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  • American Icon

  • Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company
  • Written by: Bryce G. Hoffman
  • Narrated by: Pete Larkin
  • Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (44 ratings)

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American Icon cover art

American Icon

Written by: Bryce G. Hoffman
Narrated by: Pete Larkin
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Publisher's Summary

At the end of 2008, Ford Motor Company was just months away from running out of cash. With the auto industry careening toward ruin, Congress offered all three Detroit automakers a bailout. General Motors and Chrysler grabbed the taxpayer lifeline, but Ford decided to save itself. Under the leadership of charismatic CEO Alan Mulally, Ford had already put together a bold plan to unify its divided global operations, transform its lackluster product lineup, and overcome a dys­functional culture of infighting, backstabbing, and excuses. It was an extraordinary risk, but it was the only way the Ford family - America's last great industrial dynasty - could hold on to their company.

Mulally and his team pulled off one of the great­est comebacks in business history. As the rest of Detroit collapsed, Ford went from the brink of bankruptcy to being the most profitable automaker in the world. American Icon is the compelling, behind-the-scenes account of that epic turnaround. On the verge of collapse, Ford went outside the auto industry and recruited Mulally - the man who had already saved Boeing from the deathblow of 9/11 - to lead a sweeping restructuring of a company that had been unable to overcome decades of mismanagement and denial.

Mulally applied the principles he developed at Boeing to streamline Ford's inefficient operations, force its fractious executives to work together as a team, and spark a product renaissance in Dearborn. He also convinced the United Auto Workers to join his fight for the soul of American manufacturing.

Bryce Hoffman reveals the untold story of the covert meetings with UAW leaders that led to a game-changing contract, Bill Ford's battle to hold the Ford family together when many were ready to cash in their stock and write off the company, and the secret alliance with Toyota and Honda that helped prop up the Amer­ican automotive supply base. In one of the great management narratives of our time, Hoffman puts the reader inside the boardroom as Mulally uses his celebrated Business Plan Review meet­ings to drive change and force Ford to deal with the painful realities of the American auto industry.

Hoffman was granted unprecedented access to Ford's top executives and top-secret company documents. He spent countless hours with Alan Mulally, Bill Ford, the Ford family, former executives, labor leaders, and company directors. In the best-selling tradition of Too Big to Fail and The Big Short, American Icon is narrative nonfiction at its vivid and colorful best.

©2012 Bryce G. Hoffman (P)2012 Tantor

What the critics say

"For those interested in the recent political interventions and maneuvers in the auto industry, this book provides a fly-on-the-wall view of the meetings and behind-the-scenes deal making necessary to revive an ailing giant." ( Library Journal)

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Captivating

Could not put this book down and there was so much interesting information included.
The 14 hours flew by! Perfect narrator for this story.
I recommend giving this a read/listen.

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Exceptional.

Executive secret sauce. one of the best books I've read. Thank you Mr. Hoffman for spotting the opportunity to packagong up such an invaluable experience and delivering it with zeal.

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Excellent Book!

I really enjoyed learning about Alan Mulally and the narration and the book itself were great! The 14 hours passed by very quickly!

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Great story on Ford salvation

This was an excellent read, there was a lot of background information that provided good context to the situations, the challenges the analysis and the decisions made.

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