IACOCCA-An Autobiography By Lee Iacocca With William Novak

Honestly  Speaking,I am not much into reading managerial books nut thiss book has changed my perception of managerial books.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as I could actually relate myself with the writer.Writer’s straightforwardness,his attitude towards life & towards those people who have done wrong to him reminds me of myself.Iacocca is fast talking,blunt,boastful & unabashedly patriotic.His concern towards America is clearly visible at different places.Iacocca is a living legend,a straight shooting businessman who brought Chrysler,America’s 10th largest corporation & the smallest one among the 3 major auto giants of the time viz. GM,Ford & Chrylser,from brink & in the process became a media celebrity,celebrity,news maker & a man many have urged to run for President.The son of italian Immigrants,Iacocca rose spectacularly through the ranks of Ford Motor Company to become its President,only to be toppled 8 years later in a power play played by the Henry Ford II,his immediate boss.Rathes than going mad,Lee iacocca got even.He led a battle for Chrysle’s survival that made his name a symbol of integrity,know-how & guts for millions of Americans.The miraculous recovery of Chrysler from a major cash crunch in a  short period of 5 years was made possible by a team of dedicated executives hand picked by Iacooca.This is one quality of his which appealed to me the most.Rather than taking the entire credit himself he has fully recognised of his family,friends & peers.His concept of “equality of sacrifice” is also something new for me.His way of giving other peaople a goal & how to motivate them to achieve it is breathtaking as is evedent in the case of his negotiations with the union members,suppliers,banks etc.His is a perfect story of rags to riches & back to rags & then again riches.According to his own views,he has grown more in his days of adversity than in his days of wines & roses.Ford during that time was run like a private duchy by the whim of one man & why Iacooca was thrown out of the job is still a mystery to resolve.He signed on for his new job,he couldn’t imagine that anything in the automobile business could be that bad,but,he took it & made a hell lot of difference.While foeming a management team for Chrysler,Iacooca chose teh best of Ford Executives but more than that he chose best of his friends who agreed to be a part of his adversity in his time of crisis.Again,my type of person!{I would definitely like to blend talent & an essenc eof friendship in my team,a sure call for success.}Iacocaa tried really hard & how hard is something sacrosanct.From possible mergers,loans to finally settling for a $1.5 Billion loan guarantee from Government,he tried & did everything to save Chrysler & that’s why he,along with his White Knights,made it.As soon he saved Chrysler & brought it back on road,Lee made it a point to make cars safer,has talked about high cost of living,has addressed the problem of COLA(Cost Of Living Allowance),penions etc.He has been very straightforward  while talking about American Ggovernment’s incapablity to handle Japanese burgeoning imports throught illicit market policies.His take on interrest is also much better than most of the politicians I have seen & no wonders,people asked him to run for Presidentship.He truly deserves it!!!!!!!!!