Congratulations, you've just become the owner of an automobile company. No doubt this has been a dream of yours. You've advised others how to run things, and you've explained how things would be different if you were in charge. Now it's your turn.

But, be careful. All of your experience is in different sorts of roles — labor and government, to be specific. Perhaps some of the people on your team have had some success at organizing people. These skills are important, but they're quite different from the talents you need now to lead and manage a multifunctional organization. You'll have to learn as you go. You're accustomed to getting everything you want, eventually, but now you'll have to be more “accommodating.”

First, you'll have to learn to respond to investors. As it happens, there aren't too many left, and most of them are you and your constituents in labor and/or government. So, they won't be too demanding for “profits” or “returns on investment,” as most investors would be of most management groups. Still, you'll have to be ready to provide answers, credible answers, when the investors start to question your strategy or your competence.

Though you've probably never done it before, start paying close attention to your competition. They have concepts and practices that have proven to be effective for coordinating global organizations. They develop new products. They implement ideas, lead workers in complex processes, and deploy resources effectively.

Most important, your competitors have demonstrated that they can focus on the primary task: producing cars and trucks. You'll have to change your focus: Wages and benefits are only one part of your responsibilities now.

Respect your suppliers. Your predecessors didn't always do appreciate how valuable suppliers are to their success. You should communicate with them, often. You should encourage them to understand what you're trying to do, and how. And you should pay them. Sooner, rather than later, you should acknowledge that they make it possible for you to accomplish your goals.

One area that ought to be simpler for you to master is government relations: your experience and your associations will serve you well. You'll probably get the trade rulings you seek, and regulators aren't likely to trouble you too much, considering your “connections.”

Public relations may be more difficult. You probably expect the general public to be rooting for “the little guy” who's overcoming the odds to succeed in big business. Don't count on it. The average person understands you won your position by beating down your competition. You took a hard line, and you won, so don't expect any sympathy.

This means you've got a customer relations problem, too. You can't raise prices to meet your budgetary goals (like the post office, for example, or a passenger rail service), and you can't force customers to choose your products.

Listen to the buyers. If they like your products and your service, you'll succeed. Don't lecture them to accept products you want them to buy because they're good for the environment, or for the economy, or for your profit margin. And, if customers don't accept your offerings, don't blame them for your failures.

One area where you might expect things to go smoothly is labor relations. Over the years you've made so many proposals that you probably feel you have enough good ideas to work out any problems, and you're undoubtedly counting on the support and cooperation of all your employees. But don't get too confident; they've been promised a lot, and they don't expect to be disappointed.

Whatever you do, remember: you're in charge. There's no one else to blame.