????剩下的其他四人中，誰將獲得幸運女神的垂青呢？

????現年63歲的首席財務官路易斯·布茨盡管業績驕人，但他很可能更愿意隱退；而48歲的營銷奇才吉姆·法利則需要更多的歷練。

????這樣就只剩兩位候選人了。據說，穆拉利青睞的是與其共事的工程師韓瑞麒。韓今年44歲，擁有哈佛商學院（Harvard Business School）的學位。2000年，他加盟福特，擔任變速器工廠的經理。此后，他從這一基層職位起步，一路平步青云。現在，韓是福特汽車中國公司的總裁兼首席執行官，同時還掌管著福特汽車亞太區的運營大權。

????不過，比爾·福特擁有決定性的一票。據公司內部擁有知情權的人士透露，他的選擇與公司里許多人的選擇一致，都傾向于起用馬克·菲爾茲。菲爾茲現年50歲，也畢業于哈佛商學院。他掌管著福特汽車核心的北美業務，并主抓公司最賺錢的車型：F-150皮卡。在他的任期內，福特汽車得以躋身于底特律三雄（Detroit Three），成為最有能力抵御進口汽車激烈競爭的廠商之一。盡管他會在周末與家人去佛羅里達度假，但在每周的上班時間里，他都會在辦公室工作很長時間，同時刻意回避當地媒體的關注。

????人們看好菲爾茨角逐首席執行官寶座還有另外一個原因：如果落敗，他肯定會離開公司，找一份離家更近、相對更清閑的工作。而韓瑞麒則不太可能離開。他更可能會順理成章地獲得提升，接替菲爾茨的職責，隨后就等待公司的授意，等著參加下一輪的權力交接競賽。

????那么，假定菲爾茨是福特下任首席執行官的頭號候選人，福特公司將為這一權力移交做哪些準備呢？

????福特可以好好學學通用電氣公司（General Electric）的杰克·韋爾奇。韋爾奇在自己卸任的6年前就啟動了一項繼任者規劃，它大致羅列了一位首席執行官所需具備的技能和個性特征，并將三位繼任者的名單公之于眾。2000年，當通用電氣最終宣布杰夫·伊梅爾特將接任首席執行官時，幾乎沒有引起任何喧囂。

????福特汽車和穆拉利的工作則要容易得多。既然已沒有真正的繼任者選拔賽了，他們亟需要做的就是，讓菲爾茨獲得更多的公眾關注，讓他對媒體的曝光感到更坦然，并讓外界有機會加深對他的了解。這就需要精力旺盛的穆拉利稍微退居二線一些。不過，除非他打算終身擔任首席執行官一職，否則穆拉利一定也樂意向自己的繼任者伸出援手，由此也為自己在福特汽車已經無比輝煌的業績上再添上濃墨重彩的一筆。

????譯者：清遠

????Who among the remaining four will get the nod?

????Despite his stellar performance as CFO, Lewis Booth, 63, would probably prefer to retire, while marketing guru Jim Farley, 48, needs broader experience.

????That leaves two candidates. Mulally is said to favor fellow engineer Joe Hinrichs. Hinrichs, 44, holds a degree from Harvard Business School, and has risen quickly up the ranks from the factory floor since joining Ford as the manager of a transmission plant in 2000. Hinrichs is currently chairman and CEO of Ford China and runs Ford's operations in Asia Pacific.

????But Bill Ford has the deciding vote, and his choice, as well as that of many in the company, according to those in a position to know, is Mark Fields. Another HBS graduate, Fields, 50, runs Ford's core North American operations and is responsible for the company's biggest moneymaker: the F-150 pickup truck. During his tenure, Ford Motor has emerged as the member of the Detroit Three most able to resist the inroads of import competition. Although he spends weekends in Florida with his family, Fields logs long hours in the office during the workweek and avoids the local media spotlight.

????There's another reason why the CEO's job is Fields' to lose: If passed over, he would almost surely leave the company for less grueling work closer to home. There is less chance of losing Hinrichs. He could plausibly be promoted to Fields' old job and told to wait his turn for the next opening.

????So assuming Fields is first in line to be Ford's next CEO, how does the company prepare the world for this transition?

????It could learn some things from General Electric's (GE) Jack Welch. Six years before he retired, Welch started a succession planning process, outlining the skills and characteristics that a CEO should have and letting it be known who the three leading candidates were to replace him. When the announcement was finally made in 2000 that he would be succeeded by Jeffrey Immelt, there was little surprise.

????Ford and Mulally's job is much easier. Since there is no real horse race, they mostly need to give Fields public exposure to make him feel more comfortable and to give outsiders a chance to size him up. That will require the energetic Mulally to back off a little. But unless he intends to remain CEO for life, Mulally surely will be motivated to give his successor a helping hand and thus add to his already superlative record at Ford.