Lean Enterprise Institute Logo
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Cart (0)
  • Account
  • Search
Lean Enterprise Institute Logo
  • Explore Lean
        • What is Lean?
        • The Lean Transformation Framework
        • A Brief History of Lean
        • Lexicon Terms
        • Topics to explore
          • Operations
          • Lean Product & Process Development
          • Administration & Support
          • Problem-Solving
          • Coaching
          • Executive Leadership
          • Line Management
  • The Lean Post
        • Subscribe to see exclusive content
          • Subscribe
        • Featured posts
          customer satisfaction icons

          How Can Lean Help Manage the Costs...

          blocks that spell put incentive

          Ask Art: How Do You Align Incentives...

          • See all Posts
  • Events & Training
        • Custom Coaching and Learning Experiences
        • Co-Learning Partnerships
        • Forms and Templates
        • Featured learning
          • Building a Lean Operating and Management System 

            February 02, 2023 | Boston, MA

          • Lean Summit 2023

            March 08, 2023 | Optional Pre-Summit Workshops March 6-7
            Tucson, Arizona

          • Key Concepts of Lean Management Remotely 

            March 13, 2023 | Online Live Course

          • Improvement Kata/Coaching Kata Remotely

            April 10, 2023 | Online Live Course

          • See all Events
  • Store
        • Shopping Cart
        • Featured books
          Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process

          Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process

          Learning to See

          Learning to See

          • See all Books
  • About Us
        • Our people
          • Senior Advisors and Staff
          • Faculty
          • Board of Directors
        • Contact Us
        • Lean Global Network
        • Press Releases
        • In the News
        • Careers
        • About us

The Lean Post / Articles / People First Leadership: A Conversation by Jim Morgan with Alan Mulally

People First Leadership: A Conversation by Jim Morgan with Alan Mulally

Executive Leadership

People First Leadership: A Conversation by Jim Morgan with Alan Mulally

By Jim Morgan, PhD

January 29, 2019

Alan Mulally is a brilliant engineer who led historic transformations as CEO of Boeing Commercial and then Ford Motor Company. But just as important as what he accomplished, is how he accomplished it. His people first, inclusive approach to leadership not only created great products and successful companies, but also created an organization people wanted to be a part of.

FacebookTweetLinkedInEmailPrintComment

“It seemed nothing short of a miracle could save Ford Motor Company in the mid 2000s. Ford didn’t receive a miracle, but it did get something just as valuable:  Alan Mulally.”  (Daniel Miller, The Motley Fool, May 2015)

I was starting to think that I had made a huge mistake.  I had been at Ford for a little more than a year and while my work with Mazda and others in creating a new global development process was both rewarding and exciting, I knew there was so much more to do, and the toxic culture I was experiencing in my new role as an engineering director made me doubt that we could ever get there. My friends and colleagues from the lean community outside of Ford reinforced this view based on their previous work with the company. “Hopeless” was a term I heard most often and the numbers seemed to support their view. (The company was about to lose $17B.) Ford had just hired some “airplane guy” as CEO but I figured that just meant additional rounds of cost cutting. In any case, whatever he did would likely be too little too late. But I had made a commitment and I resolved to do my best and see it through.

And that’s when I saw it.  Buried in my daily stack of mail was a hand written note from the new President and CEO, Alan Mulally (AKA  “airplane guy”) asking me if I could find time to stop by his office to talk.  I would find out later that this invitation was due to an email Jim Womack had sent Alan and part of Alan’s effort to deeply understand the current state at Ford.  But I knew none of that at the time and was fairly suspicious of the note. Perhaps the cost cutting was about to start.  Instead, that meeting led to a life changing adventure and a treasured mentor and friend who I continue to learn from to this day.  But more relevant to this podcast, it was my introduction to the guy who would lead one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent business history.

Alan Mulally is a brilliant engineer who was a major part of creating nearly every airplane in Boeing’s fleet.  He led the total development of the game changing 777 airplane and then went on to lead historic transformations as CEO of Boeing Commercial and then Ford Motor Company.  But just as important as what he accomplished, is how he accomplished it.  His people first, inclusive approach to leadership not only created great products and successful companies, but also created an organization people (from the plant floor to senior leaders to UAW Leadership) wanted to be a part of.

In this podcast, Alan shares: 

  • His view on the CEO’s role in a successful transformation.
  • What “people first” leadership means to him and how his basic values and love for people guide his decision making 
  • What he learned about innovation and customer focus from his lawn mowing business.
  • How his early experiences with Lean and Toyota shaped his views on leadership and the importance of an effective management system.
  • How he has continuously improved and evolved his management system over forty years starting with aircraft development, to the transformation of global organizations and how it influences his work with Google, The Mayo Clinic and Carbon 3D today. 

The Working Together Management System

  • Alan takes the time to share the key attributes of his management system, including its basic principles of inclusion, transparency, accountability, be data driven, and have fun – but never at anyone else’s expense.
  • He also describes its three foundational elements: compelling vision, aligned plan, and relentless execution through an effective operating system.
  • He explains how “trusting the process” builds successful and sustainable organizations where people really want to work and creates accountability without all the energy sapping drama.
  • How it minimizes firefighting, enabling you to create products with speed, precision, and quality that your customers actually love.

Throughout our conversation, he shared stories from the products he developed and transformations he led.  Providing valuable insight for leaders like you who are trying to navigate today’s disruptive and turbulent environment. 

FacebookTweetLinkedInEmailPrintComment

Written by:

Jim Morgan, PhD

About Jim Morgan, PhD

Jim is recognized globally for his expertise in product and process development. His know-how comes from a unique combination of industry experience as a senior executive and rigorous scholarship. His most recent industry role was as the chief operating officer for Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer, during a critical transition…

Read more about Jim Morgan, PhD

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

customer satisfaction icons

Executive Leadership

How Can Lean Help Manage the Costs and Complications of Satisfying Customers During Rapid Growth?

Article by Michael Ballé and Nicolas Chartier

blocks that spell put incentive

Executive Leadership

Ask Art: How Do You Align Incentives for a Lean Turnaround?

Article by Art Byrne

Why Lean Remains a Superior Business Model and Way of Thinking

Executive Leadership

Why Lean Remains a Superior Business Model and Way of Thinking

Article by Dan Jones

Related books

The Gold Mine (Audio CD)

The Gold Mine (Audio CD)

by Freddy Ballé and Michael Ballé

The Gold Mine Trilogy 4 Book Set

The Gold Mine Trilogy 4 Book Set

by Freddy Ballé and Michael Ballé

Related events

March 08, 2023 | Optional Pre-Summit Workshops March 6-7
Tucson, Arizona

Lean Summit 2023

Learn more

April 17, 2023 | Online Live Course

Developing Structured Problem-Solving and Leadership Skills using A3 Thinking: Managing to Learn Remotely

Learn more

Explore topics

Executive Leadership graphic icon Executive Leadership
Product and Process Development graphic icon Product & Process Development

Subscribe to get the very best of lean thinking delivered right to your inbox

Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

©Copyright 2000-2023 Lean Enterprise Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lean Enterprise Institute, the leaper image, and stick figure are registered trademarks of Lean Enterprise Institute, Inc.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Learn More. ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!