My burning question to Bill. I don’t think there is one business expert who has given JF a compliment. The Townhall bathroom incident left Bill vulnerable, which in my eyes the CEO failed. Unpack the bu-t kissing, what are they seeing in him? He is not smooth, more crass. His public speaking skills are below average. He always appears stressed in public forum. I can see him at best in a back office role, but as the face of your company? He always pulls Bill’s heart strings of “Oh my grandfather worked at the rouge” So did tens of thousands of other grandfathers. So why Bill? Why put your workforce through this nonsense? Does the family not care anymore? Are the Lions analogies true?
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The Ford family owns and runs both the automotive company and the Lions. Nuf said?
The Ford family has an annual family business meeting during the thanksgiving holiday. Several family members are planning to bring up the replacement of Mr. Farley.
BF also thought Hackett was a genius, so he's consistent in how he picks CEOs.
@xqw+1l4dCGBj The difference between Ford and all those companies you cited is that the Ford family still has final say in who runs the company and how they run it. We are now on our 2nd terribly unqualified CEO in a row because Bill chooses leaders based on criteria that have nothing to do with automotive industry leadership. If you can get inside the Ford family circle and know how to work them, you can run the company. That's pretty insane considering we are talking about one of the largest manufacturers on the planet.
First the bracket department, now the mile of extra wiring in the Mach E. Tell the truth much?
The fact of the matter is that Ford is not alone in this regard. GE, Boeing, Several of the "Big Banks", among many others, suffer from poor CEO's & Board choices: it's really that simple. Ask what Carl Ichan, Bill Ackerman, Dan Loeb, Paul Singer and Charlie Munger, among others, think of today's CEO's....
I think it's his war on brackets! Bill is a known bracket hater! In fact, Bill blames all of Ford's ills on the Bracket Department.
Farley will still be here until brackets are kaput!!
Well said @cmz+1l4dCGBj, and a very telling anecdote you posted @srm+1l4dCGBj. Farley is a political animal, and the only reason we see through his act, is because he only cares to play in front of the Ford family. The rest if the company has to suffer his stupidity.
At the same time, I don't believe Farley is able to pull the wool over Bill Ford's eyes, at least not completely. I think the "strength" of Farley's performance is directed mainly to the rest of the family, while his most important trait is being a YES man to BF.
cmz+1l4dCGBj Well said. I had a family member tell me once "THE FORD FAMILY NEVER LIKES AND EXECUTIVE THAT OUTSHINES THE FAMILY". When one pops up they are shown the door. Iacocca, Sperlich, Lutz and even Mullaly. I put Al in there because he was not suppose to retire until 12/15. he left in 7/14. Right away Billy was working behind the scenes to shape the company into what he thinks it should be.
BF wants so bad to leave a legacy. Hence we have the train station a complete waste of company funds. Anyone else in Ford do that they are fired.
Billy ran the company before. I think it clearly showed he was in way in over his head.
He never learned because he is doing it again. He does not have a MIDAS TOUCH.
Farley (smartest man in the room).. Has zero for a track record. Disliked by the troops and for some reason is shielded by the PRESS. Well the numbers are coming out now, they cant hide them. Now you will witness what Billy started and Farley will follow through with.
The Ford family only sees Farley when they are looking at their backsides.
You answered it...he pulls Bill's heartstrings. I think Farley has always courted the Ford family and tells them exactly what they want to hear. Elena's career was completely finished until Farley promoted her. Farley never misses an opportunity to wax poetic about Ford history which Bill and the family love, because it makes them feel important. His enthusiasm for racing, which was completely nonexistent when he joined the company, was completely calculated as Bill and especially Edsel are huge racing fans. Farley is not a smooth talker, but his strength lies in working politics behind the scenes.