I took a leadership role with a larger team about a decade ago. while the potential role was being discussed and I was weighing the pros and cons of moving into the role, the main question I was wrestling with was making me doubt if I was ready to lead a bigger team. In addition, I know what the expectations of me would be from the leadership and, more importantly, from the team. while talking to my mentors, friends, and seniors in the process of searching for answers to my dilemmas, i came across a chain mail (there was no facebook, twitter, linkedin, or any other social media or search engine). at the time and chain mails used to be the main source of general information exchange) that floated with highlights from former General Electric Company CEO Jack Welch’s latest book called Wining.
the email contained the highlights of the book. ostensibly, it was the promotional email for the book that had just been released at the time.
You are reading: Best jack welch books
Looking at the highlights, I felt like I should read the book and immersed myself in it. when I finished the book, I realized that it was exactly what I needed to read. the book played an important role in resolving my dilemmas and confusions. this also ignited my hunger for more books of this type and, in fact, I read many more.
Keeping in mind that I struggled to find relevant books at this juncture that every manager goes through, I thought I’d write this blog with recommendations of 5 books. There are many more business books, but these are the books every aspiring manager should read to get started. If you already like to read books but haven’t read them, I highly recommend you read them. On the other hand, if you are a seasoned manager but haven’t read these books, I still recommend reading these books, as they will expose you to a different thought process.
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my recommendations are: • win by jack welch • run by larry bossidy & ram charan • outliers by malcolm gladwell • straight from the guts by jack welch • the magic of thinking big by david schwartz
1. winning
The book was written in 2005 by Jack Welch, who was Chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001. He is a chemical engineer. ge is the american multinational conglomerate that had an annual turnover of usd 146 billion in 2013. the company has consistently ranked among the top companies on the fortune 500 list. during jack welch’s tenure as CEO, ge grew more than 4000%. this book is at the top of my table and my main recommendation. the book has a lot of practical advice that any manager would need.
2. execution – the discipline of getting things done
The book is written by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. After a long and successful career at General Electric (GE), Larry Bossidy built Allied Signal into one of the world’s most admired companies and was named Chief Executive of the Year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Ram Charan is a business consultant based in the US and has advised companies such as GE, KLM, Bank of America, Praxair and Jaypee Associates. he is the author of several books on business and management. As the name of the book suggests, the book emphasizes execution as part of strategy. The key message that emerges from the book is that you must know your people and your business, insist on realism, set clear goals and priorities, follow through, reward those who do, stretch people’s capabilities, and last but not least. not least, knowing yourself.
3. outliers: the success story
the book has been written by malcolm t. Gladwell, who is a Canadian journalist, author, and speaker. He has written five books so far and all of these books were on the New York Times bestseller list. Malcolm has analyzed the factors that contribute to high levels of success. the book has mentioned or introduced the concept of the “10,000 hour rule” which says that the key to success in any field is largely a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. one particular example I liked was about a plane crash where he mentioned that any crash or accident is always a contributing result of 7 or 8 minor faults whose prevention, if detected at the time, would have prevented the crash. I firmly believe that, even in a business context, this principle always applies.
4. straight from the gut
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The book is the first book written by Jack Welch in 2000. In this book, Jack has captured his journey from his early days at GE from where he began his career in 1960 to his retirement with a heavy focus on his days as a director. An executive at GE has spoken candidly about various initiatives and controversies of his time. one of the interesting parts was the CEO selection process in the late 1970s, when he was the candidate.
5. the magic of thinking big by david schwartz
The book was written by David Schwartz in 1959. The book is a guide for every individual but very relevant for aspiring managers. the book has a lot of practical advice that will be helpful to any manager to keep you focused.
before you start reading any of these books, my suggestion would be: 1. get a copy of yours…a hard copy or a pdf version. 2. Use the marker profusely to highlight the points and sections you like. 3. Revisit the book periodically to see the points you made.
if you have more recommendations about the books, please suggest the names.
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