Mary Barra is not the type of boss who ever thought she'd be featured in Fortune, let alone sit atop the magazine's inaugural Most Powerful Women in global business ranking. The first woman in her family to go to college, she worked her way through General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) as an engineering intern at a Pontiac factory -- the same brand of car that her dad had worked on during his 39 years as a diemaker. She made it into a fast-track training program, got a GM fellowship to Stanford (MBA, '90), and went on to master diverse jobs -- assistant to CEO Jack Smith; assembly plant manager; vice president of global manufacturing engineering; HR chief; head of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain -- with low-ego finesse and the courage to shake things up. As HR boss after GM's bankruptcy filing in 2009, Barra simplified employee rules and boiled the company's 10-page dress code down to two words: "Dress appropriately." As product chief, she got involved in restructuring Opel in Europe, and she pushed GM (GM, Fortune 500) to build better vehicles on fewer platforms.

    "I hope that Mary Barra turns out to be the Alfred Sloan of the 21st century," says Warren Buffett, referring to the carmaker's most renowned CEO. His Berkshire Hathaway(BRKA, Fortune 500) owns some 40 million shares of GM. "From what I've seen, she's got the goods." Today the company ranks No. 22 on Fortune's Global 500 list and is the world's second-largest automaker, behind Toyota (TM). GM is back to profitability and no longer in debt to the U.S. government. But its share in the U.S. market is running flat at a recent 17.5%, vs. 33% in 1994. Barra recently spoke with Fortune about her world of challenges, the future of cars, and her new gig, effective Jan. 15, as General Motors' first female CEO.

    Is one of your goals to make GM the world's most profitable automaker?

    Our goal is to make General Motors the most valuable automotive company. Clearly, that is having sustainable profitability and driving great returns for our shareholders.

    What's the most critical thing that you will do as CEO?

    There are several things that I'm focused on. One is that we continue to design, build, and sell the best vehicles for every segment [in which] we choose to compete. I think we have great opportunity to continue to build our brands and strengthen Cadillac and Chevrolet, our two global brands. They're flanked by some very important regional brands -- for instance, Opel in Europe. We clearly have to make sure that in every market we choose to compete in, we operate profitably and we maintain our fortress balance sheet, because this is a cyclical business.

    Mary, as head of HR, you reduced rules and policies. As head of global product development, you reduced executive layers and production platforms. As CEO, what do you plan to reduce?

    There's an opportunity to continually reduce complexity. I want to really empower the teams to be innovative. We have great innovation in pockets -- the Volt being one example. But I want to make sure that we're being innovative across the board. My definition of "innovative" is providing value to the customer.

    玛丽•芭拉从未想过自己会是《财富》杂志评选活动中拥有重要角色的那一类管理者，更别提登上《财富》杂志“全球最具影响力的50位商界女性”排行榜榜首了。玛丽•芭拉是家里第一个上大学的人，以庞蒂亚克工厂一名工程实习生的身份半工半读念完了通用汽车学院【现更名为凯特林大学Kettering University）】。而她的父亲在39年的模型工生涯中制作的也一直是庞蒂亚克品牌的模型。通过努力，她得以加入一个快速培训项目，拿到了通用汽车的奖学金进入斯坦福大学（Stanford）学习（于1990年获得MBA学位）。在此之后，凭借谦逊的行事作风和改变现状的勇气，玛丽•芭拉陆续接管过很多不同的职位——从公司首席执行官杰克•史密斯的助理，到装配车间经理、全球制造工程副总裁，再到人力资源总裁，以及全球产品开发及全球采购和供应链执行副总裁。2009年，通用汽车公司提交破产申请后，她作为人力资源主管，简化了公司员工守则，把长达10页的着装要求简化成了四个字：“穿着得体”。作为产品主管，她参与了欧宝品牌在欧洲市场的重组，同时推动通用汽车利用更少的平台生产出更优质的汽车。

    “我希望玛丽•芭拉成为21世纪的阿尔费雷德•斯隆”，沃伦•巴菲特说。他所说的阿尔费雷德•斯隆是通用汽车史上最伟大的CEO。沃伦•巴菲特的伯克希尔•哈撒韦公司（Berkshire Hathaway）拥有通用汽车约4000万股的股票。“就目前看来，她具备这个能力。”如今通用汽车在《财富》世界500强企业名单中排名第22位，是世界最二大汽车制造商，仅次于日本丰田汽车公司（Toyota ）。通用汽车公司目前已经重新实现了盈利，也已还清了欠美国政府的债务。然而在美国，通用汽车的市场份额已跌到了最近的17.5%，而1994年这一数字是33%。最近，芭拉接受了《财富》杂志的专访，跟我们谈到了她那个充满挑战的世界、汽车行业的未来，以及她在1月15日开始接手的新职位——通用汽车史上首位女性CEO。

    你的目标之一是不是使通用汽车成为全球最赚钱的汽车厂商？

    我们的目标是使通用汽车成为最具价值的汽车公司。这一点显然会带来持续的盈利能力，也会为公司股东带来巨大的回报。

    身为CEO，你认为你即将做的哪件事情最为关键？

    我全力关注的事务有好几项，其中之一是我们要继续设计、制造和销售在我们选择竞争的行业领域里最好的汽车。我认为，在持续打造我们的品牌并巩固卡迪拉克（Cadillac）和雪佛兰（Chevrolet）这两个世界品牌的地位上，我们有着非常好的机遇。这两个品牌目前正受到一些区域性品牌的夹击，这些区域性品牌也十分重要——比如欧洲的欧宝。我们显然要保证在每一个竞争市场都能盈利，同时坚守资产负债表的“堡垒”，因为汽车是一个周期性的业务。

