Editor's Note: In this week's Rant, Peter takes us inside "The Grind" and what it's really like for top-level executives and their crushing schedules. In On The Table, we detail the Petersen Automotive Museum's newest exhibit, “GM's Marvelous Motorama: Dream Cars from the Joe Bortz Collection.” We also take a look at the two newest models from Mercedes-AMG, along with the limited-production 392 Final Edition Jeep Wrangler. And we revisit another compelling exhibit from the Petersen Automotive Museum, as well as some Cadillac news and a particularly interesting video on the new Cadillac Celestiq. Our AE Song of the Week is "Sentimental Lady" by Bob Welch. In Fumes, Peter brings us Part IX of his riveting motorsports series, "The Muscle Boys." And finally, in The Line, we'll have coverage of the 12 Hours of Sebring. We're on it. -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. What is it like, exactly? We’ve all heard of the huge salaries, but what is it really like for a top executive in today’s automobile business? Today, I’ll provide a glimpse of a typical week’s schedule for a top executive at one of the car companies in Detroit.
Monday: Wake at 5:00 a.m. Run through a 30-minute exercise routine, which too often ends up with work reading on the treadmill. Arrive at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham for a 6:45 a.m. breakfast with a major industry player. Arrive at the office at 8:00 a.m. Go right into a meeting dealing with the crisis of the moment, which involves a major production issue. This is followed by another meeting at 10:00 a.m., this one involving the status of all current EV programs, which is an ongoing mess of logistics, assembly and supply chain issues. This one runs to 12:30 p.m., and it feels like it could have gone all day. Grab an uninteresting salad and a water before the next meeting, which is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. This one is about the status of the various manufacturing programs – what’s working right, what isn’t and what needs immediate fixes. This one goes to 2:30 p.m. Next is office time, with a stack of reports to look at and a stack of messages that need some sort of response or at least focused delegation. Next up is a breath of fresh air – a scheduled update at Design at 4:00 p.m. for the final configuration 2026 products. This runs until 5:30 p.m., and it was well worth it – the vision and creativity on display are uplifting and rejuvenating. Arrive at a dinner reception for a group of VIDs (Very Important Dealers) at 6:15 p.m. Get home at 8:30 p.m. Pile up a stack of mandatory “eyes only” reading and promptly fall asleep 30 minutes later.
Tuesday. Wake at 4:15 a.m. Try to catch up with the previous night’s reading on the treadmill. It doesn’t go well, “skimming” through everything leaves you feeling behind from the get-go. Arrive at the Proving Ground at 7:30 a.m. for a hands-on product review, another uplifting part of the business. Look everything over, drive everything and then a 30-minute debrief afterwards. The “to do” list is long, but there’s a sense of optimism surrounding the future products on tap. Arrive back at the office at 11:00 a.m. for a critical personnel evaluation meeting. Veterans are going to be replaced/early retired, and it will not be pleasant. And it wasn’t. Back to your desk at 12:15 p.m. with the opportunity to catch up with a kaleidoscope of issues before the next meeting at 2:00 p.m. This one is a financial meeting – sheer drudgery but absolutely mandatory in order to get a clear picture of where the business is and what is needed in order to get where the company needs to go. Allocating funds for key products must take priority, but there’s a raft of other needs pressing on every inch of the company. It is sobering to say the least. Then, right into a sales update meeting at 4:00 p.m. There are some bright spots, the desire for the company’s trucks and SUV/crossovers is holding strong, but there are storm clouds. There are always storm clouds. The business can turn on a dime, and there are never any illusions about that. Home by 6:00 p.m. for what now seems to be the one day in the week that a family dinner can be counted on. Then, another stack of reading before crashing for the night.
Wednesday. Back on the treadmill again at 4:45 a.m. Skipping the reading this time, actually focus on working up a sweat. Arrive at the office for an executive committee meeting at 7:30 a.m. Conflicting agendas – both hidden and in your face – are present and accounted for. This is the auto biz in full bloom. Given the constant turmoil and turbulence in the market, these meetings aren’t so decorous these days; it’s a gloves-off verbal brawl only quelled by well-placed input from the CEO. By the end of the meeting at 9:00 a.m. there’s only a small amount settled, because this is an ongoing discussion with no end. An hour of office time before a marketing meeting at 10:00 a.m. This meeting starts with the current status of the market by the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), followed by strategies and campaigns for the latest product introductions presented by the divisional marketing honchos. High-level input is required; these campaigns are at the go/no-go stage. Two campaigns get the nod of approval, and two are sent back to the drawing board for a new approach, but all-in-all a 50 percent batting average is considered really good. Back to the office for 90 minutes, then off to the corporate flight center to catch a flight to Dallas. Wheels up at 2:00 p.m. Upon arrival, a meeting with key executives at one of the company’s most important manufacturing facilities, followed by a dinner with the biggest VIDs in the region. It goes longer than expected (these meetings always do), then back to the Jet Center with wheels up at 9:30 p.m. local time. Arrive back home at 1:30 a.m.
