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JACK, by Jack Welch
From Issue One of our newsletter.
In recent years, Jack Welch has been high profile: making change happen at General Electric, battling with Mario Monti, EU Competition Commissioner; his personal life the subject of tabloid tittle-tattle.
But if you have not yet read it all, do it now. It’s a book for people who believe management can add value and that leadership is the key element of this art/science. From Jack’s descriptions of his childhood in Salem, Massachusetts, under his mum’s watchful eye, to his encounters with some of the world’s elite, this is a warm and personal history. Although, thankfully not a management manual, there are many powerful pieces of advice.
"Being himself" is the starting point, authenticity is the basis of integrity. Integrity - being "straight and honest" - is a critical value for Jack. "Informality", not bureaucratic pomposity, is also essential to get close to the people, the customer and the issue. "Being CEO is about 75% people and 25% other stuff".
Most of all this is about passion, making decisions/choices; the Vitality Curve – getting managers to stop ducking crucial decisions about performance. It’s also about continuous learning- using Crotonville to remake GE and accepting and driving change through "boundaryless" thinking.
Click here for a profile of Richard Nelson.