Investing.com - Mary Barra grew up with General Motors (NYSE:GM). Now she's trying to grow GM back into an automotive powerhouse.Raised in a Detroit suburb, Barra watched her father go off to work at a GM manufacturing plant before heading off to the General Motors Institute, now Kettering University. There she began her career at GM in a work-study program. Barra went on to earn a BS in electrical engineering, followed by a MBA from Stanford University, this time thanks to a GM fellowship program.For thirty years, Barra worked her way up at GM. She was in charge of virtually everything at one time or another, from human resources to engineering to manufacturing. Since taking the helm at GM, Barra's continued the company's turnaround. The company sold its money-losing European unit and has exploited the SUV-crossover sales boom.Barra has also embraced the self-driving vehicle revolution. GM signed a major partnership with Lyft and attracted a huge investment from Japan's Softbank. Thus far, the payoff for shareholders has been modest. GM's stock is up a mere 10% during Barra's tenure. Off the job, Barra serves on the boards of Stanford, Walt Disney, the Detroit Economic Club and the Detroit Country Day School. As for Barra's prescription for success, it's simple enough. She says: "If you do every job like you're going to do it for the rest of your life, that's when you get noticed." Sound advice from a lifer.