Welcome to How Leaders Lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very

best leaders in the world. I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode,

you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That's what

this podcast is all about. Today's guest is Alan Mulally,

who served as the CEO of Ford Motor Company during their incredible turnaround. And I really do

mean he served as the CEO. See, in Alan's words, to serve is to live. And let me tell you,

that's not just a warm, fuzzy philosophy.

His service-centered style of leadership really gets results. It's how he motivates people to actually

work together towards a common goal. And it's how he led forward through one of the most extraordinary

turnarounds in business history, from operating at a $17 billion loss to making $9 billion

in profit. In just two years, that's just unreal because he had to turn around this big ship

and get it moving in the right direction. And he did it so fast, it's just amazing. So if you want to learn how to get people working together,

then you're going to love all the incredible insights and stories Alan shares today. Let's jump right

in. Here's my conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours, Alan Mulally.

When you write your signature, as I understand it, it's your name in cursive,

and then you have a little cartoon airplane with a smiley face on it.

When did that start?

Tell us that story.

At one point in my career, I had the fortune of, as you know,

as serving on the design team of every Boeing airplane,

the 707, 27, 27, 37, 37, 37, 7,

and then they asked me to serve as the chief designer,

...