Aug 03, 2004 10:06 PM
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(Updated Aug 03, 2004 10:06 PM)
I wanted to read this book ever since I started working at GE. I had heard legends about this guy, and I was really impressed with GE work culture. I finally got hold of it at my local library, and I just couldn't put it down !!
Straight from the Gut: the name says tons about the spirit of the book.
The book lays a lot of emphasis on holding on to your beliefs, not trying to be someone else. The one point he stresses on throughout the book is integrity. Integrity of the individual and integrity of the organization, which shows in the work culture of the organization.
I have seen it up-front, having worked at GE for more than four years now. I know what he means when he says he cannot stress enough on the importance of work cultures. Building relationships, having pride in your work, being passionate, and never losing focus ? add these to a work culture that promotes ?meritrocracy? ? and you have a winning formula. Although Jack doesn?t say this in so many words in the book, I got this impression reading the book.
Jack Welch (I didn?t know his official name was John Welch till I read this book!!) walks you thru his career at GE, with a quick look at his formative years. It is a captivating story of how a small-town boy held on to his beliefs, his mother?s teachings, and went on to become one of the greatest ? heck, THE greatest Corporate Leaders of all times !!
The chapters give you an insight on the kind of work a CEO does, and more about how a successful CEO does it. It answers some of the questions on how GE has been able to maintain its market position thru the years ? more than a century now, and what makes it tick. In fact, it covers a lot of ground on why many American companies made it big. It is also, in retrospect, a story of the classical American dream. A small town boy making it big! And how !!
This book is a good reading for not just managers, but everyone ! It teaches about a lot of winning values in life, which would help you irrespective of whether you are a manager or not.
