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A review by vijai747
Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca, William Novak
5.0
Having always been a distant admirer of the auto industry, Iacocca provides a window into one of its most fascinating sagas while also providing sage leadership advice that transcends that era and continues to remain relevant today.
As a story-teller, Iacocca comes into his own when describing his relationship with Henry Ford II and the struggles he faced during the mid-70s working for an increasingly paranoid and overbearing boss who could not bear to have his image eclipsed by the President of his grandfather's company. Having never been a great fan of the Mustang, I found his recollection of its development interesting, but the former was far more entertaining (even though Iacocca's statements regarding Henry Ford II are completely biased and in some cases petty).
Without a doubt, his account of the Chrysler turnaround was a thrilling read. His impression of the congressional proceedings, the history of loan-guarantees, how he marketed the K-car and improving quality to showcase Chrysler's strong engineering fundamentals was brilliant. I couldn't help but keep turning the pages when reading these chapters. Having spent a summer in Detroit and worked in the auto industry, I was able to relate to many of the challenges faced by the engineering team.
I was impressed with Iacocca's ability to describe the highs and lows of his tenure at Ford and Chrysler, I was also struck by his ability to step back and distill what it meant for the industry and America as a whole. What makes this more impressive is the fact that he was able to do so just a few years after the repayment of the loan-guarantee from the federal government , and while still actively involved in running the Chrysler corporation. His plea for fair trade laws with the Japanese, creating a national industrial policy, need to renegotiate union contracts (affecting the future of manufacturing in America), stringent fuel standards, etc. have proved to be highly prescient in the nearly three decades since the book was first published.
The refreshing candor with which Iacocca describes his management style includes a discussion about human nature and what motivates people from all walks of life to do great work. In addition, his prescription for what makes managers great was far more engaging than countless leadership books I've previously read. No wonder it was one of the most widely read books in business schools across the country.
Lastly, I can't recommend this book enough due to it's writing style. While I haven't read many autobiographies and can only guess at the advantages provided by that style of presentation over others, I can certainly say that while reading this book, I didn't feel like I was reading an account of Iacocca's life or the auto industry. I felt as though I were having a conversation with the man himself.
Although I have just finished reading this book, I have a strong feeling that Iacocca: An Autobiography will be among the few that stay on my bookshelf for a long time.
As a story-teller, Iacocca comes into his own when describing his relationship with Henry Ford II and the struggles he faced during the mid-70s working for an increasingly paranoid and overbearing boss who could not bear to have his image eclipsed by the President of his grandfather's company. Having never been a great fan of the Mustang, I found his recollection of its development interesting, but the former was far more entertaining (even though Iacocca's statements regarding Henry Ford II are completely biased and in some cases petty).
Without a doubt, his account of the Chrysler turnaround was a thrilling read. His impression of the congressional proceedings, the history of loan-guarantees, how he marketed the K-car and improving quality to showcase Chrysler's strong engineering fundamentals was brilliant. I couldn't help but keep turning the pages when reading these chapters. Having spent a summer in Detroit and worked in the auto industry, I was able to relate to many of the challenges faced by the engineering team.
I was impressed with Iacocca's ability to describe the highs and lows of his tenure at Ford and Chrysler, I was also struck by his ability to step back and distill what it meant for the industry and America as a whole. What makes this more impressive is the fact that he was able to do so just a few years after the repayment of the loan-guarantee from the federal government , and while still actively involved in running the Chrysler corporation. His plea for fair trade laws with the Japanese, creating a national industrial policy, need to renegotiate union contracts (affecting the future of manufacturing in America), stringent fuel standards, etc. have proved to be highly prescient in the nearly three decades since the book was first published.
The refreshing candor with which Iacocca describes his management style includes a discussion about human nature and what motivates people from all walks of life to do great work. In addition, his prescription for what makes managers great was far more engaging than countless leadership books I've previously read. No wonder it was one of the most widely read books in business schools across the country.
Lastly, I can't recommend this book enough due to it's writing style. While I haven't read many autobiographies and can only guess at the advantages provided by that style of presentation over others, I can certainly say that while reading this book, I didn't feel like I was reading an account of Iacocca's life or the auto industry. I felt as though I were having a conversation with the man himself.
Although I have just finished reading this book, I have a strong feeling that Iacocca: An Autobiography will be among the few that stay on my bookshelf for a long time.