250th Anniversary Episode, a Personal Perspective

250th Anniversary Episode, a Personal Perspective

In 1976, an 11-year-old girl from a small farm in Wales stood before a glass case in Greenwich, England, staring at strange uniforms and a document called the Constitution. The exhibition was titled "The British Story of the American Revolution." That was all Jan Griffiths knew of America, what she could see through the glass.

Decades later, she sits in the engine room of that country, in Detroit, at the heart of the auto industry.

This episode marks America's 250th anniversary, and Jan tells her own story to get at something bigger. She takes us from the shop floor at BorgWarner in Kenfig, South Wales, where the smell of oil and coolant hooked her for life, to Muncie, Indiana, to the drive up I-75 when the Detroit skyline first came into view, and something rushed through her. It is the story of what this country and this industry gave a young woman who would not have had the same shot back home in the 1980s. She names the people who believed in her, and she means every one of them.

Then she turns it forward. Jan draws a straight line from Frederick Taylor's work in 1911 and Henry Ford's moving assembly line in 1913 to the management playbook most legacy automakers still run today. The country is 250 years old. The industry's operating system is barely younger, and it has hardly changed. Culture is not soft, she says. Culture is how we behave and how we decide, and the industry does not have another century to sort it out, while Chinese OEMs move at speed, and relay-race handoffs slow down every decision.

She points to Jim Voss and the movement building inside Tenneco as proof of what happens when people rise up for a cause. And she reminds us what Detroit already knows about getting knocked down and coming back, from bankruptcy to two of the Big Three going under and returning stronger.

This is one immigrant's love for two countries and one industry, and a challenge to every leader who still talks about transformation instead of defining it.

Themes Discussed in this Episode

  • An immigrant's love for two countries
  • From a Welsh farm to Detroit's engine room
  • Why culture is not soft
  • The 100-year-old automotive playbook
  • Competing with Chinese OEMs on speed
  • Moving from a relay race to all players on the court
  • Detroit's grit and comeback story
  • Leaders defining transformation, not just talking about it

This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@jangriffithsautomotiveleaders

About Your Host – Jan Griffiths

Jan Griffiths is the champion for culture change and the host of the Automotive Leaders Podcast. A former automotive executive with a rebellious spirit, Jan is known for challenging outdated norms and inspiring leaders to ditch command and control. She brings honesty, energy, and courage to every conversation, proving that authentic, human-centered leadership is the future of the automotive industry.

Mentioned in this episode


Episode Highlights

  • [01:19] Through the glass in Greenwich: Jan takes us to 1976, an 11-year-old on a school trip staring at an exhibition called The British Story of the American Revolution, the first time America was more than something on TV.
  • [03:03] Hooked on the shop floor: BorgWarner in Kenfig, South Wales, the smell of oil and coolant, and the moment a farm girl fell for automotive manufacturing.
  • [03:58] "Don't go to Detroit": Why Jan ignored the warnings out of Muncie, took the torque converter job in Sterling Heights, and felt a rush the first time the skyline came into view on I-75.
  • [07:30] A moment of gratitude: Jan names the people who believed in her and shaped her career, from Paul Humphreys to Lon Offenbacher.
  • [08:40] You never fully assimilate: What a psychiatrist once told her about immigrants, and why she can love Wales and America at the same time.
  • [10:53] Culture is not soft: Jan pushes back on the eye-roll, defining culture as how we behave and how we decide, not hierarchy and performative theater.
  • [11:52] A playbook from 1911: Frederick Taylor's work, Henry Ford's 1913 assembly line, and why the industry's operating system has barely changed since.
  • [14:43] From relay race to basketball: The handoffs and resistance points that slow legacy automakers, and what it looks like when everyone plays on the court.
  • [18:09] All in: Jan's closing challenge to leaders who talk about transformation instead of defining it, and why the industry cannot wait.

Top Quotes

[02:44] Jan Griffiths: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would go from peering through the glass at America to being firmly planted in the engine of that country in Detroit, but here we are."

[10:53] Jan Griffiths: "Culture is how we behave. It's how we act. It's our framework for how we make decisions, for how we operate."

[17:23] Jan Griffiths: "Detroit didn't just put America on wheels. It built the model, the system for people to share in that prosperity, and we need that back again."

[18:29] Jan Griffiths: "I am all in on this country, I am all in on this industry, and I am most definitely all in on Detroit."

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This podcast episode is also available on YouTube. Check out our YouTube channel at Jangriffithsautomotiveleaders

Send us your feedback or questions — email Jan at Jan@Gravitasdetroit.com.