GM's Reuss was considered for CEO job in 2010, Whitacre says

[ne_one]

GM's Reuss was considered for CEO job in 2010, Whitacre says
Automotive News
January 23, 2013

General Motors Co.'s North American president, Mark Reuss, was considered for the top job at the automaker in 2010 before his lack of seasoning led the board to the current CEO, Dan Akerson, according to an excerpt from a forthcoming book by former CEO Ed Whitacre.

As GM, which restructured in bankruptcy with the help of a $49.5 billion U.S. taxpayer bailout, moved toward its fall 2010 initial public offering, Whitacre told the board he would not continue as CEO. His idea for his replacement was Reuss, according to the excerpt published today by Fortune magazine.

"Mark had zoomed up the executive chain in record time; he went from midlevel engineer to the No. 2 person in the company in the space of a year, more or less," Whitacre said of Reuss. "The plus was that Mark was showing a lot of poise and management potential. The downside was that he hadn't been in the job long enough to prove himself as a CEO."

Reuss, 49, is perceived by some Wall Street analysts and GM insiders as a potential heir apparent to Akerson. Other possible successors are Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann and global product development chief Mary Barra.

Full article at link.

[FanOfDurant]

I knew his father who was a very very good man. I hope Mark runs the company one day. When I think of Chevrolet I think of Mark. His idea to have Disney style training for all things Chevrolet was right where my heart is. His speech at the Corvette reveal (which is a Huge success by the way, I Love it! A Perfect 10..) was very touching. Talking about going to the Chevrolet engineering dept. and so forth as a kid. I keep him in my prayers.

[ne_one]

I knew his father who was a very very good man. I hope Mark runs the company one day. When I think of Chevrolet I think of Mark. His idea to have Disney style training for all things Chevrolet was right where my heart is. His speech at the Corvette reveal (which is a Huge success by the way, I Love it! A Perfect 10..) was very touching. Talking about going to the Chevrolet engineering dept. and so forth as a kid. I keep him in my prayers.

Mark's speech at the Corvette reveal was clearly personalized and passionate. He's highly-regarded among the media pundits and certainly a car guy's car guy.

[MyImpalaSS]

His time is coming.....

[1.21 giggawatts]

All good things in time....

[nsap]

Mark's speech at the Corvette reveal was clearly personalized and passionate. He's highly-regarded among the media pundits and certainly a car guy's car guy.

I've seen Mark speak many times, but nothing compares to the C7 reveal. I've never seen so much enthusiasm from an executive. It was great.

I've written blog posts about this and spent hours ranting about it to colleagues...passion is key to success in business. I really don't care if you hire the best employees in every respective function, if they only care about self-serving themselves up the corporate ladder, they won't be worth a damn.

[CJH]

His time is coming.....

I sure hope so, he seems to be the guy GM needs!!

[mchicha]

Fix the Malibu, give me my lovely off road GMC Wrangler and get us a real truly luxurious Cadillac and then Mark, you will have my support for CEO. Nice guy though.

[ne_one]

I've seen Mark speak many times, but nothing compares to the C7 reveal. I've never seen so much enthusiasm from an executive. It was great.

From the video, it appeared that he was genuinely choked up. Is this the impression that you had in person as well?

[EcoBustier69]

Sounds like Whitacre is advocating for Reuss next time around.

[jzchev28]

I hope he gets the top spot soon, seems like a good choice and a good guy.

[nsap]

From the video, it appeared that he was genuinely choked up. Is this the impression that you had in person as well?

Yes. I could tell from his body language that his excitement was genuine.

[nsap]

I hope he gets the top spot soon, seems like a good choice and a good guy.

I, of all people, have been skeptical of many things at GM, but NAIAS solidified to me that Mark deserves a greater scope of control at GM.

We visited with him for about a half hour at the show. He didn't bring it up, but eventually admitted that he often works in dealerships to "stay grounded" in the business. He referenced a recent stint working in the service department in which he realized that dealers were spending a lot of time auditing a specific problem on 6T70 (I think that was it) transmissions that wasted their time, GM's warranty dollars, and more importantly, customer's time. That said, he implemented some kind of fix.

That kind of hands on management is critical to a company in GM's position, I believe. The company has historically been ran by folks with the ivory tower syndrome that never leave the glass tubes in Detroit. Reuss clearly lacks that mentality. The key for him, I think, is to surround himself with viable (non-GM lifer) lieutenants.

[germeezy1]

Mark's speech at the Corvette reveal was clearly personalized and passionate. He's highly-regarded among the media pundits and certainly a car guy's car guy.

There is none better in my opinion to lead GM. The passion he exhibited in the C7 reveal can not be trained or shown to anyone.

I knew his father who was a very very good man. I hope Mark runs the company one day. When I think of Chevrolet I think of Mark. His idea to have Disney style training for all things Chevrolet was right where my heart is. His speech at the Corvette reveal (which is a Huge success by the way, I Love it! A Perfect 10..) was very touching. Talking about going to the Chevrolet engineering dept. and so forth as a kid. I keep him in my prayers.

Thank you for weighing in, and I definitely say that your post is one that makes me more passionate about my belief in GM.

I've seen Mark speak many times, but nothing compares to the C7 reveal. I've never seen so much enthusiasm from an executive. It was great.

I've written blog posts about this and spent hours ranting about it to colleagues...passion is key to success in business. I really don't care if you hire the best employees in every respective function, if they only care about self-serving themselves up the corporate ladder, they won't be worth a damn.

As a sales manager/ director I would often experience success with those that lacked in sales experience due to their natural passion which no one can teach. I would often say that I would rather a passionate salesperson with no sales training than a seasoned veteran who has been in the business over 10 years.

I, of all people, have been skeptical of many things at GM, but NAIAS solidified to me that Mark deserves a greater scope of control at GM.

We visited with him for about a half hour at the show. He didn't bring it up, but eventually admitted that he often works in dealerships to "stay grounded" in the business. He referenced a recent stint working in the service department in which he realized that dealers were spending a lot of time auditing a specific problem on 6T70 (I think that was it) transmissions that wasted their time, GM's warranty dollars, and more importantly, customer's time. That said, he implemented some kind of fix.

That kind of hands on management is critical to a company in GM's position, I believe. The company has historically been ran by folks with the ivory tower syndrome that never leave the glass tubes in Detroit. Reuss clearly lacks that mentality. The key for him, I think, is to surround himself with viable (non-GM lifer) lieutenants.

So we are in agreement that Mark Reuss should be the rightful heir apparent to the GM management throne?

[nsap]

So we are in agreement that Mark Reuss should be the rightful heir apparent to the GM management throne?

On the condition that he surrounds himself with (mostly) new blood, yes.

It is human nature to become immune or accustom to certain norms. He's lived in GM's vitriol culture all his life and he is human - I'm assuming he needs new blood for a fresh perspective on CERTAIN ways of doing business. Plus, from an investor perspective...combining his leadership/passion for GM and new talent directly reporting to him is very appealing.