Quotes from Alan Mulally

You can't manage a secret.

Automobiles are fun and exciting. We need them. They are a part of our lives.

When I arrived in Ford, a decision was made to sell many marquee brands. This was because 85 per cent of the sales were from Ford and Lincoln brands. We were clear that for the company's strong future, we needed to focus on the Ford brands.

It is just more rewarding to do things in a supportive environment.

The purpose of business is to make a reasonable return by making products and services that people want and value. If you are not, you are wasting resources.

Information should never be used as a weapon on a team.

Consumers want safe and really efficient automobiles.

I really like working with talented people to do something for a lot of people around our world.

Data can set you free.

I'm a creative guy, a designer, a customer.

I taught my executive team how to argue.

A gas tax could be one important element of an integrated energy policy.

When work is what you love to do, it's not work - it's serving.

An important part of leadership is being able to hold two things in your mind at once: Dealing with the reality, whatever it may be, and focus on hope for the future. Any leader helping an organization through challenges needs to be able to do both.

It's all about producing products people want.

With Sync technology, we're seamlessly connected to the Internet, hands-free, and able to focus on the road but also able to handle guidance and navigation and play your music.

The more senior your management position is, the more important it is to connect the organization or the project to the outside world. You know, how does this fit in with what we're doing? What is the real goal, the real mission?

I've been very fortunate to be part of projects that are really big and broad.

The most important thing that most countries around the world believe in is letting the markets determine the currency.

The Chinese love Ford's product line: they love the quality, the fuel-efficiency, the safety, the brand.

I've been through geopolitical and economic cycles.

The most important thing is to simultaneously deal with reality - really the way it is, not the way you wished it could be or you hoped it could be - but also have a vision about where you want to go.

More and more people realize the importance of economic growth, near-term and long-term in the U.S., and the competitiveness with other countries around the world.

It's really important that we have an improvement curve on fuel mileage and CO2 reduction.