????過去幾個月來，通用汽車公司（General Motors）的總裁兼首席執行官丹?阿克森像個盡忠職守的大管家一樣，一直在開展內部調整，為他今年1月突然宣布、但卻并不讓人意外的退休決定做準備。

????他重新調整了通用的國際業務，推選了一位新人掌管中國業務，同時下令十年磨一劍，要在歐洲把雪佛蘭（Chevrolet）打造成廉價品牌的工作徹底停下來。同時，他今年8月大幅提升了瑪麗?芭拉的職位，借此向所有人表示，她是最有可能接他班的人。筆者在新一期《財富》雜志（Fortune）中的一篇本來要刊印的預測里寫道：“阿克森已經表態，他傾向于讓內部人接自己的班，還說，通用汽車未來總有一天會由女性來掌舵。這番表態為高級副總裁瑪麗?芭拉掃清了接班之路，她現在是通用汽車職位最高的女性。”本周二，通用汽車正式宣布了這個消息。這對芭拉來說是個大好消息，而她的擢升也讓今后女性掌管財富500強公司的可能性大大增加了。不過，這也同時意味著我這篇稿子沒機會面世了。唉，真可惜。

????四年前，阿克森接手通用汽車的時候還有些不情不愿，但如今的通用汽車已經今非昔比、大有改觀，在很多方面都變得更強大了，但仍然存在很大問題。芭拉接任的消息是在財政部宣布撤出在通用汽車最后股份的第二天傳出的，這個撤資舉動也意味著美國2009年對汽車業的拯救行動已經正式告一段落。不過，就在通用汽車在中國和王者歸來的大眾汽車（Volkswagen）展開較量，竭力維持增長時，它在歐洲的虧損卻仍在繼續攀升（盡管可能幅度有所放緩）。與此同時，在砸下數十億美元開發雪佛蘭沃蘭達（Volt）卻宣告失敗后，它還必須重新樹立自己作為技術領跑者的形象。

????不過，就應付這些難題來說，芭拉是再合適不過的人選。她是通用汽車公司全球產品開發、采購和供應鏈的總管，深度參與了在歐洲的歐寶（Opel）分公司重組。她的工程學背景和動手實干的能力將會讓她有效督陣通用汽車的產品組合重構工作。最近，這一組合已拿出了一系列拳頭產品，比如全新的凱迪拉克CTS，雪佛蘭因帕拉（Impala）和克爾維特（Corvette）。而她早年作為人力資源總監的任職經歷更讓她具備了難能可貴的洞察力，使她能深入了解通用汽車仍在不斷演變的員工文化。

????對她的這個提拔將獲得各界廣泛贊譽。芝加哥一位咨詢師格里高利?卡洛特說：“僅僅是提名一位女性，而且是一位聰明過人、技能高超、堅韌果斷的杰出女性這一行為本身就傳達了一個強烈的信號，說明通用汽車董事會到底重視什么。顯然它更在乎的是能力，而不是做老好人。”

????除了善于在公司的晉升臺階上一路高升之外——她一開始是通用汽車的實習生，芭拉還是泰迪?羅斯福總統所謂的辭令婉轉，但手段強硬這一警言的活脫脫化身。她的一雙慧眼非常善于發現公司的昏招，之后她就會通過掩蓋在柔和指令下的鐵腕手段來糾正、逆轉這類問題。她屬于那種罕見的、面對復雜問題時從不忽略常識的高管。

????Like a conscientious housekeeper, General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) chairman and CEO Dan Akerson has been tidying up the automaker for the past several months in preparation for his sudden, though not surprising, decision to retire in January.

????He rearranged GM's international operations, put a new man in charge of China, and ordered a halt to the decade-long effort to establish Chevrolet as a budget brand in Europe. And he signaled to all that Mary Barra was his most likely successor in August by handing her a big promotion. In a prediction that would have been published in the upcoming issue of Fortune, I wrote, "Akerson has said he favors an internal candidate to succeed him and that it was 'inevitable' that a woman would run GM someday -- which clears the way for senior vice president Mary Barra. GM's highest ranking woman." On Tuesday, GM made it official. That's great news for Barra, whose promotion ups the ante for women in charge of Fortune 500 companies; but it does mean the spike for my article. Alas.

????The company Barra inherits is much changed from the one Akerson reluctantly took over four years ago, stronger in many ways but still with significant weaknesses. The news comes a day after the Treasury Department said it unloaded its final stake in GM, which closes the book on Uncle Sam's 2009 bailout of the auto industry. But losses in Europe continue to mount (though they may have leveled off), as GM fights to hold on to its gains in China against a resurgent Volkswagen. Meanwhile the company has to reestablish itself as a technology leader after lavishing more than a billion dollars on the failed Chevrolet Volt.

????But Barra is highly qualified to deal with these issues. As head of global product development, purchasing, and supply chain, she was deeply involved in the restructuring of Europe's Opel. Her engineering background and ability to put hands on will allow her to efficiently supervise the rebuilding of GM's product portfolio, which already includes such recent hits as the new Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Impala, and Corvette. And her earlier stint as head of human resources gives her rare and valuable insights into GM's still evolving employee culture.

????Her appointment will be widely praised. Said Chicago-based consultant Gregory Carrott: "Simply the act of naming a woman, and one with great smarts, skill, and toughness, sends a powerful message about what the GM board values. It values competence over making nice."

????Besides having a knack for climbing the corporate ladder -- she started at GM as a student intern -- Barra is the living embodiment of Teddy Roosevelt's admonition to speak softly but carry a big stick. With a keen eye for spotting incidents of corporate idiocy, she manages to correct or reverse them with a steely resolve delivered with a soft message. She is that rare executive who doesn't ignore common sense when faced with a complicated problem.