Winning
by Jack Welch, Suzy Welch
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Book Reviews of Winning
Book Review: LIVE LIFE FORWARD , UNDERSTAND BACKWARDS
Summary: 5 Stars
Winning is probably!! No not probably it really is Jack's best book. It is also one of the best management books ever written!! The reason why I like this book is
Covers a broad range of topics related to business and career. Here are a few topics that Jack covers
People - Who are your best people? How would you know who are your best people? What should you look for when you hire the best? How do you retain the best?
Business Strategy - He cuts through all the crap that we learn at B -Schools and elsewhere. Strategy is broad plan / sense of direction that needs to be fine tuned around every corner and executed with flawlessness.
Mergers & Acquisition - Look beyond numbers / graphs / charts. Don't be carried away by the "deal heat" Don't be carried away by the feeling that this is the best deal - there will always be many more deals / acquisitions coming later on. One should make a cool headed decision on M&A's and not be carried away by deal heat. Also very important point to learn - M & A is probably one of the best way to lay ones hand on fresh talent!! Look for cultural fit first and numbers second!!
Budgeting Process - Anyone who was worked for GE and an organization outside knows exactly how sandbagging works and what a bunch of baloney and fake rejoice it is to beat budget numbers. Got to learn to push yourself to the horizon!! Stretch goals that's what makes one great!!!!
Career - What's the right job? How you know whether you are in the right job? How you know its time to move on? How to identify what's wrong in your attitude towards the work? How to manage a manager who is a jerk? Which industry to work in? These and many other such questions are answered in this book.
This is very easy read? I read it twice in less than 2 weeks. I also had the opportunity to meet Jack personally and get my book signed.
I would recommend this book to everyone who like to mull over business / career. This is "THE BOOK". It must be read again and again and again. It is combination of many great books like Good to Great, Built to Last , Arc of Ambition , Maximum Leadership. Its not theory its real life examples from events and people around us and many that Jack have worked with or mentored personally. This book forces you to think and inspires you more than anything and anyone else!!
In short it teaches you to "LIVE LIFE FORWARD, UNDERSTAND BACKWARD"
Book Review: Winning is far better than losing
Summary: 5 Stars
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th US president, spoke these words well in advance of the challenges of the 21st Century. Certainly, the thinking man or woman of today is still possessed of the same kind of attitude...to not only move into action but to win in the process. Given the choice, who doesn't want to win? Against this backdrop there should be more than a passing interest in the latest book by Jack Welch simply titled "Winning."
Welch's new book is more than just a successful business leader's writing on the subject; it's a clear and concise, easy-to-read blueprint to success. The reader will understand that the retired CEO of General Electric feels a sense of urgency to put some astute business lessons in the hands of those who can benefit most from them -- the executive, the intern and everyone in between. If the principles that Welch puts forth in his simple and direct manner are embraced, the reader will become a better leader or follower or both. Leadership, after all, is nothing without good followership.
Winners don't just appear at the top; they climb, crawl and/or improve their way to the top. That's the vision that Jack Welch instilled at GE when he demanded that each of their businesses had to be the number one or two business in their market or be culled. And they were!
In his book, Welch writes a great deal about how human capital contributes immensely to business success. Just a few of the take-aways are the "4-E and 1-P concept" (a person should have Energy that's positive, the ability to Energize others, the Edge or courage to make tough decisions, Execution to get the job done and Passion "juice for life in <his/her> veins"), "differentiation" (the 20-70-10 concept that lets people know where they stand) and he proposes the most important question to ask of an interviewee (read the book to find the answer).
There are no shortcuts in life to replace hard earned experience. but here's an opportunity to invite Jack Welch in for a fireside chat and gain some valuable business perspective for the cost of the book and the time it takes to read it.
Book Review: A True Winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just finished reading Winning by Jack Welch. This book summarizes the key learnings of one of the greatest CEOs of all time in Jack Welch. As the book title indicates, it is about winning in the corporate world and getting ahead. It is divided into four main parts: the first called "Underneath it All" in which the foundational elements of a successful company are laid out - mission and values, candor, differentiation, and voice and dignity. The second, "Your Company" discusses the mechanics of an organization - leadership, hiring, people management, parting ways, change and crisis management. The third part of this book is "Your Competition", with topics discussed such as strategy, budgeting, organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and Six Sigma. Finally the last section of the book "your career" focused on one professional life with topics such as - the right job, getting promoted, hard spots, work-life balance.
