough: Bill Ford And The Battle To Rebuild America's Automaker is the story of how Bill Ford revived and reshaped the Ford Motor Company, bringing the 100+ year old automobile manufacturer back from the bring of ruin. Ford Tough reveals the inner workings of the company while offering a detailed portrait of the first member of the illustrious Ford family to take charge of the company since 1979. A dedicated environmentalist and a man with a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibility to his employees, Bill Ford is revealed as the man who played a crucial role against seemingly insurmountable odds in creating the company's ultimately successful turnaround. Superbly narrated by Chris Ryan, this recommended, flawlessly recorded, CD format audio book is abridged on three discs with a total of a three hour running time.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit rosy, but good nonetheless., January 14, 2005

By 

sporkdude "sporkdude" (San Jose, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ford Tough: Bill Ford and the Battle to Rebuild America's Automaker (Hardcover)

My dad use to work for Ford in the late seventies, so he bought Fords well into the early eighties. So, as a kid growing up the eighties, all I saw was my dad trying to fix the Fords in the late eighties. I actually thought that a car breaking down every few months was actually normal. Needless to say, I own a Toyota now. So this book intrigued me. How could a company that my father was proud of revive itself to something that I might consider purchasing a product from?

Well, this book describes Bill Ford's life and the life of the Ford Motor company. To address the negatives first, while mostly honest, he tends to overestimate how bad things have gotten in the nineties while and overestimates how good Ford is in the present day and in the not so recent past. He gives the impression that Ford's quality issues and their financial problems were recent problems that are totally resolved. He makes Bill Ford look like a super genius who fixed everything in his first few year.

Now to point out the good. This book is part history lesson, part biography, part financial, part business book all mixed into one. Magee actually goes into depth with not just mere anecdotes and Bill Ford's life story, but gets into numbers and processes. He talks about management styles, he talks about strategies. He delves into design and the competition. More importantly, he brings a lot of relevant and pertinent information in a fluid, quick manner that doesn't bog down the reader.

I will definitely read more books from this author, and for anyone interested in the automotive industry, or anyone interested in large corporations, this book is a must read.