I always kept in mind my father’s warning: “If he’s bigger than you are, don’t fight back. Use your head instead of your fists. - Lee Iacocca

But McNamara knew more than the actual facts — he also knew the hypothetical ones. When you talked with him, you realized that he had already played out in his head the relevant details for every conceivable option and scenario.

But one thing was perfectly clear: John was sacrificing himself to save the company. He was over his head and he knew it. Although it meant the end of his own career, he bent over backward to make sure that the transition would go as smoothly as possible. He blew himself out of the water to bring Chrysler back to life. And that is the test of a real hero.

What the last fifty taught us was the difference between right and wrong, that only hard work succeeds, that there are no free lunches, that you’ve got to be productive. Those are the values that made this country great.