By: Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News
by: Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News
Mary Barra was born and raised in suburban Detroit. She grew up in a General Motors family, the daughter of a diemaker at a GM factory. Her first full-time job was at GM, and since 2014, she has served as Chair and CEO of the company. When former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to discuss the future of American manufacturing and innovation, she sat down with Mary.
In the latest episode of “Only in America: Innovators on Freedom, Risk, and the American Idea,” the former Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institution spoke with Barra to learn about how her background influences and inspires her role as the leader of America’s largest automaker. The conversation begins with Barra’s upbringing.
“My parents both believed in the American dream,” Barra tells Rice. She explains how her father’s job in a GM factory enabled the family to enjoy a comfortable suburban life. “We lived on a street where, after dinner, you went out and played ‘til the streetlights came on,” Barra said. “It was that opportunity that we had, because of the good-paying jobs, to live a great life.”
Barra tells how her father joined GM as an apprentice, working his way up to journeyman die maker through on-the-job training – opportunities that GM provides to this day. “Now more than ever, we’re seeing that we need more electricians and pipefitters and dealer technicians,” Barra says. She explains how, over the past five years, GM has invested over $250 million in workforce training through apprenticeship programs, opportunities for military veterans, and job education for factory workers.
Outlining her own career in the auto industry, Barra tells Rice that it all began at GM factories as a co-op college student. “My first full-time job was in manufacturing,” she said. “I liked the energy of being on the assembly line where the car comes together... really understanding and respecting the people who come in and do that every day. They’re incredibly talented.”
The Hoover Institution interview series focuses on innovation, and Barra is quick to point out GM’s century-long tradition as a driver of innovation. “If you go back 100 years, vehicles were started with a crank,” she says. “General Motors went, okay, from a customer perspective, what is the toughest thing in the driving experience? It’s crank-starting the vehicle.” GM developed the electric starter, which revolutionized the driving experience, and established a core motivation that drives innovation at GM today.
Barra sums up the ethos: “How can we make the experience better? For me, in this role, it’s really about getting back to that spirit of innovation focused on the customer. We allow the people who do the work to continue to innovate, to say, ‘how do you make this car great?’”
The full hour-long conversation is well worth a listen, as Rice and Barra discuss customer choice, AI, leadership styles, and how software and digital capabilities are changing the auto industry. But for Barra, it all comes back to the workforce that powers the company she leads.
“People are what make General Motors, General Motors,” she says. “It is all about the people and their commitment to solving a quality issue, improving a process, understanding how we build the next vehicle. I’m humbled to lead this company. I really feel we’ve got the best team on the field. Their commitment, their tenacity, makes us special.”
Mary Barra was born and raised in suburban Detroit. She grew up in a General Motors family, the daughter of a diemaker at a GM factory. Her first full-time job was at GM, and since 2014, she has served as Chair and CEO of the company. When former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to discuss the future of American manufacturing and innovation, she sat down with Mary.
In the latest episode of “Only in America: Innovators on Freedom, Risk, and the American Idea,” the former Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institution spoke with Barra to learn about how her background influences and inspires her role as the leader of America’s largest automaker. The conversation begins with Barra’s upbringing.
“My parents both believed in the American dream,” Barra tells Rice. She explains how her father’s job in a GM factory enabled the family to enjoy a comfortable suburban life. “We lived on a street where, after dinner, you went out and played ‘til the streetlights came on,” Barra said. “It was that opportunity that we had, because of the good-paying jobs, to live a great life.”
Barra tells how her father joined GM as an apprentice, working his way up to journeyman die maker through on-the-job training – opportunities that GM provides to this day. “Now more than ever, we’re seeing that we need more electricians and pipefitters and dealer technicians,” Barra says. She explains how, over the past five years, GM has invested over $250 million in workforce training through apprenticeship programs, opportunities for military veterans, and job education for factory workers.
Outlining her own career in the auto industry, Barra tells Rice that it all began at GM factories as a co-op college student. “My first full-time job was in manufacturing,” she said. “I liked the energy of being on the assembly line where the car comes together... really understanding and respecting the people who come in and do that every day. They’re incredibly talented.”
The Hoover Institution interview series focuses on innovation, and Barra is quick to point out GM’s century-long tradition as a driver of innovation. “If you go back 100 years, vehicles were started with a crank,” she says. “General Motors went, okay, from a customer perspective, what is the toughest thing in the driving experience? It’s crank-starting the vehicle.” GM developed the electric starter, which revolutionized the driving experience, and established a core motivation that drives innovation at GM today.
Barra sums up the ethos: “How can we make the experience better? For me, in this role, it’s really about getting back to that spirit of innovation focused on the customer. We allow the people who do the work to continue to innovate, to say, ‘how do you make this car great?’”
The full hour-long conversation is well worth a listen, as Rice and Barra discuss customer choice, AI, leadership styles, and how software and digital capabilities are changing the auto industry. But for Barra, it all comes back to the workforce that powers the company she leads.
“People are what make General Motors, General Motors,” she says. “It is all about the people and their commitment to solving a quality issue, improving a process, understanding how we build the next vehicle. I’m humbled to lead this company. I really feel we’ve got the best team on the field. Their commitment, their tenacity, makes us special.”