Focus Leadership Blog

Name: Sergio Marchionne

Occupation: CEO, Fiat SpA; CEO, Chrysler Group; Chairman of ACEA

Career Highlights: Sergio was born in Chieti, a town in southern Italy, and his family emigrated to Toronto when he was 13, explaining his dual Canadian and Italian citizenship. He went to college at the University of Toronto, earned his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Windsor, and his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) came from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. Serigo is a barrister, solicitor and Certified General Accountant; basically, he has every job that Monty Python has ever mocked. Nevertheless, his resume is impressive, boasting high-ranking postions at Lawson Mardon Group, Glenex Industries, Acklands Ltd., and most recently, CEO of the Fiat Group. Out of respect, we will not divulge what many frustrated car owners think Fiat really stands for (hint: Fix It Again, Tony). Sergio is also the CEO of Chrysler Groups, assuming the position when Chrysler emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year and Fiat took a controlling stake in the company.

Dominant Pattern(s): Driver; Sergio strikes us as a goal-oriented guy, and his employment history displays him as a professional go-getter. Fiat has also reversed fortunes by actually generating them under his leadership, becoming one of the fastest growing companies in the auto industry. That puts Sergio up there with Lee Iacocca and Carlos Ghosn, two other Drivers who didn't shy away from hard work.

Recommendation(s) for Improvement: We don't know much about Sergio's personal life, aside from an appreciation for fast cars (he's on the list for a 500 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, and he crashed his Ferrari in Switzerland in 2007), and his biographies concentrate strictly on his professional achievements. But men like him often have a tough time shutting their brains off for a while, so we're going ahead with Collaborator/Visionary exercises for him - he may need a creative outlet that doesn't feed back into his aggression. Plus, he'll need all the good vibes and harmony available to pull Chrysler's carcass out of the tar pit. Floating exercises and meditation would help a lot, and he could add some bouncing exercises in there to exercise his core as well.