Trail Blazing in 2014: Mary Barra's Plan to Drive GM into Profits

When Mary Barra was appointed CEO at GM, the story made waves. She is the first female automaker CEO, and unquestionably one of the most qualified, having worked her way up the ranks since the age of 19. What is her agenda for GM? Barra herself has defined it this way. "There is no left or right turn," she has said. "We want to accelerate."

It is no wonder that Barra wants to continue in the direction that GM has gone in the last year. The 2013 models garnered eight JD Power and Associates Awards for Initial Quality. Chevrolet has had success with its large fleet of small cars with 10 airbags and five-star safety ratings. Most recently, the Corvette Stingray won the 2014 North American Car of the Year and the Silverado won North American Truck of the Year at the all-important Detroit auto show.

Still, the quality at GM continues to vary according to model and even more so according to brand. Perhaps that's why Barra's other big pronouncement was simply "no more crappy cars." She wants to build a culture at GM that "competes to win" in every segment. One move has been to introduce vehicles in one of the least served segments, the midsized pickup. The GMC Canyon was unveiled by Barra at the Detroit Auto Show.

It should come as no surprise that Barra is keeping the focus on GM's expansion in many overseas markets, particularly the burgeoning markets of China and Brazil. A month into her tenure, Barra made a trip to Shanghai where she met with GM leadership. There are two GM-owned companies in China plus 12 joint GM-Chinese ventures. Barra wants to manage these as well as improve GM sales in China which hit record levels in 2013. She will also be overseeing the restructuring of European operations. Other expansion is more linear as she pushes all GM brands to provide more fuel efficiency and advanced safety technology.

Motor Trend recently bumped Mary Barra from the 15th most influential automaker to the third most influential. Her best leadership skills are certainly needed for this brand that has worked its way back from bankruptcy to become a leading contender again.

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