Honestly, I can't tell you what I what I would be doing if I wasn't chairman of GM, because this is all I've done.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I am honored to be able to serve GM at this critical juncture and take part in its reinvention.
My goal in coming to General Motors was to help restore profitability, build a strong market position and position this iconic company for success. We are clearly on that path.
If I'm a CEO, I want to be in a place where the government works.
I started at GM knowing very little about that particular business. Not being an expert means you have to learn everything, starting from the basics.
I never imagined working with CEOs, congressmen or the military, yet I make regular visits to the Pentagon, stop by the Capitol now and then and sit down with leaders of all kinds of companies.
Just because you are CEO, don't think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. I've never forgotten that.
My senior leadership team is half people who have been at GM for a long period of time like me, and others who have joined the company within the last five years from different industries, experiences, and countries. You have a better picture of the world. The diversity of thought is where you can make better business decisions.
I accept that responsibility and ask only that I be judged by my performance as its chief executive.
On Friday I was in Washington for a meeting with Administration officials. In the course of that meeting, they requested that I 'step aside' as CEO of GM, and so I have.
I knew if I wanted to be a general manager, I was going to have to leave to work for another organization.