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American Turnaround: Reinventing AT&T and GM and the Way We Do Business in the USA Audiobook
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(3.09) - 33 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ed Whitacre is credited with taking over the corporate reins at General Motors (GM) when the automotive manufacturer was on the brink of bankruptcy during 2009 and turned the company around in magnificent fashion. In this business memoir, the native Texan explores his unique management style, business acumen and patriotism.
It was President Obama who reached out to Ed Whitacre to come out of retirement and take over GM in 2009. A down-to-earth, no-nonsense Texas native with a distinctive Texas twang in his voice, Whitacre was reluctant to come out of retirement to work at GM.
But Whitacre is that rare CEO with great charisma and extraordinary management instincts. And when he got to Detroit, he started to whittle down the corporate bureaucracy right away - and got GM back on track in record time.
Before being pulled out of retirement to run GM by Obama, Ed Whitacre had spent his entire corporate career in the telecom business, where he ultimately ended up running AT&T.
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"Solid book by the CEO who turned General Motors around during its stint in the TARP program. Makes it look like management is simple (alltho it's clearly not). Good read."
— Ann (4 out of 5 stars)
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“An inspiring memoir from the laconic CEO and chairman of AT&T and GM.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The Texas native delivers his own words with a deep drawl and a voice that makes him come across as both knowledgeable and inviting…His personality, as well as the depth of his experience, comes across loud and clear. It’s impossible to imagine any other narrator connecting as well with Whitacre’s style and message.”
— AudioFile -
“Executive Whitacre effectively reads his memoir in a soft Texas twang that barely conceals the iron beneath his successful business style. His reading definitely personalizes his account…Listening to the voice of this no-nonsense Texan allows us to understand his personality…His repeated aw-shucks references to his management style and General Motors’ successful turnaround will have listeners lining up.”
— Booklist (audio review) -
“There’s no sense of privilege in the author’s pages, though it’s obvious that he’s made a vast amount of money. Instead, Whitacre provides a refreshing amount of sunshine and fresh air, with guardedness surrounding only the question of why he left GM, an event that still seems a touch mysterious. A keeper in a field of undercooked, underwritten books by CEOs.”
— Kirkus Reviews
American Turnaround Listener Reviews
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" One the best CEO book I've read. Very down to earth management. "
— Hakan, 8/1/2013 -
" Reinforces the concept that ultimately it's all about people, communication, and simplicity. "
— Aaron, 5/14/2013 -
" A much shallower dive than Overhaul. "
— My, 5/7/2013
About Edward Whitacre
Edward E. Whitacre, Jr. is the former CEO and chairman of General Motors. He is also a former chairman of the board and CEO of AT&T. Prior to the merger with AT&T, Whitacre also served as chairman and chief executive officer of SBC Communications. He also served as a director of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Emerson Electric Co., and The May Department Stores Company, now doing business as Macy’s Inc. He is the author of American Turnaround: Reinventing AT&T and GM and the Way We Do Business in the USA.