Enlightening, Entertaining and Inspirational!
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Lee Iacocca is best known for bringing back Chrysler from the brink of bankruptcy and taking $1 a year as a salary to show his commitment to the cause.
This is an important part of the book, it needed to be told. Also, Iacocca is a story of a man driven to work hard and become a leader. It is a bit egocentric at time, but that can be forgiven with the richness of the material. I found the book enlightening, entertaining and inspirational.
The inspirational part of the book is that when Chrysler is faced with impending tragedy the people all put together as one. It is disheartening that tragedy has to be a huge element in the success equation for many companies. This would be a tremendous book to explore.
Iacocca has some strong common sense weaved through this work. For example, Iacocca would prepare to hit the ground running by preparing for the week on Sunday evenings. Also, he notes that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team.
In another telling example during the almost collapse of Chrysler, Iacocca reduces his own salary to $1.00 a year to get support from the Chrysler workers and management. He says:
"Leadership means setting an example. He goes on to say: "I didn't take $1.00 a year to be a martyr. I took it because I had to go into the pits. I took is so that when I went to Doug Fraser, the union president, I could look him in the eye and say. "Here's what I want from you guys as your share," and he couldn't come back to me and ask: "You SOB, what sacrifice have you made?" That's why I did it, for good, cold, pragmatic reasons."
Overall, an excellent book with many powerful ideas worth embracing. Highly recommended!
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
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Honest and entertaining account of the driving force behind the American car industry
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Lee Iacocca, the corporate icon of the "go go" era, recounts (with co-writer William Novak) how he did it his way, with a little help from his friends. He sets the record straight about insinuations that he was a flamboyant flash in the pan or had Mafia ties. A sense of honesty pervades his narrative, which often reveals more about the man than he probably intended. This 1984 classic is a cultural account of a time when American manufacturing was full of vitality, and marketing was simpler and more direct. At the time, experts warned Iacocca that you can know too much about everything and that a flood of information will just slow you down. He decided to know it all, anyway. His philosophy, well expressed between anecdotes, seems almost naïve now, certainly when contrasted with the ruthlessness of his nemesis, Henry Ford II. Iacocca gets the last laugh with his insider descriptions of life in the corporate glass house. getAbstract recommends this frank, refreshing yarn to postboomer business leaders, managers on the ascent, car buffs and manufacturers who operate within a dealer network.
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The best business book I have ever read
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How I wish that I had read this book ten years ago! Lee Iacocca had written an un-putdownable account of his business experience - much of it near to or at the top of the corporate ladder. The industry is important to the story, but this is not a car book. There is so much in the book that I cannot tell you about it all in this short space. The best thing that you can do is buy this book now. I am just amazed that all of that experience and knowledge can be had for just £5. I am definately an Iacocca fan!
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iaccoca
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A must read for any business student or enterpreneur. Easy to read and excellently delivered. A lot hasn't changed on how business is done today.
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Dickens only WISHES he could have written this book!!
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I've read biographies, a number of them, but this is just about the best I have ever read. It reads like a novel, with interesting twists on every page. If you don't like cars or corporate management, drop your predispositions and read this book. Its the best advice I could give.
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