Thursday. A slight reprieve. Up at 5:45 a.m., skipping the workout today. Running on fumes, but there’s a quality meeting at a conference room in the office at 7:30 a.m.. The conference room is packed, as quality is as important an issue as anything else going on in the company. Most of the status report is positive – planned improvements put in place six months ago are paying off – but there’s always more room for improvement. Generally, however, things aren’t terrible; you take the positives where you can. Back in your office at 9:00 a.m. for meetings scheduled for your direct reports, one after another, until 11:00 a.m. This is a grind that has to happen. Some stand out with excellent performance, while some are barely treading water. Your input runs the gamut from “well done” and “keep it going” to “I need to see improvement in the following areas.” Afterward, you’re dealing with a massive headache. Time to grab a sandwich and a water and start going through “the pile” of stuff on your desk, which has grown exponentially from the previous week. The next meeting is with Human Resources at 1:00 p.m. to go over initial performance evaluations, which will need to be nailed down in another month. This is time-consuming and in some ways excruciating. The overriding – and sometimes ugly – reality is that you’re dealing with real people and their families’ futures. Not one minute of it is taken lightly, and it is no fun at all in some cases. At 3:00 p.m. there’s a surprise reception in a conference room for your Admin, who is celebrating 25 years with the company, five of those years with you. The good vibes are genuine and everyone has a really nice time. It is a welcome break from the grind, and it makes you feel really good. Back in your office at 4:00 p.m. to catch up on “the pile” until you have to leave for a scheduled dinner with the brain trust of your biggest supplier. You arrive at the dinner at 6:00 p.m., and it’s mainly cordial, except for a few recurring “concerns” voiced by the CEO of the supplier, as in, they need more money to cover their rising costs. This conversation could be repeated by every supplier on the company roster. It is what it is, as “they” say. Back home by 8:30 p.m. to catch up on some recorded shows, but to no avail, as you doze off almost immediately.
Friday. Up at 4:45 a.m.. Back on the treadmill, this time with some urgent reading. The exercise takes a back seat. Arrive at the Proving Ground at 7:30 a.m. for a follow-up on inputs from Tuesday’s session, plus a deep-dive review of various products from the competition. The natural tendency is to bad-mouth the competition’s products, but you’re pleased that there’s none of that from your people. The really good and the not-so-good from the competition are duly noted, plus the response from Tuesday’s review – much of it to do with road “feel” tuning – was noteworthy and positive. As always, there is a lot to do. Back at the office by 10:30 a.m. for another Design review, with focus on what’s coming for 2028-2029. This is the essence of the business, and it never gets old. It is exhilarating and risky all at the same time. It’s a constant battle between design “reach” and expected – but nuanced – product upgrades. You’re pleased that the Design “reach” contingent has outperformed expectations; this is a relief and cause for genuine optimism. Back to your office by 12:15 p.m.. Time for another glamorous lunch on the fly. There’s a manufacturing update at 1:30 p.m. This is an at-times painful session. It continues to amaze that several of the company’s plants are hanging by a thread, that it’s a fine line between manufacturing expertise and delivering what’s expected and disastrous turns, which can cause flat-out chaos. Mistakes, quality lapses and “stop” orders can cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the body blows to the company’s reputation. Another sobering session. Back in your office by 3:00 p.m. for a sit-down with your Admin to go over your calendar for the next 60 days out. You’re kidding, right? No. Every minute of top executives’ schedules is orchestrated to the last detail. There’s very little time for wiggle room either. You want 20 unscheduled minutes? You’re looking at late May. At 4:30 p.m. you leave the office for home. Knocking off for the day? Sort of, but not really, as there’s a black-tie charity function that requires your attendance beginning at 6:30 p.m., and gets you home by 9:30 p.m. Another long day.
Saturday. The 12 Hours of Sebring is on the agenda. Wheels up to Florida at 5:45 a.m. with a full day of corporate jaw-boning – along with a lot of just plain fun – expected. The return time is open-ended, but if you stay until the end of the race that means you won’t be home before 2:30 a.m. at the earliest.
Sunday. Some downtime and some quality family time, along with more reading from “the pile” and the 375 emails you need to get through. You end up working a good part of the day.
So yes, these executives are well paid, but if you think these jobs are in any way, shape or form something that can be “phoned-in” or somehow akin to a blissful walk-through, you’re sadly mistaken.
When I say this business is immersed in a “Swirling Maelstrom” that’s only part of the story. The other part is the effort that the men and women who are immersed in it have to put forth in order to function at a high level.
“The Grind” is real. And on Monday it starts all over again.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.