The Welch Way

Probably no corporate executive has received more attention — good and bad — than General Electric’s Jack Welch. A year before he is set to retire, Mr. Welch received a record $7.1 million advance for a book he will write about his tenure at GE. With our new “Read My Lips” feature, you don’t have to wait for the book.

Jack, what is your assessment of global economic conditions?

“Asia’s come back, Europe’s come back — and the United States is like I’ve never seen it.”

(Jack Welch, March 2000)

How did the relationship between inflation and deflation change?

“Inflation has yielded to deflation as the shaping economic force.”

(June 1999)

Who then is still worried about inflation?

“The only people expecting higher inflation are those who have a position in gold.”

(May 1996)

Could you envisage five years ago that the U.S. economic boom would still be going strong in 2000?

“The 1980s will seem like a walk in the park when compared to the global challenges of the 1990s, where annual productivity increases of 6% may not be enough. A combination of software, brains, and running harder will be needed to bring that percentage up to 8% or 9%.”

(February 1994)

How do you justify the painful restructuring and downsizing you put GE through?

“Strong managers who make tough decisions to cut jobs provide the only true job security in today’s world. Weak managers are the problem. Weak managers destroy jobs.”

(February 1994)

How do you see the future?

“The world is changing. People in the US and Europe aren’t going to live the way they do 100 years from now unless they do a lot of things differently.”

(February 1994)

But was downsizing GE’s workforce and product lines the only secret of your success?

“We’re pounding ourselves on the chest in America over how wonderfully we’ve done. Yes, we did restructure — but we got a huge help from the currency.”

(July 1998)

What characteristics distinguish you and your top lieutenants from other companies’ managers?

“We bring together the best ideas — turning the meetings of our top managers into intellectual orgies.”

(February 2000)

How do you choose new employees?

“Do we have the right gene pool? Do people who join big companies want to break glass?”

(February 2000)

Why is motivating employees so crucial?

“Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.”

(January 1999)

Beyond your expected retirement in 2001, where do you see GE going in the future?

“If GE’s strategy of investment in China is wrong, it represents a loss of a billion dollars, perhaps a couple of billion dollars. If it is right, it is the future of this company for the next century.”

(March 1994)

Have you heard some of the things they’re saying about you?

“Three acquisitions? Just another day in the life of GE.”

(U.S. stock market analyst, September 1997)

Who was a bit more critical?

“With all due respect to Jack Welch, I don’t want to go into history as ‘Neutron Heinrich.'”

(Siemens CEO Heinrich von Pierer, February 2000)