A quote from GM's VP of Sales, Service, and Marketing, Mark LaNeve:
“‘The chapter is over,' he told me, acknowledging the obvious: Toyota, Honda and Nissan combined sell more vehicles to American consumers than GM does. ‘Japan Inc. passed us up. It's old news. Our mindset is — we've got to fight back.
‘For us, what's the next chapter we write? My team's (attitude isn't) ‘GM's the leader, GM's the leader.' That's (crap). We're the underdog.'”
Has GM finally found some humility? Will this help them be more motivated to catch up with Toyota? When did “Japan Inc.” pass GM? I don't think it was just this past year…
Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. His latest book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. He also published the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.