Good post. To be fair to the guy who made the worst business decision of the last ten years outside of Anheuser-Busch, the car rental industry is one that is almost completely “commoditized.” Your customers are always looking for the cheapest option for the size and comfort level they want, so there are very few options for a major player like Hertz to set itself apart from its competitors. This is one that might have actually worked if they had done it in small steps instead of one big step.
Exactly.
Americans' love of fantasy,fictional heroes and political slogans extends to the corporate suite. A CEO who instead focused on steady incremental improvements, basic cost controls, and operational efficiency (necessary for any commodity business) would be declared "to have no vision."