Iacocca: An Autobiography (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "Nicola Iacocca, my father, arrived in this country in 1902 at the age of twelve-poor, alone, and scared..." (more)
Key Phrases: quarterly review system, federal loan guarantees, auto business, New York, Henry Ford, General Motors (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

He’s an American legend, a straight-shooting businessman who brought Chrysler back from the brink and in the process became a media celebrity, newsmaker, and a man many had urged to run for president.

The son of Italian immigrants, Lee Iacocca rose spectacularly through the ranks of Ford Motor Company to become its president, only to be toppled eight years later in a power play that should have shattered him. But Lee Iacocca didn’t get mad, he got even. He led a battle for Chrysler’s survival that made his name a symbol of integrity, know-how, and guts for millions of Americans.

In his classic hard-hitting style, he tells us how he changed the automobile industry in the 1960s by creating the phenomenal Mustang. He goes behind the scenes for a look at Henry Ford’s reign of intimidation and manipulation. He recounts the miraculous rebirth of Chrysler from near bankruptcy to repayment of its $1.2 billion government loan so early that Washington didn’t know how to cash the check.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lee Iacocca is the former chairman of Chrysler Corporation and the author of Talking Straight and the autobiography Iacocca.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Other Printing edition (June 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553251473
• ISBN-13: 978-0553251470
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #200,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Lee..., July 3, 2000

By	doc1mobile "docmobile1" (34038) - See all my reviews

I opted to read this book out of curiosity on how Lee lead Chrysler the way that he did; I was also surprised to learn about his beginnings with FORD. This book is a sort of "in your face" look at how management and leadership worked at both Chrysler and Ford to bring about successes. If you're in management or a leadership role, this book makes for good reading, and you may find yourself referring back to periodically--I have. There are some excellent points that remain quite valid in today's corporate environment. I think that Iacocca's comment: "Good leaders know how to follow their people.", says a lot about one's role in a leadership capacity, and what a good leader should be capable of. Good leaders should lead, but they should also know when to listen to their people. This book is a keeper!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Words to Live By!, January 11, 2006

By	Kevin Kingston (ny) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Iacocca, an Autobiography, by Lee Iacocca with William Novak

A few concepts and quotes stayed with me from this book:

Every Sunday Lee would make a list of what it is he wanted to accomplish in the upcoming week.

"I began my life as the son of immigrants and I worked my way up to the president of the Ford Motor Company. When I finally got there, I was on top of the world. But then fate said to me: "Wait. We're not finished with you. Now your going to find out what it feels like to get kicked off Mt. Everest!"

"As you go through life, there are thousands of little forks in the road, and there are a few really big forks-those moments of reckoning, moments of truth. This was mine as I wondered what to do."

"There are times in everyone's life when something constructive is born out of adversity. There are times when things seem so bad that you've got to grab your fate by the shoulders and shake it."

""Don't get mad," Mary reminded me. "Get Even" In times of great stress and adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive"

His father would tell him, "You've got to accept a little sorrow in life. You'll never know what happiness is unless you have something to compare it to."

"The most important thing I learned in school was how to communicate. Miss Raber, our ninth grade teacher...would quiz us on the Word Power Game from Readers Digest. Without any advance warning she'd rip it out the magazine and make us take the vocabulary test. It became a powerful habit with me-to this day I still look for the list of words in every issue of the Digest"

"Setbacks are a natural part of life, and you've got to be careful of how you respond with them."

The book talks about how Lee rose through the ranks at Ford as well as his beliefs and strategies that he has picked up through the years. If you want to learn and grow, read about leaders, and people that have overcome adversities.

By Kevin Kingston, author of, "A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate"

(...)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 1965 Mustang, May 10, 2006

By	Golden Lion "Reader" (North Ogden, Ut United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

August 1946, Iacocca goes to work at Ford as a student engineer. A group of students were assigned too the River Rouge plant, the largest manufacturing complex in the world. Iacocca loses interest in Engineering and fails to complete his 18-month training. Iacocca switches to Sales and marketing and makes a connection with Frank Zimmerman. In 1949, Iacocca becomes a zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvannia and trains eighteen dealers. 1953, Iacocca becomes assistant sales manager of the Philadelphia district and he promotes padded dashboards as a safety feature. In 1956, Iacocca buys his first new car and creates the idea "56 for 56" meaning $56 a month for 56 monthes. McNamara takes notice and uses the idea to sale an additional 75,000 cars. Sept 29,1956, Iacocca marries Mary McCleary at St Robert's Catholic Church. 1960, Charlie Beacham bring Iacocca to Dearborn as his national truck marketing manager. Dec 1960, Iacocca becomes head of the Ford division.

Manager Qualities: The qualities that make a good manager are decisiveness. "You have to bring all the information together, setup a time table, and act." "Life is about timing." "When you speak to a group have a prepared text" and deviate from the prepared text whenever you feel the need. The best way to develop ideas is through interacting with your fellow managers. "I'm a believer in executives spending time together talking - not always in formal meeting but simply shooting the breeze, helping each other out, and solving problems." "The biggest problem facing American business today is that most managers have too much information. It dazzles them, and they don't know what to do with it all. The key too success is not information. It's people."

Mustang: Jan 1964, the decision was made to hold the price of the Mustang under $2,500. The Mustang sold for $2,368. The price was reasonable. The first quarter of 1964 hit the highest sales in Ford history. The Mustang was a hit and during the first week, four million visited Ford dealerships. The Mustang resembled the European racing that American car buffs found appealing with its Ferrari flair and openmouthed air scoop. "When the product is right, you don't have to be a great marketer." The Mustang sold 75,000 units in the first year. Customers were spending a $1,000 additional on options: white sidewall tires, radios, eight-cylinder engines, and automatic transmissions. In the first two years the Mustang had generated $1.1 billion in profits.