Jack- Straight From the Gut – Jack Welch

Book Review: Jack – Straight From The Gut

The name Jack Welch is synonymous with big business. In other words, GE. And GE, for that matter, is well known for its application of Six Sigma – the gold standard for quality, if you will. Even if Motorola created it in the first place.

 

In any case, the only reason why I read this book was because of the influence of a woman who worked at GE, and seemed to throw out words like passion, labor of love and so on and so forth. Yet it was the very words ‘Six Sigma’ that drew me to the book and instead, got me thinking very differently about my life as an employee.

 

It’s all about people, and not just the numbers. That’s probably the essence of this book and comes from an executive that is widely considered to be one of the best businessmen in his generation.

 

Yes, It’s All About The People You Work With…

 

This is not just a book where Jack talks about himself only but mostly about the people that helped get to the top of GE – simple, everyday people that he spent most of his Life with at GE. In fact, some people go on to say that this book is really a love letter to these people – made very clear as soon as you read the Prologue of this book.

 

As he weaves between his personal life and at GE, there’s no doubt that he deserved the nickname ‘Neutron Jack’ for being able to eliminate ‘waste’, leaving GE the most valuable company in the world when he left it.

 

Of course, it was obvious that Welch was looking for the best and brightest employees during his term but most of all, he believed that if GE had to move forward, they would have to stop spending so much money. His penchant for being direct in communicating rose from a toughness that gave him to strength to make tough decisions that most people would shirk from.

 

And he attributes his successes to his mother. I identify with that, and find that part very revealing about the man.

 

As for his dislike for bureaucracy, tradition and rituals, that really set him apart from the crowd, not forgetting the results he obtained at the time he left in 2000, they had truly become an organization that was boundaryless in more ways than one.

 

The chapter that I liked in the book, and that most people will too, is the one where he discusses salient points for new CEOs to keep in mind. Make no mistake: this book is not just a recollection of Jack’s experiences as the CEO of GE but in fact, a record of how big business in America did business at the time.

 

And despite the success that he achieved over a period of two years, the man admits to not having a real plan for GE when he took charge but actually making decisions according to how he wanted it to ‘feel’…

 

In Closing

No matter who you are and where you are in business, this book is one of the all-time greats that is a must-read for everyone who wants to make it happen. His experiences, put simply, are an education in itself, and one that won’t be forgotten easily – at least, once you’ve read the book.