Iacocca loved his role in #Ford. More than his role he loved to be part of the inner circle of power (in the highest rung of the company's hierarchy). In simpler words, he yearned for the validation & approval of Henry Ford II and the royal trappings of the office. He aspired to be the successor of Henry Ford II. He achieved great things at Ford. He believed that he is irreplaceable at Ford.

But one fine day he was out of Ford (or rather forced out), totally opposite to all his dreams & ambition at Ford. He knew the corporate rules and understood how it is played. Yet his fixed #mindset clouded his #vision. He started to wonder whether Henry Ford found a flaw in him. He self-doubted himself. He was enraged. He joined the then rival Chrysler as the CEO. He hired all the right people, develop new models, streamline processes and reward the right talent. Just after a few years of being exited from Ford, he went on to write his famous autobiography "Today I am a hero".

After a few years when Chrysler was in trouble, his fixed mindset (of proving his mettle and greatness to someone else) prevented him from solving the actual problem instead he spent time thinking how to regain his greatness in Wall Street and his public image. He was constantly paranoid that his 1-downs should not get the credit for his work. When the Japanese imports were taking over the American market, he turned deaf ears to his team when they came up with their observation on how & why the Japanese imports were better. He spewed baseless criticism against Japanese imports and also wrote to the government to increase the tariffs on imports. New York Times scolded him to focus on making better cars rather than making distasteful remarks against Japanese imports. This is called as the CEO disease where the blame is outwards and not inwards in their system.

This snippet is from the Book #Mindset - Dr Carol S Dweck.

Mindset is the tool which is kept dormant most of the times. Instead, we apply reflexes to handle situation. Introspect what is wrong with the vehicle instead of blaming the potholes in the road.