GM - Back to Old Ways

[Chuck S.]

GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson has shaken things up at GM...again.

Makes you wonder how the best ideas of each new high-dollar CEO could be so different from those of the previous high-dollar guy.

A new product development head has been appointed. Definitely not a "car guy"...Hopefully, she's a "car girl". But...her senior level resume doesn't look like that of a car person. At 49 years, she last served as vice president of global human resources. If she's being groomed, it's for CEO.

I'm sure she made great contributions during the downsizing and reorganization, but promoted to product development head when the corporate future is hanging in balance?...her resume probably wouldn't have been my first choice.

GM is so screwed...Whatever happened to Bob Lutz training car person proteges? I'm betting he won't be coming back to bail these neophytes out again. JMHO

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/GM-app...5&asset=&ccode=

[Duke W.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Quoting from the article:

"Barra [49], a veteran engineer who has been with GM for more than 30 years, was vice president of global human resources since 2009, helping the company through management turmoil that included four chief executives in less than two years. Before that she was a plant manager and held a number of engineering and management posts."

So if I can still do fourth grade arithmetic: 49-30 = 19.

She joined GM at 19!? ...must be some kind of prodigy. Or maybe she was a GMI co-op student.

Maybe Hinckley knows her.

BTW, have you looked at the color palettes for some mainstream cars - all those washed out pastels. That tells you who is making the decisions.

I think Ford's "car czar" is also female.

Duke

[John D.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Yep back in the day all the GMI co-op students got service dates right out of high school.....now it's Kettering U.

[William C.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Yes, as one of those from the "old days I can confirm that the school years counted. The First female student arrived about the time of my senior year. I heard she didn't make it thru the program, although many subsequently did.

[Stuart F.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Can't say I pay a whole lot of attention to our old "Generous Mother" these days, although I probably should to keep tabs on my pension. Since the 4th quarter last year, seems my Retiree News E-mails have stopped coming and the information I get in the mail is printed on news print paper. Guess their frugality efforts are showing results.

Stu Fox

[Domenic T.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

A good looking female climbed the ladder very fast.
In those days I had to have 5,000 flying hours to get into the airlines. The female only had to have 250 total flying hours.
Fair, not so. Also they were pampered thru their simulator training and my good friend at United transfered to the training center to get a up grade to captain. He lasted 6 mos before he went back to the line as FO (co-pilot) . His job was to train them to upgrade and pass their check rides. I will quote him as saying "in good concience I can't be a part of this, most can't fly and should not be in the front of the bus".
Now, you know who really hates that movement? It's the women that COULD fly and have to live with that reputation.
It's in all industry and some of us males are also responsible as some taylored the interview process to their liking.
Kinda like the movie industries private interview.

DOM
DOM

[Bruce B.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Is it possible that some executives are reaching thier "level of incompetence" before thier time.
In the 60's and 70's industry promoted so many so quickly that many promising careers were ruined due to this practice.

[Domenic T.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Bruce,
I think you said it the best.

DOM

[Bruce B.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Bruce,
I think you said it the best.

DOM

Dom,
I am very passionate about this subject.
I had numerous friends who were minorities and they were pushed up the ladder so quickly they had no chance to succeed.
And many failed, but the DO GOODERS made thier government imposed quotas.
Enough said.

[William C.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

unfortunately, it's more often that those who were responsible for the "accelerated" promotions are unwilling/incapable of admitting the error, so it compounds itself.

[George C.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

I was looking at GM Company Executives at the GM News site. http://media.buick.com/media/us/en/p...brand_gm.html/ Alot of women in high places at GM. Hope some of them had strong fathers, or brothers who liked cars. Because you have to have gasoline in your blood to know what the car game is about. I'm afraid none of these exec's have that trait. My .02. Save the Wave.>George

[Ridge K.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Having worked 29 years in the emergency services division of a metropolitan city government, and watching first-hand the end result of "forced" promotions based on gender ......... I best just not comment further...

[Duke W.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

Is it possible that some executives are reaching thier "level of incompetence" before thier time.
In the 60's and 70's industry promoted so many so quickly that many promising careers were ruined due to this practice.

I ran into a lot of first line managers at IBM in the eighties that had already achieved the Peter Principle, and most of them were fe... uh-oh, I better not say any more.

Duke

[Jim S.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

When I was a supervisor at GM we did our yearly supervisor reviews of our engineering people with upper management. We listed everyone as A's, B's, C's etc. After we had rated everyone, out came the question from the personnel representative, "How are we doing on our EEO responsibilities." Back to the appraisal system with large changes in ratings.

For the most part, the top A's and B's still retained their standings. But a lot of lower rated people got buried with the new reappraisals.

'Nuff said,
Jim

[Chuck S.]

Re: GM - Back to Old Ways

When I was a supervisor at GM we did our yearly supervisor reviews of our engineering people with upper management. We listed everyone as A's, B's, C's etc. After we had rated everyone, out came the question from the personnel representative, "How are we doing on our EEO responsibilities." Back to the appraisal system with large changes in ratings.

For the most part, the top A's and B's still retained their standings. But a lot of lower rated people got buried with the new reappraisals...

Sometimes, everything just seems to work out for the best.

I knew a very sharp guy (MBA) that had moved down from Dayton to help GM set up a plant in Juarez, Mexico. He had progressed to shift supervisor at Dayton, and was very successful with the grass roots startup. Soon thereafter, he apparently hit the glass EEO ceiling at GM, i.e too few positions to promote the brightest and meet EEO goals too. He became disillustioned, and quit GM to "pursue other interests". After a rough stretch, he used his GM experience and talent to go into business for himself, became filthy rich making stuff for Ford, and lived happily everafter. THIS is a true story.