Jack Welch - People Quotes

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I enjoy challenging a person's ideas. No one loves a good and passionately fought argument more than I do. This isn't about being tough-minded and straightforward. That's the job. But so is sensing when to hug and when to kick. Of course, arrogant people who refuse to learn from their mistakes have to go. If we're managing good people who are clearly eating themselves up over an error, our job is to help them through it. That doesn't mean you have to take it easy on your top performers.

Jack Welch
Lack of candor blocks smart ideas, fast action, and good people contributing all the stuff they've got. It's a killer.

Jack Welch
In GE every day, there's an informal, unspoken personnel review—in the lunchroom, the hallways, and in every business meeting. That intense people focus—testing everyone in a myriad of environments—defines managing at GE. In the end, that's what GE is. We build great people, who then build great products and services.

Jack Welch
Arrogance is a killer, and wearing ambition on one's sleeve can have the same effect. There is a fine line between arrogance and self-confidence. Legitimate self-confidence is a winner. The true test of self-confidence is the courage to be open—to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source. Self-confident people aren't afraid to have their views challenged. They relish the intellectual combat that enriches ideas.

Jack Welch
I wanted to change the rules of engagement, asking for more— from fewer. I was insisting that we had to have only the best people... If you wanted excellence, at a minimum, the ambience had to reflect excellence.

Jack Welch
Business has to be fun. For too many people, it's "just a job."

Jack Welch
Getting the right people in the right jobs is a lot more important than developing a strategy.

Jack Welch
The best way to support dreams and stretch is to set apart small ideas with big potential, then give people positive role models and the resources to turn small projects into big businesses.

Jack Welch
I believe social responsibility begins with a strong, competitive company. Only a healthy enterprise can improve and enrich the lives of people and their communities.

Jack Welch
In manufacturing, we try to stamp out variance. With people, variance is everything.

Jack Welch