Propelland Fireside Chat
Adrian Aguirre, Ford Expedition Chief Engineer at Ford Motor Company
Propelland’s Partner and Regional Director Latin America, Juan Adlercreutz, recently caught up with Adrian Aguirre, Ford Expedition Chief Engineer at Ford Motor Company, in the first of our Fireside Chats. Mr. Aguirre has a deep understanding of engineering, prototyping, managing enormous budgets, and keeping large teams inspired across the long-haul of a design project. The journey from concept to rubber-hits-the-road is a complicated one, and to be sure there are many lessons to be gleaned along the way. Looking toward the future, what will humans need and want in transportation? How can a company’s goals dovetail with the planet’s needs?
It was an honor and a pleasure to have Adrian join us to discuss so many important topics across the transportation sector, and beyond. We could have spent hours talking; so many questions, so little time!
Question, Juan Adlercreutz: Your professional journey has taken you taken you very far — from engineering school to overseeing projects on a massive and costly scale, most recently overseeing the development of the new Ford Bronco Sports vehicle. What have you learned?
Answer, Adrian Aguirre: Well, a couple of things. For me, it’s all about continually learning and not giving up. You want to be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all. Another thing is the importance of your teams, and their passion as you’re executing the project. You can’t say enough about what a difference it makes when a team is committed to the project and the alignment it supports. Even if a team is less experienced, if they have the wherewithal to work together, they’ll deliver exceptional products.
Do something you’re passionate about. Have a degree of faith and it’s going to take you a long way. You’ll be glad you did that every day of your life. — Adrian Aguirre
Q: The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is one of the most exciting off-roaders to be introduced in the last two decades. I’m certain that getting it to completion has been a monumental task. You oversee thousands of people who are each responsible for different facets of the engineering and design process. So, how do you manage your teams, and what are your working routines?
A: At the peak of a project, we have hundreds of people working on it, so it’s impossible for me to be involved in every detail. The better we can manage to clarify exactly what we’re doing, the better the process will go — because there will always be a multitude of choices. As far as routine goes, there’s a daily approval meeting when go over anything that has changed. You need to be aware of why these decisions are being made; every decision has financial implications. There’s a very clear 4-year routine of developing a car; it’s a long and careful process of outlining work that needs to be done. Once a week we get together and have a program steering team that goes through the tally of the project — everything from finance to engineering — and we decide, what do we have to do this week?
My job is definitely made easier because I have a passion for what I do, which resonates out among the teams. The job I have now is the job I’ve always wanted. I’ve been fortunate enough to have wonderful mentors, and I’m certain that this has shaped my leadership style. Someone needs to give you a break! My mentors have put their faith me and have pulled me along. I hope to provide that for others — that learning mentality — to the people I work with.
Q: How did you drill down into what your teams would focus on?
A: This was a long process of designing; going over all of the different possibilities. For Bronco, we came down to 3 things we’d stand behind: 1) the iconic Bronco design. We were going to deliver a vehicle that you would immediately know is a part of the Bronco family; 2) It had to have off-road capability: 4x4 is an expensive proposition, so we needed to commit to it, outright; and 3) We had to make sure that we were including elements in the vehicle that would make it adventure-ready.
Q: When working on a complex project like this, which part of the design process occupies your concerns the most?
A: Customer-centricity shapes everything, and we’re always thinking about how the user will respond to what we’re creating. How will they ultimately experience all of the little details? Have we given them what they want? And the thing that keeps me up at night are the issues around safety — it’s the number one most important thing. But then there are also these questions: Are the decisions we’re making truly valuable for the customer, or have we made expensive decisions to focus on things no one will care about? Have we really been able to connect to the customer, where they’ll believe their purchase is worthwhile? Because think about it: This is the second most expensive thing they’ll spend money on in their lifetime.
Q: What advice do you have for other team leaders as they navigate their way through complexities?
A: There’s this Venn diagram of three situations: the things you control; the things you have influence over; and the things you can’t control. I try to see everything through that lens. Spending energy on those circles that you can’t have complete control over will never be an efficient use your time. When you’re managing large projects, there will always be issues. What is frustrating is when people feel that they’re not in control of anything; when there’s no ownership. It’s like’ “I’m just here along for the ride and this is what it is.” Either you’re a part of the process, or you’re not a part of it. You have to work through issues to feel that you have self-determination. And people do have that!
Along those lines, this is a red-flag scenario: Let’s say there are things that occurred during a project that could have been improved, and someone decides not to tell anyone. They hope no one will catch them. Well, the next thing you know, there’s a big problem! And again, something I’m very conscious about is the safety and security of our vehicles. It can be a risky business. There’s always the need for safety to be built into each and every step of the process.
Q: What do you think the future of mobility looks like, apart from cars?
A: As far as Ford goes, they’re involved in multiple projects, for example, they’re definitely keeping an eye on the scooter business in order to participate in that space. From my own point of view, there’s definitely a balance to be achieved. On the one hand, populations are in cities, sharing transportation, and all along comes COVID. What are you going to use a car for? As things change, what will customers be needing? Keeping up is a big challenge. We need to keep our eye on what things are happening now.
At Propelland, we’re very fortunate to have such a wide-reaching network of talented colleagues around the globe and across industries who are doing inspirational work and are so willing to share their learnings with us. Our conversations have been so valuable, and ultimately they benefit our clients. We’ll continue to roll out these talks on our blog! We’d love to talk more abut your organizations specific goals and challenges, feel free to reach out!
