For context to this book, Jack Welch destroyed General Electric. His long tenure was full of bad decisions about mergers and acquisitions, poor management of GE Capital, tripling down on the fossil fuel industry right as the actual harms of global climate change and associated backlash were really ramping up, and utterly weird and bizarre cost-cutting measures that saved pennies at the expense of the goodwill of his employees. Welch has spent the years since building up his own ego and self-image as some kind of management master even as the company he left behind shed its appliance business, its electrical business, its transportation business, and others, all to try desperately to bring itself back above water.

This book contains no useful information. It is hundreds of pages of platitudes and dull and/or cryptic anecdotes. The biggest thing you get from it is a sense of the ego of the sort of person who destroys a company and pats themselves on the back for doing it. As a management guidebook it's awful. As insight into the C-suite mind it is fascinating. ( )

exito en los negocios, planeacion estratégica, negociación

3.5 out of 5.

Simple, nice, and informative management book. Nice tips on leadership. ( )

Section1:Underneath it All
Chapter 1: Mission Statement and Values
A "good mission statement and a good set of values are so real they smack you in the face with their concreteness." "How do we win in this business?"
"Values are just behaviors" Don't be vague or cryptic. Bank one had ten, here are a few:
- Never let profit center conflicts get in the way of doing what is right for the customer
- Give customers a good, fair deal ...
- Always look for ways to make it easier to do business with us.
- Communicate daily with your customers. ...
- Don't forget to say thank you.
Chapter 2: (the lack of) Candor (is) the biggest dirtly little secret in the business.
- Candor gets more people into the conversation ... you get idea rich.
- Candor generates speed
- Candor cuts costs
We are socialized from childhood to soften bad news or make nice about awkward subjects.
Chapter 3: (He is in favor of) Differentiation
Reward the top 20%, motivate the middle 70%, get rid of the bottom 10% of the people.
Chapter 4 (reminded me of Stephen Covey's latest book) Voice and Dignity
Section 2: Your Company
Chapter 5: Leadership
What Leaders Do
1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence
2. Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.
3. Leaders get into everyone's skin, exuding positive energy and optimism.
4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparancy, and credit
5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. (He talks a lot about gut calls later - they are your pattern recognition system)
6. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action.
7. Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example.
8. Leaders celebrate.
Chapter 6: Hiring: What Winners are Made Of
Chapter contents: three acid tests; EEEP framework; 4 special characteristics, FAQ
Three acid tests: Integrity, intelligence, maturity
EEEP: Positive Energy; ability to Energize others; Edge, the courage to make tough decisions; Execute; Passion (an excitement about work)
Hiring for the top: Authenticity; the ability to see around corners; penchant to surround themselves with people better than themselves.
The best leaders in brutally competitive environments have a sixth sense for market changes. They can imagine the unimaginable.
FAQ: ... If I had just one area to probe in an interview, it would be about why the candidate left his previous job, and the one before that. pp Was it the environment? Was it the boss? Was it the team? What exactly made you leave? There is so much information in those answers. Keep digging and dig deep.
Chapter 7: People Management
Chapter 8: Parting Ways; Letting go is hard to do
For itegrity violations; for economic downturns, for nonperformance
Chapter 9: Change

(this is not the end of the book, just all the notes that I made on it.)

Warren Buffet was right. You won't really need any other management books than Winning. It probably covered all the things you need to know about how to win in the corporate world today. Jack Welch cited many examples, many of which you'll be clueless if you're not in America. But all in all, this is a really great book. Whether you're already in the corporate world, or just entering it. ( )