Synopses & Reviews
The world tries to keep up when JACK WELCH SPEAKS:
"Jack Welch has long been one of my heroes. When you read this book you will understand why." -Warren Buffett Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway.
"Jack Welch is a management genius who attacks life as he does business-with unconventional flair, a restless intellect, and no tolerance for phonies. And I'd say that even if he weren't my boss!" -Tom Brokaw Anchor and Managing Editor, NBC
"Jack Welch describes himself as 'just a man in a room.' Janet Lowe takes us into this room by letting the man speak for himself. Through his own words, it becomes clear why he is listened to and emulated all over the world. Big man, big room." -Sam Nunn Former U.S. Senator; Partner, King and Spalding.
"All too often, the journalistic adulation heaped upon business leaders is misplaced or vastly overstated. In the case of Welch, he's even better than his press." -Larry Bossidy Chairman and CEO, Allied Signal Inc.
"Jack Welch Speaks shows business at its most fascinating. It gives the reader a valuable insight into the mind and personal philosophy of one of America's keenest, most effective business leaders." -Ely Callaway Founder and Chairman, Callaway Golf.
"The gold standard against which other CEOs are measured." -BusinessWeek.
"The most acclaimed SOB of the last decade is the most acclaimed CEO of this one." -Industry Week.
He is one of the most praised, perhaps the most feared, and certainly one of the most confounding and controversial bosses in America-a complex, intensely private man, revered as the manager's manager. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Electric, Jack Welch has been at the forefront of the reconstruction of American industry. From the moment he assumed his position 16 years ago, Welch sought dramatic and swift change. He quickly realized the demands of the new, global, high-tech environment, and met the challenge with decisive action and, in the opinion of many, ruthless determination. He broadened corporate America's vocabulary with words that still strike terror in the hearts of many an employee: restructuring, downsizing, rightsizing. In the process, Jack Welch turned an aging, albeit highly respected and historic, business icon into what is considered by many today to be the best managed company in the world and, above all, one of the most profitable.
Now, Janet Lowe, author of the bestselling Warren Buffett Speaks, presents in Welch's own words the insights, vision, passions, and persuasions of a legendary leader. Here's just a sample of what you'll find inside:
* "We're going to demand from you earnings growth every year. . . . Those are the rules of the road. . . . You take charge of your destiny. If you don't, we will."
* "As I went to bigger pieces of GE, I found bigger bureaucracies, layers and all that stuff and it wasn't friendly. Business was very serious-turf-boxes. Business isn't that. Business is ideas and fun and excitement and celebrations, all those things."
* "When you're running an institution, you're always scared at first. You're afraid you might break it."
* "If someone tells me 'I'm working 90 hours a week,' I say, 'You're doing something terribly wrong.' I go skiing on the weekend, I go out with my buddies on Friday and party. You've got to do the same or you've got a bad deal."
* "Speed is everything. It is the indispensable ingredient in competitiveness. Speed keeps business and people young. It's addictive, and it's a profoundly American taste we need to cultivate."
Synopsis
In the tradition of her bestselling Warren Buffett Speaks, Janet Lowe has gathered a collection of insightful excerpts from Welch's speeches and printed materials. We hear Welch speak on childhood, winning, honesty, the global marketplace, and on the prospect of passing the torch at General Electric when he retires in a few years.
Once the sparkling brainchild of Thomas Edison, stodgy General Electric was struggling to compete when Jack Welch took over the helm in 1981. He initiated a dramatic refocusing and retooling of the company that, while often painful for the downsized employees of the former lumbering giant, resulted in the transformation of GE from a dimming bulb into one of the world's most dazzlingly successful enterprises. These days GE brings many good things to life, especially shareholder profits that are the envy of all.
Synopsis
Considered one of the most dynamic CEOs of all time, Jack Welch transformed General Electric from an aging electronics manufacturer beset by foreign competitors into a world-class company that provided superb returns to investors. Even in retirement, Welch's voice is heard around the world, as he continues to address issues such as corporate management and personal and business success.
Now, in this completely updated edition of Jack Welch Speaks, bestselling author Janet Lowe presents the insights, visions, and philosophies that have guided Welch during his extraordinary career at GE and his post-GE life. Throughout these pages, Lowe intersperses her comments with extensive quotes from Welch on executive compensation, business ethics, and other issues that continue to plague corporate America. Lowe also digs deep to find theideas and values that enabled Welch to successfully reposition GE in the global marketplace.
Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Jack Welch Speaks offers an objective assessment of Welch's careerfrom the management principles that helped him excel to the controversy surrounding his compensation packageand provides lessons in leadership that cannot be found anywhere else. Here's just a sample of what you'll find inside:
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you became a leader, success is about growing others."
