Icons and Idiots
Straight Talk on Leadership
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3.9 • 22 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
When Bob Lutz retired from General Motors in 2010, after an unparalleled forty-seven-year career in the auto industry, he was one of the most respected leaders in American business. He had survived all kinds of managers over those decades: tough and timid, analytical and irrational, charismatic and antisocial, and some who seemed to shift frequently among all those traits. His experiences made him an expert on leadership, every bit as much as he was an expert on cars and trucks. Now Lutz is revealing the leaders-good, bad, and ugly-who made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. Icons and Idiots is a collection of shocking and often hilarious true stories and the lessons Lutz drew from them. From enduring the sadism of a Marine Corps drill instructor, to working with a washed-up alcoholic, to taking over the reins from a convicted felon, he reflects on the complexities of all-too-human leaders. No textbook or business school course can fully capture their idiosyncrasies, foibles and weaknesses - which can make or break companies in the real world. Lutz shows that we can learn just as much from the most stubborn, stupid, and corrupt leaders as we can from the inspiring geniuses. The result is a powerful and entertaining guide for any aspiring leader.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Auto industry veteran Lutz (Car Guys and Bean Counters) held senior leadership positions at four of the world's top automakers, including a stint as vice-chairman of General Motors. Here, he offers a fresh twist on leadership lessons, drawing on the positive and negative examples of real-life leaders he encountered over 47 years in the car business. In concise, snappy, often hilarious chapters, Lutz profiles household names like Lee Iacocca and well-known CEOs like Bob Eaton, who ran Chrysler, but most chapters are devoted to rank and lesser known executives he served under throughout his career, including Eberhard Von Kuenheim, who went on to "transform BMW from a tiny, regional auto company into a global luxury-car powerhouse." Lutz's experiences in the auto industry will delight car lovers, but even the uninitiated will likely be amused by his lively prose. His vivid attention to detail brings each leader to life, illustrating his or her individual complexities with stories of foibles, political incorrectness, and praiseworthy moments that will draw sighs of recognition from readers who have worked in hierarchical corporations large or small.
Customer Reviews
Mostly Idiotic
Bob Lutz's business chops can't be argued, but I can't say the same about his writing. In a book that I thought was supposed to be an analysis of leadership through his career, I found self-aggrandizement, environmental recklessness, and ignorance of the situations presented. I couldn't finish the book due to his constant self-touting and constant putting-down of others. Additionally, he throws passive-aggressive barbs at many political topics, most notably at environmentalism. Of course his inefficient, gas guzzling BMWs weren't causing environmental harm - it was the bugs that appear every 15 years! I bought this book because of a blurb I saw in Esquire Magazine - a top executive, former Marine, etc. - but I wish I hadn't.