CHARGING AHEAD

Mary Barra s quest to move GM to a manufacturer of electric cars has captured the attention of automobile aficionados green business advocates and leaders of all types who have to admire Mary s toughness in moving forward despite the overwhelming obstacles in her path A decade ago no one would have guessed that GM would be the company poised to lead America into the future At a time when business book readers seem endlessly fascinated by soaring tech giants like Amazon and Netflix and ill fated startups like WeWork and Theranos why is it important to put the spotlight back on 112 year old GM Because Charlie Wilson s quip from 1952 is still true What s good for GM is still good for America and vice versa America needs to transition to a new era of clean energy and environmentally sustainable transportation We also need to adapt to a world with far fewer assembly line jobs but far more skilled jobs for people who can design build and operate robots and other high tech machines GM s attempt to lead those transitions is as important as it is dramatic Equally compelling is the story of GM s CEO Mary Barra who against all odds took the reins at GM in 2014 Since that time she has attempted to reinvent a century old company and equip it for the biggest cha