This is leadership from an executive who is the CEO of Japan Airlines. He cut his pay to less than what the pilots at his company are making. He eats in the employees cafeteria and rides a city bus to work.

This is leadership by example. The Board of Directors and executives of our auto industry cannot expect their fellow employees to make sacrifices if they are not willing to sacrifices themselves. Talk is cheap and can cause employees, or members of any group, to buy into what the leader says in the short run. Action is what motivates over the long haul.

Barak Obama is a good example of this. He won an election to a great extent because of his oratory skills and his ability to communicate. He also won the election because of his organization skills and his ability to get his team to remain focused on the goal. In the long run Obama will only be successful if he takes action and remains as focused as he was in the campaign

The auto executives and the UAW should learn from the leadership skills of the CEO of Japanese Airlines. Everyone in the American auto industry is going to be expected to make sacrifices. The  Board of Directors and executives at the top are part of this group called "everyone". They need to cut their own salaries and take stock options in their own companies to show their commitment.

The UAW needs to be an integral member of the team who develops and ultimately implements this plan for survival. The leadership of the UAW has a special problem because a plan is needed by December 2nd and this does not give him enough time for getting membership approval. This obstacle must be overcome in some manner.

It is time to lead.