I had dinner last evening with an old buddy, who used to run a major company-big in our business and also the domestic auto business.
He has a home in Kona, and is in town for a short stay to investigate any damage the recent earthquake might have done to his property. As I wrote here recently, the mainland reports of our damage were exaggerated and he didn’t sustain any material damage.
Over dinner, he and I covered a lot of ground, as we always do. He left our industry a while back, and joined a major conglomerate. Recently, he was given the task of selling the multibillion dollar division he was running. After completing that transaction, my friend resigned from the acquirer. He currently is a man of leisure.
Many of you probably know him. If you do, you know that in his mid-40s, he’s not about to retire, so the conversation eventually moved from the staining he had done on his pool furniture that day to what might be in store for him next.
He isn’t looking for anything, but his phone still is ringing off the hook. To each and every caller, he gives one message: His slate is clean, but there is no way that he would even consider getting involved in anything which involves the American car manufacturing market.
He loves trucks, and would return to our market in a heartbeat, but under no circumstances would he consider any job that requires working with domestic automotive OEMs. Obviously, I was interested why, and in response, he asked me if I knew the definition of insanity. He reminded me that it was “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results each time.”
He is, of course, correct. That old bromide aptly describes why the companies we used to collectively call “Detroit” may not be long for this world. Even if they somehow survive, calling on them is not an experience anyone should ever be forced to endure. It appears “they just don’t get it.” They are aggressively pursuing insanity.