"When you're running an institution, you're always scared at first. You're afraid you might break it."
"Business is like any game. It has players, a language, a complex history, rules, controversies, and rhythm."
"If someone tells me 'I'm working 90 hours a week,' I say, 'You're doing something terribly wrong.' I go skiing on the weekend, I go out with my buddies on Friday and party. You've got to do the same or you've got a bad deal."
With this book as your guide, you'll not only learn how Jack Welch became one of the world's most-lauded CEOs, but you'll also discover exactly what it takes to achieve unparalleled success in today's dynamic business environment.
Synopsis
The world listens when Jack Welch Speaks.
Jack Welch is a global business legend. As chairman and CEO of General Electric, he was at the forefront of the reconstruction of American industry. In retirement, he hasn't disappeared from the world's economic canvas, but rather moved from a master manager to the master of his own universe. Now, in this new edition of Jack Welch Speaks, bestselling author Janet Lowe presents Welchin his own wordsand helps you to understand who he is, and how and why he does what he does.
"Jack Welch has long been one of my heroes. When you read this book you will understand why."
Warren Buffett
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
"Jack Welch is a management genius who attacks life as he does businesswith unconventional flair, a restless intellect, and no tolerance for phonies."
Tom Brokaw former anchor and managing editor, NBC
"Jack Welch describes himself as 'just a man in a room.' Janet Lowe takes us into this room by letting the man speak for himself. Through his own words, it becomes clear why he is listened to and emulated all over the world. Big man, big room."
Sam Nunn, CEO of NTI, former U.S. Senator (Georgia)
About the Author
JANET LOWE's previous books include Warren Buffett Speaks (Wiley), the bestselling Benjamin Graham on Value Investing, Value Investing Made Easy, and The Secret Empire. Her hundreds of articles have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Ms. Lowe lives in Del Mar, California, with her husband, Austin Lynas.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
IN ONE DECADE: FROM LETTERMAN TO SEINFELD N AMERICAN ODYSSEY.
Growing Up in Salem.
The First to Go to College.
Sports Were Everything.
Ice Can’t Form on a Swift-Moving Stream.
Take This Job and Do It.
QUALITIES OF A LEADER: WELCH STYLE.
The Challenge: To Be Fair.
The Temperament of a Boss.
The Thrill of Victory.
A Typical Meeting with Chairman Welch.
Humor Us.
WELCH’S WORLD: GENERAL ELECTRIC.
The Engine Called General Electric.
GE: Just an Everyday $163 Billion Family Store.
Beyond National Borders.
Heros.
The Holy City.
GE Jargon.
Dirty Diamonds and Other GE Scandals.
THE FABRIC OF LEADERSHIP.
Be a Leader, Not a Manager.
No Ideas du Jour.
The Trap: Measuring Everything, Understanding Nothing.
Don’t Sell Hats to Each Other.
Share Information.
The Creed.
Four Types of Leaders.
The Best Mutual Fund in the World.
WELCH, THE CHANGE AGENT.
Change Before You Have To.
Go for the Leap.
Managing Paradox.
Productivity: Unlimited Juice in the Lemon.
THE HARDWARE REVOLUTION.
Putting Money on the Right Gambles.
Three Big Circles.
Be Number 1 or Number 2: A Concept That Should Be Gone.
Flattening the GE Wedding Cake.
Downsizing.
Honey, I Shrunk GE.
THE SOFTWARE REVOLUTION.
The Soft Values.
Workout.
Simplicity.
Speed.
Self-Confi dence.
Labor Unions.
A Boundaryless GE.
Searching the Planet for the Best Practices.
Teamwork.
Stretch.
Six Sigma Quality.
It All Comes Out in the Wash.
TAKING STOCK.
Fail Your Way to Success.
Welch’s Critics.
The German Point of View.
Being a Good Citizen.
Work/Life Balance.
How Much Is Leadership Worth?
What Made Jack Welch a Success?
THE ROCKY ROAD TO RETIREMENT.
The Race for Jack’s Job.
How the Contenders Have Done.
The Honeywell Hustle.
Honeywell after GE.
GE after Jack.
THE REINVENTION OF JACK WELCH.
Falling in Love.
Back at Harvard Business Review: A Moral Dilemma.
Who Is Suzy?
The Dirty Divorce.
Passing Back the Perks.
The Wedding.
The New Couple.
The John F. Welch College of Business.
Jack’s New Career.
SUMMING UP.
General Electric and Jack Welch— A Chronology.
Endnotes.
Permissions.