Henderson touts 'new norm' at GM By Christine Tierney The Detroit News Detroit -- In less than four months on the job, General Motors Co. President and Chief Executive Fritz Henderson already has been through more than most CEOs ever experience. Henderson, 50, was thrust into the position in March when the U.S. government forced out his mentor and boss, former Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. Within weeks, Henderson found himself steering GM through a risky bankruptcy -- under threat of liquidation if the process was not completed by Friday. At a news conference to mark the emergence -- just in the nick of time -- of the new GM, Henderson displayed some of the qualities that have earned him the confidence of the government, GM's largest shareholder, and the company's new chairman: decisiveness, assurance, a firm grasp of the business and a barely concealed impatience. After thanking everyone who helped to speed GM through bankruptcy, Henderson made it clear that the pace will not let up. 'Starting today, we take the intensity, the decisiveness, and the speed of these last several weeks and we transfer it to the day-to-day operation of the new company,' he said. 'This is the new norm at GM.' Henderson is under intense pressure to transform GM, where a hidebound, bureaucratic culture contributed to its long decline and near-collapse. Henderson also has to demonstrate to skeptics that an insider can re-invent the 100-year-old company. More than an insider, Henderson is a lifer. Born in Detroit, he studied business at the University of Michigan and Harvard University, and has spent his entire career at GM, advancing rapidly through the ranks in North America and overseas. But GM officials and people who know the company say its culture is changing under Henderson, whose style is different from Wagoner's. 'If Rick had a problem, it was that he was tremendously indecisive,' said Sean McAlinden, vice president at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. Now, 'they've got a far more decisive management group and that's what they need.' Henderson hands down decisions quickly and moves on to the next issue, say GM officials. 'Look how long it took us to take down the Oldsmobile brand. It took a long time,' said Tom Stephens, vice chairman of global product development. As for GM's recent decision to cut four brands, Henderson 'did that in a matter of weeks.' He slashed the number of nameplates to 34 from last year's level of 48. 'Again, he did that in a matter of weeks,' Stephens said. Henderson now is trying to speed up the company's response times and decision-making by collapsing two high-level boards with roughly 25 members into one executive committee of eight. In contrast to past GM bosses, Henderson delegates more responsibility, officials say. So far, his performance has reassured the Obama administration's auto task force ss well as GM's chairman, former AT&T Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. 'I'm a great believer in strong management,' Whitacre said Friday at the hour-long news conference at GM's Detroit headquarters. 'We have that in Fritz.' One of the boldest moves announced Friday was a decision to combine GM's overseas operations under the responsibility of Asia veteran Nick Reilly, based in Shanghai. While GM is scaling back its presence in Europe, it is pressing ahead in emerging markets. As former head of the GM Asia Pacific region, Henderson oversaw GM's development in China, where the U.S. automaker is a leading player along with its partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Asked whether the 12-hour difference between Detroit and the new global operations center posed an inconvenience, Henderson looked perplexed. 'Don't you know we work 24/7?' 