As both a former owner of a classic Mustang (1967) and the current owner of a Chrysler 300 (2007), I have plenty of reason to respect and appreciate Mr. Iacocca, and it was with considerable sadness that I heard of his passing earlier this year. And after reading this bestselling autobiography of his, I respect and admire Lee just that much more. Being a 25 year-old book, a good bit of the material is now outdated (especially the alarmism about then-seemingly omnipotent Japan), and I don’t agree with all the political views espoused within (especially the praise of FDR, blecchh), but nonetheless, I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking.
R.I.P. and God bless, Lee Iacocca, gone but definitely not forgotten.
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
—“The chapter ‘Making America Great Again’ drew more comments than any other because it touched a raw nerve.” Oh, the irony...
“Wherever I go, people always ask me the same questions. How did you get to be successful? Why did Henry Ford fire you? How did you turn Chrysler around? I’ve never had a good quick answer to these questions, so I’ve slipped into the habit of saying: “l’When I write my book, you’ll find out.’ Over the years, I’ve repeated that phrase so often that I’ve come to believe my own words. In the end, I had no choice but to write the book I’ve been talking about for so long.” Haha, reminds me of the folks who encouraged both me and my Dad to write our memoirs.
“Henry Ford made my kids suffer, and for that I’ll never forgive him.” Ouch!
“Being fired at Ford was bad enough. But going down with the ship at Chrysler was more than I deserved. Fortunately, Chrysler recovered from its brush with death. Today I’m a hero. But strangely enough, it’s all because of that moment of truth at the warehouse. With determination, with luck, and with help from lots of good people, I was able to rise up from the ashes. Now let me tell you my story.”
“It took me a number of years to fully understand why I had to make a good confession to a priest before I went to Holy Communion, but in my teens I began to appreciate the importance of this most misunderstood rite of the Catholic Church.” [emphasis added] Dominus Vobiscum, Lee!
“Even at age nine I was allowed to swig a little—as long as I did it at home under strict supervision. Maybe that’s why I never got pig-drunk in high school and college. In our house alcohol (usually homemade red wine) was accepted as part of life—but always in moderation.” Good on Lee’s parents, they raised him right!
But to think that someday you’ll be a trendsetter is no comfort for a nine-year-old kid.” Ain’t that the frickin’ truth!
“I’m constantly amazed by the number of people who can’t seem to control their own schedules. Over the years, I’ve had many executives come to me and say with pride: ‘Boy, last year I worked so hard that I didn’t take any vacation.’ It’s actually nothing to be proud of. I always feel like responding: ‘You dummy. You mean to tell me that you can take responsibility for an $ 80 million project and you can’t plan two weeks out of the year to go off with your family and have some fun?’” Amen! You gotta know how to manage your time to find that proper work-life balance!
—p. 44: “Robert McNamara was noticeably different from the other Whiz Kids and also from his fellow executives at Ford. Many people thought he lacked warmth, and I guess he did project a degree of coolness.” That explains a lot about that Vietnam War-mismanaging A-hole, I reckon.
—p. 45: “It was a valuable lesson, and I’ve followed his lead ever since. Whenever one of my people has an idea, I ask him to lay it out in writing. I don’t want anybody to sell me on a plan just by the melodiousness of his voice or force of personality. You really can’t afford that.”
—p. 46: “McNamara was the quintessential bean counter, and he epitomized both the strengths and weaknesses of the breed.”
—p. 50: “a few basic questions: ‘What are your objectives for the next ninety days? What are your plans, your priorities, your hopes? And how do you intend to go about achieving them?’”
—p. 52: “Every company has lost good people who have simply been in the wrong job and who might have found more satisfaction as well as greater success if they could have been moved to another area instead of being fired.”
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