    担任人力资源总裁时，你简化了政策和规定；领导全球产品开发时，你又削减了管理层级和生产平台数量。如今作为CEO，你计划在哪些方面进行简化？

    只要有机会，就要不断降低复杂性。我希望能真正使所有团队具备创新能力。在某些方面我们已经具备出色的创新能力，沃蓝达就是一个例子。然而我希望公司在所有方面都具备创新能力，我对“创新能力”的定义是能为客户提供价值。

    So what is GM's biggest challenge right now?

    I'll answer the question as, What do I think our biggest opportunities are? We have a position of strength in China. [We need] to build on that. Another huge opportunity for General Motors is Cadillac. We have the right products and the right portfolio, and we're committed to regaining our status as a true luxury brand.

    What GM car has the biggest gap between public image and actual quality?

    The Chevrolet Impala. We launched that last year. It's a beautiful car. If you read some of the external assessments by industry experts, that car competes with premium brands. I'm hoping people are saying, "Hey, this is a vehicle, this Chevrolet Impala. I've got to take notice."

    What's your career philosophy?

    My parents were both born and raised in the Depression. They instilled great values about integrity and the importance of hard work, and I've taken that with me to every job. Another kind of core tenet is: I believe in the power of teamwork, and I think you will have superior results if you are aligned and win the hearts and minds of your employees if they understand where the company is going and they're all in.

    Have you ever asked for a promotion?

    No, I have not.

    Have you ever asked for a raise?

    No, I have not.

    What does that reflect about your approach to your career?

    What I always say is, "Do every job you're in like you're going to do it for the rest of your life and demonstrate that ownership of it." You deliver and produce results and you do it with high integrity and teamwork, and it'll all work out. You don't have to ask for different jobs, and you don't have to ask for raises.

    Have you had a turning point in your career?

    When I was asked to lead human resources as the company was coming out of the bankruptcy, we were going to work to change the view of the company both inside and outside. Prior to that, my whole career had been primarily in operations and engineering. I learned a lot in that role. I was involved with the senior staff on a lot of strategic issues, and I think that enabled me to transition into global product development.

    Did anyone warn you against taking the HR job because it's the stereotypical female job that a lot of women are advised not to take if they want to get to the top?

    Absolutely. I had people from within and outside the company saying, "Hmm." But when I looked at it, I said, "Hey, there's a real opportunity here to make sure we start with the right plan in place to really engage our workforce." So I was committed. Human Resources deserves a lot of respect.

    通用汽车目前面临的最大挑战是什么？

    我想把问题转化一下来回答，那就是“在我看来，我们正面临着哪些最大的机遇？”在中国市场我们处于强势地位，在这一基础上我们要再接再励。卡迪拉克是通用汽车另一个巨大的机遇——我们拥有优质的产品和优秀的产品系列，也已下定决心恢复卡迪拉克真正的豪华品牌地位。

    通用汽车哪款车的公众形象和实际品质相差最大？

    要属我们去年发布的雪佛兰羚羊车型，它非常漂亮。如果你看过行业专家写的外部评估，会发现它能与多数高端品牌相抗衡。我期待人们这么说：“这就是雪佛兰羚羊！我得留个心。”

    你的职业理念是什么？

    我父母出生并且成长在经济大萧条时期，因此他们非常重视诚实和勤劳的品质，我也把这一点带入了我所做的每一个工作当中。另一个核心理念是：我相信团队的力量。我相信，如果你与别人团结一致，赢得员工全心全意的支持，同时能够让他们了解公司的发展方向并愿意为之付出努力，你就能取得巨大的成功。

    你提出过升职的要求吗？

    没有。

    你提出过加薪的要求吗？

    也没有。

    这反映了你对待职业生涯的态度哪一点？

    我常说的一句话是，“把每份工作当作毕生的事业来看待，做到能够完完全全地驾驭它。”真正做出成绩，同时保持高度的诚信和团队精神，其它问题就会迎刃而解。根本不需要去提升职的要求，也不需要去提涨工资的要求。

    你在自己的职业生涯中有没有经历过转折点？

    公司刚从破产困境中走出来时，我们力图改变公司的内外面貌，这时我被指派领导人事部门。在此之前我的整个职业生涯都是围绕着工程与运营。我在人力资源这个岗位上学到了很多东西。当时我与公司高层员工们一起参与制定了许多战略，我想正是这一点使我具备了在之后领导全球产品开发的能力。

    有没有人告诫你不要接手人力资源总裁的职位？要知道人们一直以来都告诫职场女性，如果想走向高层，就不要接手这一女性职位。

    当然有。无论公司内部还是外部，都有人欲言又止。但当我用自己的眼睛去看时，我对自己说：“你看，这是一个很好的机会；如果接受了这个职位，就能在正确的岗位上用正确的方法，真正使所有员工达到最好的工作状态。”于是我下定决心接手这份工作。人力资源部理应得到更多尊重。

    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.

    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