!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: Alan Mulally's "Best Advice I Ever Got"

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Alan Mulally's "Best Advice I Ever Got"

In addition to the nineteen people quoted in the print edition of Fortune's Best Advice Issue (see yesterday's post), there are six more individuals quoted in the online version of the feature. Of these, the one I'd call attention to is Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company.

In earlier posts, such as here and here, I've talked about Mulally's daunting task of restoring Ford's strength as an industry player. Recent results suggest that he is on a hopeful track.

Mulally says:
The best advice I ever received was to have a point of view about the future that focuses on the customer. This advice was why, at Boeing, we decided to move from big airplanes to smaller airplanes that can fly point-to-point, non-stop. We know people do not want to stop at big hubs on their way to a final destination and deregulation of the airline industry allowed a different solution.

Now at Ford, the same advice is guiding us. With issues of energy security and sustainability growing in importance, the strategies we need to implement become clear. An example? Ecoboost, our new turbo-charging direct-injection engine technology that significantly increases fuel economy and driving performance while reducing CO2, is being introduced across our product lineup beginning next year.

Have a point of view. Focus on the customer. Deliver value.
When you're trying to figure out how to develop and maintain strategic focus, you could do worse than following the advice Mulally shares.

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