Quotes from Jack Welch

People aren't the same. Business is, in my opinion, all about the team that fields the best players. It's not about an idea. An idea goes away. Somebody catches up with it. It's not about a widget.

What business could be mature when you have economies with more than 2 billion people in India, China and Southeast Asia?

Real change agents comprise less than 10% of all business people.

The 3Ss of Winning in business are speed, simplicity, and self-confidence.

Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence.

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.

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.

Control Your Own Destiny or Someone Else Will

Number one, cash is king... number two, communicate... number three, buy or bury the competition.

An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

A strategy is something like, an innovative new product globalization, taking your products around the world be the low-cost producer. A strategy is something you can touch you can motivate people with be number one and number two in every business. You can energize people around the message.

The Internet is the Viagra of big business.

Willingness to change is a strength, even if it means plunging part of the company into total confusion for a while.

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

I was afraid of the internet... because I couldn't type.

Don't manage - lead change before you have to.

I've learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success.

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.

You've got to eat while you dream. You've got to deliver on short-range commitments, while you develop a long-range strategy and vision and implement it. The success of doing both. Walking and chewing gum if you will. Getting it done in the short-range, and delivering a long-range plan, and executing on that.

If GE's strategy of investment in China is wrong, it represents a loss of a billion dollars, perhaps a couple of billion dollars. If it is right, it is the future of this company for the next century.

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.

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.

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.

When you were made a leader you weren't given a crown, you were given the responsibility to bring out the best in others.