Quotes

“The idea flow from the human spirit is absolutely unlimited. All you have to do is tap into that well. I don't like to use the word efficiency. It's creativity. It's a belief that every person counts.” Jack Welch

“There's no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.” Jack Welch

“My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull out some weeds, too.” Jack Welch

“Strong managers who make tough decisions to cut jobs provide the only true job security in today's world. Weak managers are the problem. Weak managers destroy jobs.” Jack Welch

“Culture drives great results.” Jack Welch

“If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete.” Jack Welch

“You got to be rigorous in your appraisal system.” Jack Welch

“The biggest cowards are managers who don't let people know where they stand.” Jack Welch

“The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important - and then get out of their way while they do it.” Jack Welch

“I've learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success.” Jack Welch

“Any jerk can have short-term earnings. You squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, and the company sinks five years later.” Jack Welch

“Be candid with everyone.” Jack Welch

“The productivity now at universities is terrible. Tenure is a terrible idea. It keeps them around forever and they don't have to work hard.” Jack Welch

“If you have a reputation as a big, stiff bureaucracy, you're stuck.” Jack Welch

“In order to lead a country or a company, you've got to get everybody on the same page and you've got to be able to have a vision of where you're going. America can't have a vision of health care for everybody, green economy, regulations - can't have a bunch of piece-meal activities. It's got to have a vision.” Jack Welch

“One of the jobs of a manager is to instill confidence, pump confidence into your people. And when you've got somebody who's raring to go and you can smell it and feel it, give 'em that shot.” Jack Welch

“The Internet is the Viagra of big business.” Jack Welch

“CEOs can talk and blab each day about culture, but the employees all know who the jerks are. They could name the jerks for you. It's just cultural. People just don't want to do it.” Jack Welch

“Give me a highly successful unionized industry.” Jack Welch

“Public hangings are teaching moments. Every company has to do it. A teaching moment is worth a thousand CEO speeches. CEOs can talk and blab each day about culture, but the employees all know who the jerks are. They could name the jerks for you. It's just cultural. People just don't want to do it.” Jack Welch

“Short cycle business are being impacted by credit, and are being impacted by gasoline prices, food, distribution businesses, chemical business.” Jack Welch

“The story about GE that hasn't been told is the value of an informal place. I think it's a big thought. I don't think people have ever figured out that being informal is a big deal.” Jack Welch

“I actually think that the economy has got some positives. It's got the market. It's got consumer confidence and it's got banks throwing - I mean central bankers throwing money at it around the world.” Jack Welch

“What's important at the grocery store is just as important in engines or medical systems. If the customer isn't satisfied, if the stuff is getting stale, if the shelf isn't right, or if the offerings aren't right, it's the same thing. You manage it like a small organization. You don't get hung up on zeros.” Jack Welch

“If you don't have public hangings for bad culture in a company, if you don't take people out and let them say, they went home to spend more time with the family. It's crazy.” Jack Welch

“The team with the best players wins.” Jack Welch

“Don't manage - lead change before you have to.” Jack Welch

“You measure your people and you take action on those that don't measure up.” Jack Welch

“The 1980s will seem like a walk in the park when compared to new global challenges, where annual productivity increases of 6% may not be enough. A combination of software, brains, and running harder will be needed to bring that percentage up to 8% or 9%.” Jack Welch

“Out-innovating them is the way to beat China. And to do everything that we do in this country to support innovative policy, that drives innovation and new products and more jobs and creates jobs. You can't - you can't put a wall up around here. We tried that in the '30s. It didn't work.” Jack Welch