Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

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Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Creative, driven, careful

Creative, driven, careful

The big question(s) they ask at GM. Also, 7 other things worth knowing today.

Bill Murphy Jr.'s avatar
Bill Murphy Jr.
Feb 15, 2022
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Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Creative, driven, careful
18
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One of the most intriguing things about Mary Barra, the CEO and chairman of General Motors and thus the head of the largest woman-run company in America, is the way she rose through the corporate ranks.

Barra has spent her entire career at GM, starting as an 18-year-old intern when she was earning her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Kettering University, back when it was still called General Motors Institute.

Her LinkedIn profile is fun reading, showing a succession of 14 jobs: from "Kettering University Co-op Student" in the Pontiac Motor Division in 1980, to the chairman and CEO position she's held for more than six years now.

(By the way, here’s my LinkedIn profile. I’m hot and cold on LinkedIn, but if you’re a reader, feel free to connect!)

Back to Barra: One of those 14 positions, which we're focusing on today, was the company's global head of human resources.

It's intriguing to look at some of her decisions regarding corporate culture—including the three questions she…

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