本周，当整个汽车行业都在猜测谁将接替阿兰•穆拉利而成为福特公司（Ford）的新任首席执行官时，菲亚特•克莱斯勒公司（Fiat-Chrysler）首席执行官塞尔吉奥•马尔奇奥尼悄悄溜到纽约市，领取了一个国际企业促进组织颁发的奖项；同时，他还披露了一些个人动向。

    那是在纽约公共图书馆（New York Public Library）举行的一次黑色领结庆祝活动。马尔奇奥尼虽然是本次盛大活动的荣誉嘉宾，但他依然保持着自己的着装风格。在一片盛装的海洋中，他身着黑色条纹系扣衬衫、宽松的黑毛衣以及黑色休闲裤。当然，他的头发需要理理了。

    马尔奇奥尼对其公共形象有着精准的理解，他对与会人员解释说：“也许我应该觉得自己穿着太过随便，不适宜今天的场合，但我可不这么认为。我仔细地读过请柬，那上面清楚地写明，应着‘黑色领结或者民族服装’。有些人知道，目前我大部分时间都在出差途中，也许有人还知道我基本都是搭乘夜间航班，这样我就不会浪费白天的工作时间了。我为这种颠簸流浪的生活付出的代价是一切从简。服装方面则从里至外全是清一色的黑色。”

    他与穆拉利形成了鲜明的对照。如果穆拉利代表的是阳，则马尔奇奥尼则象征着阴：雄鹰童子军与颠覆性的革命者。本周，他们二位都接受了电视采访。穆拉利一如既往地泰然自若，对于福特首席执行官的继任者、以及他自己的退休计划均只字未提。“传言不实，”在《福克斯新闻》（Fox News）问及他是否准备离任时，穆拉利说。“但我可以理解人们为什么如此密切地关注福特，因为对于美国而言，这家公司及其它的成功都太重要了。”同时，一向口无遮拦的马尔奇奥尼对多个话题都滔滔不绝，这些话题从欧元的未来到克莱斯勒首次公开募股无所不包。

    其表演堪称一绝，不可错过，因为在汽车业，马尔奇奥尼的形象可谓独一无二。你还能想到其他有哪位首席执行官喜欢自我形容为“简单、无家可归、四处流浪的金属打击乐手？”这一形象中散发出亲切的幽默感、极端的直率、以及彻底的坦诚。如比尔•弗拉西克在《汽车往事》（Once Upon a Car）一书中所引述，他与头回见面的克莱斯勒高管致意的方式如今已堪称典范。马尔奇奥尼没说半句自我介绍的废话，而是直截了当地说：“我知道你他妈是谁。坐下，跟我吃顿饭。

    While the rest of the automotive world was wrestling this week with the question of who would succeed Alan Mulally as Ford CEO, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne slipped into New York City to accept an award from a group promoting international business -- and made some news of his own.

    The event was a black-tie gala held at the New York Public Library, but despite being the honored guest at the glittering event, Marchionne remained loyal to his sartorial signature. Amidst the pomp, he showed up in a black gingham button-down shirt, baggy black sweater and black slacks. And oh yes, he needed a haircut.

    Marchionne has an acute understanding of his public persona and he explained himself to his audience this way: "I should be feeling underdressed, but I don't. I read the invitation carefully, and it states clearly that attire is 'black tie or national dress.' Some of you know that I am spending a lot of time travelling, at night one might add, so that I do not waste working hours. The price I had to pay for this vagabonding around is to strive for simplicity in everything else I do. Attire choice had to go, and replaced by a monastic monochromatic theme: Black on black."

    The contrast with Mulally is especially dramatic. Marchionne is the ying to Mulally's yang: the subversive rebel vs. the Eagle Scout. Both men were interviewed on television this week; true to form, Mulally blandly revealed nothing about the Ford (F, Fortune 500) succession or his own retirement plans. "It's not true," Mulally said when asked by Fox News if he was leaving. "But I can understand people following Ford closely because it's so important and its success is so important to the United States." Meanwhile, the always-tangy Marchionne held forth on a variety of topics, ranging from the future of the euro to the timing of a Chrysler IPO.

    It is a fascinating performance to watch because Marchionne has created an image for himself that is unique in the auto industry. What other CEO can you think of who likes to characterize himself as a "simple, homeless, ever-wandering metal basher?" The image consists in equal measure of disarming humor, laser-like clarity, and brutal honesty. You see it in his now-classic greeting to a Chrysler executive whom he was meeting for the first time, quoted in Bill Vlasic's Once Upon a Car. In lieu of an introduction, Marchionne said, "I know who the f*** you are. Sit down. Let's eat."