What makes this book unique is the breadth of topics discussed. It really serves as a primer for anyone looking to navigate his way through the corporate world. While it is hard to summarize the many learnings contained within this book, below are some excerpts which I found particularly profound:
-"When you are an individual contributor, you try to have all the answers. That's your job...When you are a leader, your job is to have all the questions."
-On Change " 1- Attach very change initiative to a clear purpose or goal. Change for change's sake is stupid and enervating. 2- Hire and promote only true believers and get-on-with-it types. 3- Ferret out and get rid of resisters, even if their performance is satisfactory. 4- Look at car wrecks."
-" The 4-E (And 1-P) Framework - The first E is positive energy. -The second E is the ability to energize others. - The third E is edge, the courage to make tough yes-or-no decisions. - Which leads us to the fourth E - execute - the ability to get the job done. - If a candidate has the four Es, then you look for that final P - passion.
Given the scope of the book, one can't expect that it covers each of the topics in depth. What it does though, is server as an eye openers on areas/aspects of one's career that were perhaps missed/over-looked.
If you had to read one book this year, I would recommend Winning!
Book Review: Why this book is a winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
There is no substitute for experience, but reading this book is a close second. Seasoned executives and hourly wage earners alike will find this book tremendously helpful! The authors share the experiences of two rich careers and the result is sound, insightful, and sometimes inspirational advice. If you read this book, you will agree: It ranks among the best and most complete business books ever written. Some of the reasons are outlined below.
1) The depth of situational understanding in this book can not be found in any other business text.
2) Jack's discussions include insightful views of the dynamics behind various business situations. You will love his approach to the annual budgeting process and the discussion of how to simplify it.
3) The breadth of the subject matter covers every conceivable aspect of business, and the authors provide clear, plain language advice on how to approach the issues. Jack's career and position at GE provided him with access to situations and individuals that many of us simply have not yet encountered. These mini case study synopses are extremely helpful and engaging.
4) You feel like your sitting and speaking with Jack. The layout of the book is excellent. The writing is crisp and the chapter titles give a clear view of what is contained in each section. Even the conversational style subtitles give a hint of the philosophies and methodologies within.
5) They dare to broach taboo subjects. The book's breadth covers topics and situations that occur every day, yet there is little if any formal training available to deal with them. One example is the discussions on the "how tos" of hiring and firing. Few if any MBA programs give these subjects their fair due.
6) The broad message is consistent and reinforced often. The theme of candor permeates the whole book and the effect of trying to implement the methods without candor is clear. He tries to avoid leaving people "armed and dangerous" by exposing the human pitfalls of each method.
He doesn't claim to have invented all of these methods, but they obviously work when deftly implemented. There is only good advice in this book and it should be a premier element in everybody's business library.
Book Review: Just Like I Thought It Would Be---Useless
Summary: 2 Stars
If you are intereted in a decent read while bored then this book might be for you. However, I think it's fair to say that most people buy books on business hoping to pick up some real skills and know-how. Pep rallies and self-promotion won't help you. So many claim to enjoy such books because they feel like they have walked in the shoes of these people. So what? How will it make you better? It will not.
If you are going to get a business book you should make sure it really shows you how to to succeed rather than just walking the walk. Besides all that, Mr. Welch fails to mention the main thing that has made GE successful---accounting trickery. That's right. Trust me, he is no genuis and he is no one special. However, he is one of only about 20% of te CEOs in America that are any good. The rest are incompetant morons. But if he really wanted to shwo yu the secrets to his successes at GE he would have detailed how he and his staff twisted GAAP rules to shuttle expenses and earninsg around all of their business units. Apparently, Balmer (CEOof Microsoft) has taken notice since he is devoting a large amount of time studying how GE has used accounting rules to make earnings better than they actually were.
After reading so many of these books written by big name, high-profile guus, its safe to conclude that they are basically selling you the dream of substance when in fact that is rarely what you get. In contrast, I have found that the no name authors (who aren't paid huge sums of money from publishers for basically putting their name on a book) realize they have something to prove and usually deliver. Other than for a high school business class, this book is useless. But if you like, go ahead and chase the dream that you will learn some "secrets of Welsh" that wil make you a business tycoon. Good luck.
I really wish publishers would get some integrity and stop printing crummy books just because they will sell. We need more substance and less fluff. Paris Hilton could have made the topic more interesting and maybe equally as relevant as Welsh. I will not be malicious like many reviewers when they don't like something about a book and rate it a 1. The book is decent but not if you want to learn any business skills.