From Publishers Weekly
Automotive authority Magee (Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan) describes this book as the "story of an American struggle," but readers not of a business bent may have difficulties relating to the struggles of energetic CEO Bill Ford and the company that bears his family name. A "golden-boy heir grown into a family-man executive," Bill Ford is the great-grandson of automobile pioneer Henry Ford and the first family member to run the company since 1979. Drawing upon interviews with Bill and his friends, Magee paints a flattering portrait of the CEO, who got straight A’s in school, captained the football team, mixed with kids in blue collar neighborhoods, attended Princeton, worked his way up in the company on the executive track and got a seat on the board of directors when he was barely 30. In 2001, when the company started to flounder under then CEO Jac Nasser (who’s unflatteringly described as hard-driving, impulsive and "diminutive" at five-foot-six), Ford got in the driver’s seat and steered the company back on course. Magee notes that "assuming the full-time duties of CEO had not been high on Bill’s priority list," but the man himself later admits, "I’d be kidding if I said every day is a bed of roses, but this ‘reluctant CEO’ stuff is for the birds…. There is nothing I would rather be doing." The ills Bill helps the company overcome are no worse than what many businesses suffered after the dot-com crash, and other books (like Louis Gerstner’s Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance: Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround) have tackled the topic more critically and comprehensively; however, business owners and managers may glean some helpful tips from the book’s final chapter: "Great Products, Strong Business, Better World."Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Book Description
An inside look at the company that defined American industry and the man who runs it
Ford Tough is the contemporary story of a company fighting to position itself in a new era of business, with the founder's visionary great-grandson as the leader of the new Ford Motor Company.
Bill Ford Jr. is the first Ford family member to run the company since 1979. A self-professed environmentalist and by all accounts a "nice guy," he might not seem the most obvious choice for a hard-nosed corporate leader. But his vision of the company's future, his genuine care for his employees, his well-timed toughness, and his obvious concern for the long-term well-being of Ford Motor Company have proven to be essential characteristics for the leader of America's most famous brand.
Ford watched the company decline beginning in 1999 as then-CEO Jacques Nasser tried to remake the automaker into a new economy business. When the plan did not work, Ford stepped in to rebuild the automaker and restore faith from employees, consumers, and dealers. He guided Ford Motor Company through its troubled times and a successful centennial celebration.
With its massive size and a troubled economy, leading Ford Motor Company into the twenty-first century will be no easy task. Ford Tough looks at the modern rebuilding and the future of a company that defines American know-how and American culture.
David Magee (Lookout Mountain, Tennessee) is a former newspaper editor and columnist, as well as an automotive expert who has been featured on National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV, and the Discover Channel, among other news and media outlets. He has written for the Associated Press, the Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), and the Oxford Eagle (Oxford, MS), and is also the author of Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan.


From the Inside Flap
Throughout its 100-plus-year history, Ford Motor Company has proven itself to be one of the world’s most tenacious, resilient, and forward-looking business organizations. As the company approached the century mark, however, a series of disastrous years made it clear that Ford’s problems went deeper than those caused by a cyclical downturn and a weak overall economy. The company that virtually invented the auto industry was close to losing its footing. Clearly, it would take more than the average CEO to put the legendary automaker back on track. Ford Tough tells the inspiring story of Bill Ford, scion of one of America’s most celebrated business dynasties, and his heroic battle to revive and reshape the company. His objectives: to compete successfully in a rapidly changing environment and to reinvigorate Ford Motor Company’s role as an industry innovator and standard-bearer, facing and overcoming the daunting challenges faced by every twenty-first-century automaker. This crisply written narrative is the product of author David Magee’s unequaled behind-the-scenes access, both to the dynamic young CEO and to the inner workings of the company. Magee examines Ford Motors’ past successes and failures, explains the lessons Bill Ford has drawn from them, and reveals how he is using these lessons to drive the company toward a new era of innovation and growth. He also offers a richly detailed portrait of the first Ford to take charge of the company since 1979, a self-professed environmentalist who cares deeply about his employees and possesses a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibility–characteristics that have played a crucial role in the company’s turnaround. Ford Tough is more than a powerful business biography, more than a fascinating company history, and more than an insightful portrait of a unique management style. It is a stirring, modern-day epic, the compelling tale of one man’s battle for the things we value most in life, including family, tradition, and a promising future.


About the Author
DAVID MAGEE is the author of Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan and The John Deere Way, to be published in 2005. He is also the founder and owner of Jefferson Press, a small literary publisher. He lives in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, with his wife and three children.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Ford Tough tells the story of Bill Ford, scion of one of America's most celebrated business dynasties, and his heroic battle to revive and reshape the company that bears his name. His task was daunting - to return Ford Motor to profitability and restore it to its rightful place as the leading innovator and standard-bearer in a highly competitive industry." "This narrative is the product of author David Magee's unequaled behind-the-scenes access, both to the young CEO and to the inner workings of the company. Magee examines Ford Motor's past successes and failures, explains the lessons Bill Ford has drawn from them, and reveals how he is using these lessons to drive the company toward a new era of innovation and growth. He also offers a detailed portrait of the first Ford to take charge of the company since 1979, a self-professed environmentalist who cares deeply about his employees and possesses a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibility - characteristics that have played a crucial role in the company's turnaround." Ford Tough is more than a business biography, more than a company history, and more than an insightful portrait of a management style. It is a modern-day epic, the compelling tale of one man's battle for the things we value most in life, including family, tradition, and a promising future.

SYNOPSIS

Throughout its 100-plus-year history, Ford Motor Company has proven itself to be one of the world’s most tenacious, resilient, and forward-looking business organizations. As the company approached the century mark, however, a series of disastrous years made it clear that Ford’s problems went deeper than those caused by a cyclical downturn and a weak overall economy. The company that virtually invented the auto industry was close to losing its footing. Clearly, it would take more than the average CEO to put the legendary automaker back on track.

Ford Tough tells the inspiring story of Bill Ford, scion of one of America’s most celebrated business dynasties, and his heroic battle to revive and reshape the company. His objectives: to compete successfully in a rapidly changing environment and to reinvigorate Ford Motor Company’s role as an industry innovator and standard-bearer, facing and overcoming the daunting challenges faced by every twenty-first-century automaker.

This crisply written narrative is the product of author David Magee’s unequaled behind-the-scenes access, both to the dynamic young CEO and to the inner workings of the company. Magee examines Ford Motors’ past successes and failures, explains the lessons Bill Ford has drawn from them, and reveals how he is using these lessons to drive the company toward a new era of innovation and growth. He also offers a richly detailed portrait of the first Ford to take charge of the company since 1979, a self-professed environmentalist who cares deeply about his employees and possesses a deep sense of personal and corporate responsibility—characteristics that have played a crucial role in thecompany’s turnaround.