Alan Mulally took an old failing company and restored it to its former glory. The company with a scarred brand and aged business model was losing 16 billion dollars a year. That’s 50 million a day, 365 days a year! The company was no other than Ford Motor Company. His focus on teamwork and accountability created a new company culture. This new culture focused on positive leadership with a vision toward moving forward. This, in turn, drove results. In this slideshow, you will see 5 important measures that brought the company back from the brink. These measures that worked so well for Ford also work on projects. Without these measures, there is a strong possibility that your project will fail.

2. Alan Mulally, took an old failing company and restored it to its
former glory. The company with a scarred brand and aged
business model was losing 16 billion dollars a year. That's 50
million a day, 365 days a year! The company was no other than
Ford Motor Company.
His focus on teamwork and accountability created a new
company culture. This new culture focused on positive
leadership with a vision toward moving forward. This in turn
drove results.
In this slideshow, you will see 5 important measures that brought
the company back from the brink. These measures that worked
so well for Ford also work on projects. Without these measures
there is a strong possibility that your project will fail.

3. “You have a problem;
you are not the problem.”
When the first executive had the
courage to admit that a new vehicle
launch would be delayed, instead of
firing him (as everyone assumed), Alan
Mulally began clapping and said, “…
that is great visibility… what can we
do to help you out?”. From this point,
confidence bloomed, communication
flowed and collaboration grew.
There is no point as the project
manager always reporting that the
project is green. Saying everything is
ok and then towards the end start to
panic as everything is broke.

4. Vision, Focus, Plan
Most people are aware of the need
to have a clear project plan yet it is
also important to have vision and
focus. Showing someone how the
task that they are doing links to the
benefits of the project is a huge
motivator. Also showing what the
focus should be will help give the
project team clarity on what they
should be working on.
“Leadership is having a
compelling vision, a
comprehensive plan, relentless
implementation, and talented
people working together. People
also want meaning.” Alan Mulally

5. Make things simple
Alan Mulally restructured Ford by
integrating the regions and functions.
He made each business unit
accountable for their own operations.
Some key functions moved and
managed from one place. This whole
process had the brand “One Ford”.
An easy way to make things simple
on your project right at the start is
making sure the scope is clear.
During the delivery of the project it is
a good idea to break the project
down into easy to understand small
parts.

6. Positive Leadership
Good project
management requires
good leadership. Be
open and honest with
your project team and
this will encourage
them to be open and
honest with you and
each other.
Under Alan Mulally`s
leadership, Ford established
an approach called “Working
Together”. This is encouraging
people to meet face to face,
share ideas, resolve conflicts
and build trust. This in turn
helps to develop a shared
understanding about what
they are trying to achieve.

7. Review the model of
doing business
Alan Mulally went back to how
Ford's founder Henry Ford
imagined the company. To build a
great and affordable car which
anyone could afford.
This particularly applies to
projects that have been ongoing
for a while and have lost their way.
Instead of stopping the project go
back to what the project first set
out to achieve. This can get a
project going again.

8. ProjectNewsToday.com
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