[.ca] Jack (ISBN 0446528382)

From Amazon.com:
It's hard to think of a CEO that commands as much respect as Jack Welch. Under his leadership, General Electric reinvented itself several times over by integrating new and innovative practices into its many lines of business. In Jack: Straight from the Gut, Welch, with the help of Business Week journalist John Byrne, recounts his career and the style of management that helped to make GE one of the most successful companies of the last century. Beginning with Welch's childhood in Salem, Massachusetts, the book quickly progresses from his first job in GE's plastics division to his ambitious rise up the GE corporate ladder, which culminated in 1981. What comes across most in this autobiography is Welch's passion for business as well as his remarkable directness and intolerance of what he calls "superficial congeniality"--a dislike that would help earn him the nickname "Neutron Jack." In spite of its 496 pages, Jack: Straight from the Gut is a quick read that any student or manager would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

I am almost ashamed to keep this book on our shelves:
I must say I am disappointed in this book. Mr W. clearly takes much credit for the success of GE. Although a strong leader in any organization can make a big difference, it looks disgustingly fake when he tries to take all credit for success. If you are a critical reader you will most likely see through the tireless self promotion that went on with W. I cannot waste any more time on this book, so I must end this review here, but there are good parts of this book. To find out about those, read someone else's reviews.

Too Much Fluff:
Surely Jack has more content than this. More content, less fluff please.

Inside scoop on GE:
A good book to get the inside "going ons" from a CEO's perspective. If you have interest in GE and the happenings through Mr. Welch's eyes this is a good read. I was hoping to get a little more insight and direction regarding the key elements of running an extremely successful business. Outside of the "people are everything" and weed out the bottom feeders, there was little practical knowledge to be taken from the book and used by manager "want-to-be" types.

Buy the book used:
I guess it's not bragging if you can do it - and he did. It is difficult to argue GE's success over the past 20 years. Mr. Welch took a 12 billion company and made it into a 500 billion dollar business. Without even using a computer!! Regarding the portion of the book were he talks about assigning E-trainers for all the top executives in the company, all I have to say is rank does have its privileged, It must be nice to have a techie hold your hand if you are an executive and computer illiterate. It is hard to believe that it wasn't until 1999 that Jack Welch sent his first email. A multimillionaire who isn't connected.... I am not sure if it is ignorance or apathy? In Mr Welch's defense, I am not sure how the author could have gotten around referencing everybody he worked with or for. If you can get through that part of the book, there are some things in the rest of the book that are of value. I listened to the book on tape so it wasn't so bad. He does talk about real people and real problems that he encountered throughout his career and what it took to get the job done working within the environment HE created. If you are not a business person or just wondered what it is like at the top, here are a dozen of the key ideas Mr Welch talks about in his book. Stretch jobs The runway of a person, The vitality curve of a career Differentiation being a key value to getting ahead "boundaryless" operations Blackbelt employees Plane crash scenario: Who will run the company Having a deep bench: When a replacement was needed Fix, Close or Sell areas of business that are not performing well Being #1 or #2 in your field The 6 sigma quality movement Finance: People and dollars are the movable parts, while the people hold the depth of knowledge Not to mention a smattering of, golf, tennis and ping pong stories. Overall I would say buy the book used or borrow it from a friend - 4 stars

Broader my view:
By reading his book i certainly learn a lot.