14 Quotes And Principles On The Leadership Of Jack Welch Part 2

The following is Part 2 of CNBC’s Titans series recapping their profile of General Electric CEO Jack Welch.  To read Part 1, click here.

1. “Jack is a master of the hand-written note.” – Matt Lauer
2. “Another things great CEOs do is they, with their limited time and presence they get personally involved in ways that are symbolic and they send a message.  Jack was very famous for diving down into the details and asking people questions and getting involved in nitty, gritty stuff.” - Michael Porter 
3. “A little fear never hurt.”
4. “You want your people to totally buy-in to what you’re doing.  You don’t want them to be frightened of you.  You don’t want any of that.  You want them to be constantly coming in with ideas and open.” 
5. “To me, a conversation with Jack is more of an interrogation than a conversation.” – Tim Newnan
6. “I made choices, but the choices were choices I wanted to make.”
7. “I did what I wanted to do.”
8. What brings you joy today? – “My wife. I’ve got a great wife and I’m madly in love.  I am excited everyday for our kids, my kids.”
9. “I lived my life always exactly as I wanted to.  I’m not going to do anything differently.”
10. “He’s always been special to me.” – Robert Nardelli
11. “I think his legacy will be a guy that was a visionary.  A guy that was imminently practical.  And a person who insisted on getting things done.” – Larry Bossidy
12. “He was a tough love coach but he was a coach.” – Steve Kerr
13. “Got to look at his legacy as what he created and a style of management.  A style that said embrace the people around you, and show them they are important to you and they will do anything for you in return.” – Mat Lauer
14. When asked what are your regrets, Welch replies, “Regrets?  How can I have regrets?…I’m the luckiest man alive.”

For additional content on great business leaders, see these resources:

• 15 Leadership Quotes From Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A President and COO
• What Keeps Coke CEO Muhtar Kent Awake At Night
• 5 Uncommon Sense Lessons From Guy Kawasaki’s New Book “Enchantment”

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