Synopses & Reviews
Perhaps no family dynasty in corporate America compares in color and dominance to the Ford family, which has maintained control over one of the world's largest automakers for four generations. And few corporations have withstood time, turbulence and trends like Ford Motor, deeply entrenched along with Coca Cola and General Electric as one of America's great, powerful and enduring brands. For 100 years the family and the company have remained on top, despite periodic and cyclical troubles from union battles to family infighting that sometimes appeared paralyzing. The Ford family still owns 40 percent of the company and the company still maintains more than 20 percent of U.S. auto sales (including international brands it owns such as Volvo, Mazda and Jaguar).
"Ford Tough" will be a richly detailed narrative, focusing on the personality and leadership of Chairman and CEO Bill Ford during the beginning of the company's second century of business and its struggle to return to American roots and heritage. It is a business book, but vivid detail of personality and management style will prevail over nuts and bolts numbers. The reader will be told about Bill Ford's personal, family and management background and beliefs in the opening chapters leading up to his June 17, 2003 speech in which he launches the company into its second century of business. The history of Ford Motor and the Ford family will be interwoven into the book, particularly in the early chapters introducing Bill Ford. But this is not another book about Henry Ford and the Model T to the Taurus. "Ford Tough" is a contemporary management piece about a deeply traditional company led by a new generation Ford, who is fighting tomove the company toward a future colored in green (greater profits and more environmentally responsible).
David Magee's unequaled access to Bill Ford and Ford Motor during the last days of its 100th anniversary celebration (June 2003) and throughout its 101st year- he will spend at least six months in the Detroit metro area-provide the setting for this dramatic American story of struggle, loyalty and responsibility.
Synopsis
An inside look at the company that defined American industry and the man who runs it
Ford Tough is the contemporary story of a company fighting to position itself in a new era of business, with the founder's visionary great-grandson as the leader of the new Ford Motor Company.
Bill Ford Jr. is the first Ford family member to run the company since 1979. A self-professed environmentalist and by all accounts a "nice guy," he might not seem the most obvious choice for a hard-nosed corporate leader. But his vision of the company's future, his genuine care for his employees, his well-timed toughness, and his obvious concern for the long-term well-being of Ford Motor Company have proven to be essential characteristics for the leader of America's most famous brand.
Ford watched the company decline beginning in 1999 as then-CEO Jacques Nasser tried to remake the automaker into a new economy business. When the plan did not work, Ford stepped in to rebuild the automaker and restore faith from employees, consumers, and dealers. He guided Ford Motor Company through its troubled times and a successful centennial celebration.
With its massive size and a troubled economy, leading Ford Motor Company into the twenty-first century will be no easy task. Ford Tough looks at the modern rebuilding and the future of a company that defines American know-how and American culture.
David Magee (Lookout Mountain, Tennessee) is a former newspaper editor and columnist, as well as an automotive expert who has been featured on National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV, and the Discover Channel, among other news and media outlets. He has written for the Associated Press, the Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), and the Oxford Eagle (Oxford, MS), and is also the author of Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan.
Synopsis
From FORD TOUGH
The accident is serious. There are injuries, maybe deaths. The site is unstable. We are in contact with authorities.
Bill Ford Jr. drove to World Headquarters and was met in his 12th floor office by Vella and by Neil Golightly, who was in his first weeks as director of the chairmans office, with duties that were part public affairs and part executive assistant for Ford. Golightly remembers Ford being visibly concerned and distraught when he walked into the office and sat down for updated information on the accident. Details were still sketchy.
"Do you think I should go?" Ford asked.
Golightly was barely three weeks into his job and still getting to know and understand the man he worked for. The companys CEO was out of the country. Its head of public affairs was out of town. The chairman bore the company name and the Rouge was an unstable accident scene at a volatile, 78-year-old powerhouse with boilers fed by natural gas. Golightly followed his first gut reaction and advised Ford not to go.
"Thats ridiculous," Ford said. "Ive got to go."
"Generals dont go to the front lines," another company adviser told the chairman.
"Bust me down to private then," Ford responded, "because Im out of here."
Synopsis
Throughout its 100-plus-year history, Ford Motor Company has proven itself to be one of the worlds most tenacious, resilient, and forward-looking business organizations. As the company approached the century mark, however, a series of disastrous years made it clear that Fords problems went deeper than those caused by a cyclical downturn and a weak overall economy. The company that virtually invented the auto industry was close to losing its footing. Clearly, it would take more than the average CEO to put the legendary automaker back on track.
Ford Tough tells the inspiring story of Bill Ford, scion of one of Americas most celebrated business dynasties, and his heroic battle to revive and reshape the company. His objectives: to compete successfully in a rapidly changing environment and to reinvigorate Ford Motor Companys role as an industry innovator and standard-bearer, facing and overcoming the daunting challenges faced by every twenty-first-century automaker.
This crisply written narrative is the product of author David Magees unequaled behind-the-scenes access, both to the dynamic young CEO and to the inner workings of the company. Magee examines Ford Motors past successes and failures, explains the lessons Bill Ford has drawn from them, and reveals how he is using these lessons to drive the company toward a new era of innovation and growth. He also offers a richly detailed portrait of the first Ford to take charge of the company since 1979, a self-professed environmentalist who cares deeply about his employees and possesses a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibilitycharacteristics that have played a crucial role in the companys turnaround.
Ford Tough is more than a powerful business biography, more than a fascinating company history, and more than an insightful portrait of a unique management style. It is a stirring, modern-day epic, the compelling tale of one mans battle for the things we value most in life, including family, tradition, and a promising future.
About the Author
DAVID MAGEE is the author of Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan and The John Deere Way, to be published in 2005. He is also the founder and owner of Jefferson Press, a small literary publisher. He lives in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, with his wife and three children.
Table of Contents
Prologue.
CHAPTER 1: The Rouge.
CHAPTER 2: Lessons in Leadership.
CHAPTER 3: Ground Zero.
CHAPTER 4: Dark Days in Dearborn.
CHAPTER 5: Taking Charge.
CHAPTER 6: The New Face of Ford.
CHAPTER 7: Getting Back to Basics.
CHAPTER 8: Surviving the Cold of Winter.
CHAPTER 9: Momentum.
CHAPTER 10: America’s Best-Selling Truck Is New Again.
CHAPTER 11: Bargaining for a Future.
CHAPTER 12: A Town Hall Meeting.
CHAPTER 13: The Year of the Car.
CHAPTER 14: From Escape to Reality.
CHAPTER 15: Great Products, Strong Business, Better World.
Acknowledgments.
Notes.
Index.