When Bill Ford, of the famous founding Ford family
took over the reins at FoMoCo after the dumping of previous boss Jac
Nasser, many thought that this was a fine example of nepotism at the
top of the world’s number two car maker. The company could get a
“Ford” as a figurehead, but that was not quite what they got.
Bill Ford
Bill Ford’s mission was to get the company to
turn around and he said he would do this by going back to basics and
concentrating on what FoMoCo knew best - making cars and trucks. Since
then the company has sold off many motor sideline businesses, and
whilst the books are still not all that healthy for an enterprise of
the size of Ford, they are certainly better than before.
After one year in the “Blue Oval” office,
Automotive News interviewed Bill Ford and his forthright replies I
found very enlightening. Here are a couple of topics from the very
lengthy interview.
(AN) “Do you plan to be in this job as the CEO
beyond the turnaround?”
(BF) “Oh yes. I will be here as long as anybody
wants me here. I love this place and I am not looking to hand this
off. I will take great satisfaction when we get the results of the
turnaround fully implemented and going forward.
“Someday will my role change? Maybe. Nothing
lasts forever. But I am committed to seeing this company back on its
feet and doing well. I was committed and I never looked back. This
isn’t something I look at as a part-time job. Or something I looked
at as I am going to just do until I can get out of here as fast as I
possibly can. I love this company. I will do whatever I can to help
it. I think I can drive it from this job very well.”
(AN) “A year ago you said you felt obliged to
take the job because you cared about the company and what the company
would be for your kids down the road and their kids, as if you might
not want to stay on the job until you are 65.”
(BF) “There are days I am not sure I am going to
make it until the next morning. It is hard to look that far down the
road.
“Part of it is just my personality. I have never
wanted to plan my life out that far in advance. I was surprised when I
read earlier this year, “He is reluctant,” or “He doesn’t want
to do it.” Then I looked back. I read some interviews I did 10 or 15
years ago. Even back then, I was saying, “I don’t know what next
year will hold for me. I like what I am doing now. We’ll see.”
“I have always taken this place a year at a time.
I’ve always taken my life that way. I have never been one to plan
out the next 20 years. Because nothing ever turns out the way you plan
anyway. Also, it is just my nature not to lock myself into something,
any kind of mindset.
“But having said that, I can’t imagine doing
anything else at this point. I am committed to the success of this
company.”
Automotive News also dealt with the “Back to
Basics” concept.
(AN) “You may think this question is absurd given
what you have been through in the last year. But in dwelling on back
to basics is there a danger the pendulum swings too far back and you
create a culture that cannot be creative and bring out the next big
thing?”
(BF) “There is always a risk in that. To me, back
to basics wasn’t turning back the clock. It was refocusing on our
core business. There is a difference.
“Some of the things we have done really do go
back to where we were before. For instance, the organization itself is
less matrixed. We have eliminated most of that in favor of mostly
straight-line reporting relationships, clear lines of authority and
delineation.
“While that is kind of more traditional, we are
driving the system to be creative. Again, I look to Ford of Europe.
They have been very opportunistic and creative in their product
formation.
“Back to basics, heck that’s where they were.
They never tried to be anything other than a terrific car and truck
company. That allowed them to be more creative because they were more
focused on their core business.
“That is my hope for the entire company - not
that we become more stodgy. If we do that, we will have failed. But
that in fact, by being more focused, it will allow us to be more
creative and more innovative.
“We’ve got things like the hybrid Escape coming
next year, which is a break into a whole new direction for us. That
technology, if it is successful, we can migrate relatively quickly to
other vehicle lines.
“What I want us to do is to be focused enough so
that if something like that does hit, we can quickly respond and take
it into other directions. I actually think I am freeing up our car and
truck people to be more creative because there are no other things to
be distracted by anymore.”
