Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business

Bob Lutz

Jun 2011 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy that's starting to turn General Motors around.

In 2001, General Motors hired Bob Lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, GM is back on track thanks to its embrace of Lutz's philosophy.

When Lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, CEOs knew that if you captured the public's imagination with great cars, the money would follow. The car guys held sway, and GM dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC, and Chevrolet.

But then GM's leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the "waste" and "personality worship" of the bygone creative leaders. Management got too smart for its own good. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers (and much of American industry) lost their single-minded focus on product excellence. Decline followed.

Lutz's commonsense lessons (with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes) will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysis-paralysis menace.

Ratings and reviews

Great book. I really like Bob Lutz's candor in his writing. Even if you're not a car guy, this book is worth reading. The message, in a nutshell, is focus on making an excellent product above all else. Just about everything else is a distraction that should be eliminated or minimized.

Bob Lutz is very honest in this book and definitely comes to terms with the bad sides of GM. But its also clearly evident that he is a car guy, and it was nice to know they gave the car guy a chance at running the company. This book shows that Bob at least tried his hardest at putting the right things in perspective within the company, but the global economic crisis really put a damper on things. All in all a good read, though I wouldn't have minded if he expanded on some subjects, the end felt rushed.

A great read for a car guy, or anyone interested in business. It does get a bit repetitive in the last 50 or so pages, but still absolutely worth the read.

About the author

BOB LUTZ held senior leadership positions at Gm, ford, Chrysler, and BMW over the course of an unparalleled forty-seven-year career, culminating in his vice chairmanship of General motors from 2001 to 2010. He is the bestselling author of Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders of Our Time.