[NEW ARRIVALS] Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership

Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership

AUTHOR: Bob Lutz

PUBLISHER: Portfolio

PRICE: $16

GENRE: Business & Money

When Bob Lutz retired from General Motors in 2010 after an unparalleled 47-year career in the auto industry, he was one of the most respected leaders in American business. He had survived all kinds of managers over those decades: tough and timid, analytical and irrational, charismatic and antisocial, and some who seemed to shift frequently among all those traits. His experiences made him an expert on leadership, every bit as much as he was an expert on cars and trucks.

Now Lutz is revealing the leaders - the good, the bad and the ugly - who made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. “Icons and Idiots” is a collection of shocking and often hilarious true stories and the lessons Lutz drew from them.

From enduring the sadism of a Marine Corps drill instructor to working with a washed-up alcoholic to taking over the reins from a convicted felon, he reflects on the complexities of all-too-human leaders. No textbook or business school course can fully capture their idiosyncrasies, foibles and weaknesses - which can make or break companies in the real world.