About the book
General Electric's longtime chief Jack Welch tells his story with John A. Byrne, from a working-class childhood through his early days at GE Plastics to the top of the company. Nicknamed Neutron Jack and called the world's toughest boss, Welch was named Manager of the Century by Fortune, and he recounts twenty years of turning an aging giant into an engine of growth and innovation. The account covers corporate standoffs and deals worth billions, yet it keeps returning to people and to his habit of demanding the best from others and from himself. A later edition was published with a new afterword by Welch.
Warren Buffett called it terrific in his 2001 shareholder letter and told readers to get a copy. Annika Falkengren, chief executive of SEB Group, said it inspired her with its lessons that there are no shortcuts, that brutal facts must be faced and that failure has value when it teaches something.
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This book has 3 recommendations
Annika Falkengren (CEO/SEB Group)
I read Jack Welch’s book back in 2003 and it was at the time a great source of inspiration. There were a couple of things that got stuck in my mind and in some cases changed my mind: that there are no shortcuts, that facts always must be faced no matter how brutal and that losing or failing had a value as long as your learn from them. His thoughts on how crucial the soft values are, inspired me a lot. It is really a genuine focus on people and mindset, or call it culture, that makes an organization excel in the long run.
Warren Buffett (CEO/Berkshire Hathaway)
Last fall, Charlie and I read Jack Welch's terrific book, Jack, Straight from the Gut (get a copy!).
Tudor Mihailescu (Finance and Business Enablement Manager)
In every industry, there would be many relevant books but nothing would replace being in touch with the customers and people in own organisation. It’s a vast of space to recommend books, but I would suggest that learning how proven entrepreneurs or managers have done this as a good start (read about Jake Welch – Straight from the Gut, Steve Jobs, Shoe Dog – Phil Knight or Elon Musk) – admittedly, some of them may set a very high bar.
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Often recommended alongside
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight (2 shared recommenders)