    其管理风格的原则其实非常简单：在他眼里，功绩胜过头衔，杰出胜过平庸，竞争胜过封闭，责任胜过承诺。

    马尔奇奥尼全力将克莱斯勒和菲亚特融合为一体，并使之成为生机勃勃的具有全球竞争力的汽车厂商。此事迟早将成为商学院案例分析的经典教材。尤其是因为戴姆勒-奔驰公司（Daimler-Benz）操作拙劣，相形之下，它显得更为突出。

    马尔奇奥尼对于克莱斯勒-菲亚特的设想受到了广泛的关注。他成功地对这两家公司的管理层进行了整合，任命了一支由22名高管组成的团队，自然，所有人都直接向他本人汇报；同时，他还宣称，要对合并后的公司的多个品牌进行合理化管理，强化其核心资产。

    马尔奇奥尼认为，他的未来与两个品牌有关，那就是吉普和阿尔法•罗米欧（Alfa Romeo）。他准备将这两个品牌推向全球。克莱斯勒和蓝旗亚（Lancia）将分别在美国和意大利继续作为地方品牌存在。而道奇（Dodge）很可能会消亡。马尔奇奥尼已然将敞蓬小货车从新的Ram品牌中分离了出去，并赋予克莱斯勒独家销售小货车的权利，现在这款车型已被作为道奇大蓬车（Dodge Caravan）来销售。

    鉴于最近的经济形势，马尔奇奥尼重组克莱斯勒和菲亚特的进程注定不会一帆风顺。他在纽约的晚会上发表演讲时表示，导致美国金融危机的管理混乱“让我们濒临世界大决战的边缘”。他还补充说，欧元的出现“有可能结束一切。”他指责这两件经济大事催生了一个“乱世”。

    但是，他在竭尽全力地应对。本周，马尔奇奥尼对路透社（Reuters）表示，由于欧洲经济不稳定，菲亚特的资本投资计划因而推迟，他必须等待“更好的光景”出现，才能恢复菲亚特正常的产品发布节奏。但是，他说，欧元有希望度过眼下的危机，而国际市场亦会在未来一两个月内开始趋于稳定。

    最终，马尔奇奥尼还透露了自己的退休计划。他已经宣布，将留任至2015或者2016年，而其继任者将来自公司内部。穆拉利及福特应该结束人们对福特首席执行官继任人选沸沸扬扬的猜测，学学马尔奇奥尼的领导力以及开诚布公的做法。

    译者：大海

    The principles of his management style are simple: He values merit over rank, excellence over mediocrity, competition over insularity, and accountability over promises.

    In time, Marchionne's work in pushing together Chrysler and Fiat into a viable global competitor will be the stuff of business school case studies, especially when contrasted with the ham-fisted efforts of Daimler-Benz.

    Marchionne's vision for Chrysler-Fiat is coming into focus. He has integrated the management of the two companies with the appointment of a team of 22 executives -- all of whom report to him, naturally -- and begun to hint at a rationalization of the combined companies' multiple brands and a strengthening of its core assets.

    Marchionne believes that his future belongs to two brands -- Jeep and Alfa Romeo -- that he is prepared to take global. Chrysler and Lancia will remain local brands, anchored in the U.S. and Italy, respectively. And Dodge likely withers away. Marchionne has already separated out its pickup trucks from the new Ram brand, and given sole rights to Chrysler for the minivan now marketed as the Dodge Caravan.

    Recent economic events aren't making Marchionne's Chrysler and Fiat revamp any easier. In his New York speech, he characterized the deregulation that led to the U.S. financial crisis as "having brought us too close to Armageddon," and added that the creation of the euro "has the potential to finish the job." He blames the two events for having created "the age of outrage."

    But he's coping. Marchionne told Reuters this week that European economic uncertainty has caused Fiat to delay plans for capital investment and that he is waiting for "a better line of sight" before resuming its usual product launch cadence. But he said there is a better than even chance that the euro will survive the current crisis and that international markets should begin to stabilize in the next month or two.

    Finally, Marchionne is trying to provide some clarity about his retirement plans. He's announced that he plans to stay until 2015 or 2016, and that his successor will likely come from inside the company. Mulally and Ford could put an end to a lot of speculation and learn some lessons about leadership and openness from him.