I've got lots of cool ideas for how to use this blog as a "companion" to the book. Here's an obvious one... a series of outtakes, if you will, of stuff that didn't make it into the book. Below is an interesting Q & A that I did via email with GM's Bob Lutz in October 2005.
Q & A with Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman of global product development
Q. How do you find the time to blog?
A. I’ve never really found the time to blog, so to speak. For me blogging isn’t about sitting down on a regular basis and dreaming up something to say. It’s more about indignation, frustration, pride and beliefs. I always have my Blackberry with me. When I’m feeling inspired I jot something down. I’ve always been this way. My memos used to have a limited internal circulation, now they don’t.
Q. What personal reward do you get from blogging?
A. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to get your story out there. The mainstream media has a tendency to engage in repeating conventional wisdom and tailoring their stories to what they think their readers already believe to be true. Blogging has given me the opportunity to question this conventional wisdom and to reveal facts that would otherwise never have been exposed to a mass audience. In addition, blogging has allowed me to connect directly with a large number of people.
Q. How has the blog impacted GM from a business perspective?
A. We still view the blog as a grassroots effort...
so we haven’t engaged the research team to do a formal analysis. Nevertheless, I think it has helped humanize the company, has allowed us to share more about our values, what drives us, and where we are going with our product lineup. Everything else, including the publicity, has been a bonus.
Q. Why aren’t more Fortune 500 senior execs blogging?
A. Most senior executives rise to the top in large corporations by being very analytical, very buttoned up, very well organized, very left-brained, always in clear command of the situation, and perhaps in many cases, linguistically less gifted, less creative and less willing to expose themselves to criticism.
Q. You’ve told other execs to “Just do it” when it comes to blogging. What are your top three tips to get started and keep going? How important is writing ability?
A. There is no formula for success. You’re either interesting or you’re not. A CEO of a commodity business may be a great writer but how many people want to read about corn or orange juice every day? I’m lucky enough to be in a business that large numbers of people are passionate about. The most important things to understand are to stay true to yourself, avoid the perils of the corporate cleansing machine, and don’t post anything just because you “have to.”
Q. Fear is the biggest deterrent to corporate blogging that I’m hearing. Fear of the time involved, fear of legal risks. What should a Fortune 500 execu-blogger be afraid of?
A. The risks are pretty obvious. You could let it consume you. Thankfully, I have “thick skin” and I do not get too consumed by all the criticism, or the accolades for that matter. You have to keep a little distance. There’s also the risk of saying something that’s inaccurate or politically incorrect.
Q. I’m hearing that some executives think a blog is the new must-have accessory, like a Mercedes, so they get someone to ghostwrite it for them. What’s your take on that?
A. The accessory of choice these days is a Cadillac STS-V! Seriously though, if you think you need a ghostwriter, it’s probably a good idea to stick with press releases. The blogosphere can be unforgiving and from what I’ve seen, and have been told by the staff, ghostwriting is frowned upon. That’s why my posts don’t adhere to a schedule and appear randomly.
Email interview, Oct. 25, 2005.
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