Unlock Success with Jack and Suzy Welch's Winning

Melvin Chan: A very easy to read book with many great management ideas from Jack Welch.

United States on May 31, 2023

AmazonCustomer: Well written easy to read book. Contains practical lessons on managing an org and its people in pursuit of business excellence. However there are a few counter-intuitive theories that Jack offers. For ex., he suggests firing even your star employee if he/she turns a "disruptor". For a startup or a small company, firing a star employee may not be a good idea at all.

Overall this is a good read with a lot of solid management lessons. However for a tech startup or a small to medium tech company, some of the theories may not be appropriate as I mentioned above. Read books on Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and new age tech companies like Uber/Airbnb to supplement your learning.

India on May 17, 2018

Theo: 1. Pontos que destaco positivamente

- Forma estruturada de apresentar os tópicos. O livro é muito bem organizado. O livro é de forma macro dividido em 5 partes. 4 são as mais importantes: I Fundamentos e valores da filosofia do Welch. II Assuntos internos a empresa. III Sua competição. IV Conselhos sobre carreira. Todas essas seções são subdivididas de maneira clara logo nas primeira páginas de cada segmento.

- Grande número de exemplos. Ao longo do livro, para cada grande ponto levantado por Jack Welch, há pelo menos um exemplo que consegue captar a essência do seu argumento. Mostrar sua opinião através de uma história se mostrou como uma boa maneira de captar a minha atenção.

- Foco nas pessoas e na cultura. Jack Welch consegue demonstrar como ele acredita na importância da cultura e, consequentemente, no papel que as áreas de RH têm de ajudar a fomenta-la. De acordo com Welch, o head de RH deve ser no mínimo tão importante quanto o CFO. Saber escolher as melhores pessoas e treiná-las para sempre alcançarem maiores desafios é uma prática incessante. Uma grande interseção entre a importância da sinceridade e a importância do RH...

Brazil on Dec 04, 2017

T & K: I bought this book while searching for educational materials to improve my soft skills and interactions within the workplace. For me it was a matter of finding a way to master that final 20% in order to make me more successful with presenting myself, reading complex situations, and reacting well to bad news or change.

I would say that after reading this book and following some of the suggestions outlined (along with some of the other books I have read in this category), my soft skills have improved drastically. People I work with and senior executives have taken the time to give me feedback that they see a noticeable difference in my communication skills over the past 10 months!

I will recommend this to anyone who is looking for revolution in his or her life.

Canada on Nov 21, 2015

Shashi Dhungel: I read this book after I finished How Google Works. My brother-in-law recommended this book to me after I talked so much about How Google Works. We both said we will reach each other’s recommendation. I kept my words I am not sure if he kept his. Anyways, this book was quite a contrast to How Google Works. One was a technological giant that pioneered information industry while the other flourished by making things that were physical. Both companies can be bear the tag ‘Too Big to Fail’ but what they do and how they do what they do is poles apart. Jack Welch led GE to unprecedented growth. Welch is regarded as one of the most successful CEOs of one of the most successful brands - GE. The way Jack describes management is very simple – everyone can thrive in a conducive environment but who can manage crisis distinguishes him/her from the rest of the crowd. He talks about 70-20-10 rule and if you look around your organization you will realize how true it is. I take his 70-20-10 rule as this – 70% come to work because they have to, 20% come to work because they love to and 10% come to work because they have nowhere else to go. Every weekday when you get up and get ready to go...

United States on Aug 15, 2015

Peter Johnson: I have purchased a significant number of copies this book as it is 'set reading' I provide for most of my high end one:one clients. I came across the book shortly after it was originally released and was struck by the directness and 'edgy' style of the man who achieved so much for the giant GEC. Whilst there are areas which do not travel across the Atlantic too well, the way it challenges is brilliant.

As it is written by a practitioner, rather than an academic, it is right from the core of how to get results and ensure the economic security for a business. Ultimately securing employment for the people who work there, and other stakeholder in wider parts of the economy. There is much that seems tough, if you read the book completely though you realise that the objective of Welch was to provide the opportunity for people to succeed. And if they could not succeed in GEC to help them find their place elsewhere. Direct and truthful - and more copies will no doubt be purchased for future clients.

United Kingdom on Dec 14, 2013

O. Halabieh: 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...

United States on Feb 06, 2011

The Emperor: I learned a lot from this book. It is mostly sharp and to the point and devoid of sentimentality or waffle. You might not like all that he has to say but he is always clear in what he says.
In particular I liked his idea on the importance of candour - honest communication in the workplace and the importance of avoiding superficial congeniality.
I am not certain how successful his policies of "rank and yank" were (getting rid of the lowest performing 10% of the workforce. In many workplaces this might lead to risk aversion and lots of office politics.
He often talks of "trusting your gut" and relying on your instincts but this can often lead to problems. He has an amazing amount of experience and knowledge and a history of success most of the rest of us don't and there have been numerous studies done of the problems of relying too much on intuition.
He writes Unflinchingly and without self-praise on the work-life balance and makes the very good point that you always have to see things from the point of view of your employers.

This is a very useful book as long as you remember that you probably aren't a Jack Welsh.

United Kingdom on Dec 19, 2010

M. Henderson: Do you have the courage to "call it like it is"? So many businesses, and managers struggle with this concept. Often, it seems so much easier to simply gloss over the real issue, managers want to be "liked", have friends and staff that look up to them as leaders they like and that means often not saying what needs to be said, or doing what is difficult. Jack Welch gives it to the reader "like it is", and implores managers to use candor to get the change required to move businesses forward.

Jack doesn't just push managers to use fear to motivate though, in fact, he rightfully points out the concept of 20/70/10. Every business will have 20% at the top, 70% in the middle and 10% at the bottom. GREAT leaders work with the middle 70%, get under their skin and motivate them to love the challenge of coming to work everyday, exhausting their positive output to push staff to be their BEST everyday, and to love doing it. But the bottom 10%, those who would rather text-message and surf the internet than actually work? What to do with them? If you have a candid organization, where dealing with true issues dominates the conversations, these bottom feeders know JUST WHERE THEY STAND, and...

United States on Jul 12, 2008