Pythagoras Theorum
Margaret Thatcher on Sovietology and Gorbachev Reforms
Thatcher saw the two groups of Sovietologists:
1) stressing the Gorbachev reforms,
2) limiting as many changes as possible in the USSR.
Gorbachev’s intentions were limited but the consequences that his reforms would have across the USSR would cause erosion of discipline. Gorbachev had liberalized the election process for candidates in the Soviet body politic. Gorbachev called for restructuring (perestroika) and acceleration of their economy. He clearly wished to function in a socialist system. Thatcher consulted Reagan, Germany and France before heading to Russia. When she visited, Thatcher made a scathing speech about Russian failure and weakness just before her visit. When she was questioned about her harsh statements before coming to Russia, Thatcher fired back with even more vitriol. They had a very public debate of ideas. Thatcher attacked Gorbachev over Afghanistan and Jewish discrimination. Thatcher clearly saw the cracks in the Soviet system, which her rhetoric emphasized.
Lee Iacocca: Reject Corruption + Remember That Ideas Matter
In 1956, Iacocca came up with an inventive new way to sell cars when he developed the “56 for ’56“. The policy meant that any customer that bought a new 1956 Ford should be able to do it with a 20 percent down payment, followed by monthly payments of $56 for three years. After the idea was applied across Ford, Iacocca was thought to be responsible for the sale of an additional 75,000 extra cars. Iacocca’s initiative meant that his profile was enlarged resulting in a big promotion to Dearborn, Michigan i.e. headoffice as the head of car marketing. Here, he met Robert McNamara who was one of the Whiz Kids brought in from the Air Force Statistical Strategy team by Henry Ford II to provide managerial talent at the top of Ford.
When Lee worked at Chester, Pennsylvania as a desk Sales rep, he witnessed corruption when reps took bribes, gifts and favours from dealers in order to get a larger allocation of cars into various dealerships. He worked in sales for over a decade being patient with his colleagues. Fleet sales meant allocating new cars to dealerships, since Lee was in sales, and there was a backlog of cars, this gave him a lot of power at an early age. Others would play fast and loose with the truth to create larger bonuses for themselves. Iacocca did not.
