Why Building in America Matters

The annual Mackinac Policy Conference brings together Michigan’s most influential leaders to discuss global economic issues. At the conference, Ford Motor Company's Executive Chair Bill Ford sat down with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to talk all things auto, the energy transition and American competitiveness in manufacturing. 

Here’s what he had to say: 

1. The rest of the world is moving faster than we are in the EV revolution. "Right now, the technology largely is outside America. We feel it’s really important, as does the administration, to build an American supply base as we transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles."

2. Making things in America matters. "If we outsource it all, we're not going to have a strong economy. That’s for sure. The other thing is that the multiplier effect of a manufacturing job is much greater than any other part of the economy."

3. It’s important to have a mix of vehicles. "One of the questions I'm frequently asked is: How quickly is this going to happen and what is the adoption rate? The short answer is we don't know. … And if this thing all breaks much faster than what I just described, we'll be ready."

In a time when trust in most government institutions continues to drag, what do Americans trust? 

Our Research and Insights team took a look at recent polling to find out:

• Americans' most trusted brand is Band-Aid (net trust 57.50), followed by UPS (net trust 54.90), Amazon (net trust 54.51), Lysol (net trust 54.49) and Kleenex (54.18). 

  • Net trust rating is calculated by subtracting the share who don’t trust the brand from the share who do trust the brand to do the right thing.

• The Weather Channel is America’s most trusted media source (62%). 

  • Similar shares say the news reported by NPR (38%), Fox News (38%), and CNN (39%) are very or somewhat trustworthy.

• Reputation rankings reveal brands like Patagonia (score 83.5), Costco (score 82.1) and John Deere (82.0) rise to the top of the list when measured for ratings on character, trajectory, trust, culture, ethics, citizenship, vision, growth and products. Brands like the Trump Organization (score 52.9), FTX (58.6) and Fox Corporation (59.3) fall to the bottom on these category rankings. 

• 65% of U.S. adults say they have a lot or some confidence in the Food and Drug Administration to ensure medications sold in the country are safe and effective.

• Only 37% of U.S. adults say they trust the Supreme Court a lot or somewhat to make the right decisions about cases related to reproductive and sexual health. 

  • Over two-thirds of women (69%) say they trust the Court not too much or not at all to make the right decision on this topic.

As summer vacation season (and remote-working season) loom, here are some reminders about building a hybrid work environment where everyone can thrive: 

• Adopt a flexible policy. Listen to your employees and be open to evolving your policy based on their needs. An authoritarian approach will only receive pushback and ultimately drive people away from the company. 

• Create an inclusive environment. One study found nearly 60% of women in a hybrid arrangement say they’ve been excluded from important meetings, although that figure is improving. Pay special attention to the needs of employee groups who are more likely to feel excluded and face career repercussions.

• Update your space. For employees, the value of spending time in the office comes from opportunities for collaboration and connecting with colleagues. A hybrid office should focus on flexible work spaces geared toward team gatherings and social interactions. 

• Establish hybrid meeting guidelines. Meetings that include in-person and remote participants can be particularly challenging. Establish rules of conduct that define procedures around taking turns and what the moderator’s tasks include.

• Invest in the right technology. Hybrid workers need tools that enable effective communication and collaboration. Beyond standard document sharing tools and Zoom, there is also a need for technologies that support virtual social interactions, workspace booking and unique collaboration.