"The first scholarly attempt to pin down the secrets of GE's success. A helpful, clear account...with interesting case studies."



"Fascinating reading. There is at least as much to be learned here as from reading Peter Drucker, John Kenneth Galbraith, or Michael Porter."



"IBM. GM. Blow after blow is absorbed by America's recent bellwether firms. At times, only GE seems to be counterpunching--and attacking. Control Your Destiny is an exciting rendition of the Welch revolution. Read it carefully."


Book Description

Acknowledged as the outstanding business leader of the late twentieth century, Jack Welch made General Electric one of the world's most competitive companies. This dynamic CEO defined the standard for organizational change, creating more than $400 billion in shareholder value by transforming a bureaucratic behemoth into a nimble, scrappy winner in the global marketplace.

Here, Tichy and Sherman extract the enduring leadership lessons from the revolution Welch wrought at GE. Of these, the most essential is the limitless power of learning. Leadership has its mysteries, but it is a skill that anyone can acquire and enhance. Above all, great leaders select great people and lure them into an endless process of learning and adaptation.

Jack Welch's Six Rules Control your destiny or someone else will. Face reality as it is, not as it was, or as you wish it were. Be candid with everyone. Don't manage, lead. Change before you have to. If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete.

FROM OUR EDITORS

1. Control your destiny, or someone else will. 2. Face reality as it is, not as you wish it were. 3. Be candid with everyone. 4. Don't manage, lead. 5. Change before you have to. 6. If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete. A quarter of a million copies later, the force of this book's six basic ideas still endure, and the two chapters added for this edition only increase its worth. Readers of Jack Welch's Jack will enjoy this clear and snappy summary of the precepts of the savvy genius of General Electric.

ANNOTATION

Now this completely revised edition of the landmark study of his management principles shows how anyone can succeed with Welch's ideas.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A bestselling business classic — now completely revised — hailed as the unofficial GE leadership handbook.

Completely revised, with two new chapters by the authors, an added chapter-length interview with Jack Welch, plus the complete set of Welch's GE annual letters to shareholders, this remains the classic case study of how Welch transformed GE from a corporate dinosaur into one of the nimblest, most successful corporations in the world, and provides a useful handbook for effecting change in your business and your life.

Since Welch became its CEO in 1981, GE has become one of the most successful companies of the late 20th century, increasing its market value from $13 billion to over $400 billion. Welch has been hailed by "60 Minutes" as the best executive in the world. This success can be attributed in large part to Jack Welch, GE's dynamic CEO who transformed the company from a bureaucratic behemoth into a fierce competitor in the global marketplace.

Among the many books that have been written about GE, stands out. Its authors are uniquely qualified to explain Welch's transformation of GE and to explain the leadership lessons it reveals. Noel Tichy ran GE's Crotonville school during the start of the Welch era, while Stratford Sherman covered GE for Fortune magazine. Together, they study GE with a remarkable blend of inside knowledge and clear-eyed objectivity. Their narrative — studied at business schools nationwide since its initial publication 1993 — is extraordinarily thorough, thoughtful, and rich in insight.

SYNOPSIS

The Six Rules Jack Welch Lives By: Control your destiny or someone else will. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were. Be candid with everyone. Don't manage, lead. Change before you have to. If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete.

With these basic principles, Jack Welch of General Electric rewrote GE's corporate DNA, transforming it from a dinosaur to a nimble, highly adaptive competitor -- one of the biggest winners in the global marketplace. Now this completely revised edition of the landmark study of his management principles shows how anyone can succeed with Welch's ideas.

AUTHOR DESCRIPTION

Noel M. Tichy is a professor at the University of Michigan Business School, where he specializes in leadership and organizational transformation. As a senior partner in Action Learning Associates, Professor Tichy has consulted with clients around the world. Among his previous books is Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will (coauthored with Stratford Sherman).