Jack Welch and Leadership

Book excerpt: The Leadership Secrets of a Legendary CEO Jack Welch has long been esteemed as one of the greatest business leaders of our time. An ordinary man who came from modest means, he developed an extraordinary character and an effective executive style that, when he was tapped to lead General Electric in 1981, vaulted him into business history. His remarkable story is truly an inspiration to leaders from all walks of life. In "Jack Welch and Leadership, business expert and bestselling author James W. Robinson illuminates the leadership secrets of a man who created an unflinching set of principles that enabled him to not only conquer obstacles in his youth, but also triumph in a brutal marketplace that destroys billion-dollar corporations in the blink of an eye. You'll discover how Welch's vision and inexhaustible energy allowed him to take GE from a $13 billion organization to a $494 billion cash engine, how his demand for precision and excellence spawned the legendary Work-Out program, and how his passion for teaching created a corporate culture that cultivated new leaders. From the dark days of the Kidder Peabody scandal and the failed Honeywell bid to the renaissance of NBC and GE's securing its place atop the business world, Robinson reveals a Welch who is both steely and human. Today's business world requires leaders with guts and an indomitable spirit who can turn on a dime and build real company value. Welch was such a leader--he succeeded brilliantly where others failed. Guided by his magnificent example, so can you. "Jack Welch has not only trasformed General Electric into a global powerhouse, his leadership principles and management initiatives have inspired legions offans and followers throughout the business community. It's a tremendous American success story, and Jim Robinson is the ideal person to tell it." --Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce