玛丽•芭拉：从工读生到通用汽车女掌门

    领导人事部门以前，你没有任何人力资源背景。主管产品开发前，你也没有过具体的产品监管经验。你是怎样快速熟悉新工作的呢？

    走进一个新领域后，我会问很多问题，不断地学习，真正了解关键的业务领域。我把这个过程看成像剥洋葱，剥开了第一层，再继续剥开第二层、第三层，不用多久你就会对这个部门有很好的把握。另外我还有一个建议：选对团队成员。如果你需要做出改变，就改变这方面吧。

    你去中国、欧洲及拉丁美洲的分公司是想传达什么核心信息？

    我们的战略方向不会改变，这个战略也很可靠，我们需要加快这个战略的实施。我想让全体员工知道的是：计划就是计划，不会改变。因为我不想浪费一丁点时间。

    在欧洲市场，你把大量的资金投入到了欧宝这个弱势品牌上，公司也已亏损数十亿美元。与宝马（BMW）和奔驰（Mercedes）相比，欧宝具有什么优势？

    通用汽车是一个全球性的汽车企业，在欧洲，它需要有稳固的市场地位。人们对欧宝的认可度已经大大提高。如果人们试试这个系列的产品，并且有机会持续使用，他们会对欧宝的产品系列感到欣喜和惊讶的。

    未来的汽车会是什么模样？

    提升燃油经济性和二氧化碳排放效率的趋势会一直持续，开发自动驾驶及提升安全性能的相关趋势也会一直持续。另外人们已经离不开智能手机和关键的消费电子产品了，因此我们会看到这类产品以安全和不干扰驾驶的方式整合到汽车中。

    你还是自己开车去上班吗？

    是的。

    你现在开的是什么车？

    凯迪拉克CTS。我家有一辆大黄蜂SS——在大黄蜂系列里，这是我和我先生最喜欢的一款。还有一辆西塞拉皮卡，我儿子尼克开。另外我们还有一辆塔荷，多年来我们也一直想买一辆完美的老式大黄蜂。我们会继续寻找，不过最近有些忙，就没有时间找了。（财富中文网）

    译者：朱毓芬/汪皓

    You had no HR background before becoming chief of HR. You had no specific product oversight before heading product development. How do you get up to speed quickly?

    I go in, ask a lot of questions, demonstrate the desire to learn, and really understand the key areas of the business. Then I think of it like an onion. You learn the first layer, and then you peel back and you peel back. And over not that long a period of time, you can have a very good grasp of the organization. The other advice I give is: Have the right team. If you need to make changes, make those changes.

    What core message are you delivering as you travel to China and Europe and Latin America?

    There's no right turn or left turn in our strategy. We have a sound strategy. We need to accelerate the implementation of it. I want to make sure that employees around the globe understand the plan is the plan. Because I don't want to lose a minute.

    In Europe, you're investing heavily in a weak brand, Opel, and have lost billions. What is Opel's advantage as it competes with BMW and Mercedes?

    General Motors is a global automotive company. You have to have a strong presence in Europe. There's been tremendous improvement in recognition of Opel. If people give the products a chance and get the opportunity to drive them consistently, they're surprised and delighted by the strength of the Opel product line.

    What does the car of the future look like?

    We'll continue to see trends of increased efficiency from a fuel-economy and a CO2performance perspective. We'll continue to see trends relating to autonomous driving and safety features. And people are so tied to their smartphones and key consumer-electronics products. So we'll see the marriage of those into the vehicle in a way that is safe and doesn't create driver distraction.

    Do you still drive yourself to work?

    Yes, I do.

    What are you driving?

    I'm driving a Cadillac CTS. We own a Camaro SS -- the Camaro's one of my husband's and my favorite cars. We own a GMC Sierra pickup truck that my son, Nick, drives. We also own a Tahoe, and we're in what has turned into a multiyear search for the perfect older Camaro. We continue to look for that, but we've been a little busy lately.