Jack Welch shows the ‘Winning’ side of business for all

Jack Welch is a passionate guy. He’s crazy about modern art, the Boston Red Sox and winning in business — not necessarily in that order.

In Winning, Welch dispenses the sharp-edged business acumen that earned him a reputation as a daunting corporate leader. He is giving back what he learned, and not just to fellow CEOs. He is able to write a book that might just reach the rest of us.

Winning
By Jack Welch with Suzy Welch HarperBusiness, 384 pages, $27.95

Welch retired in 2001 as chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric after a 40-year career. But crack open Winning, and it’s plain as day; Welch has simply embarked on a second career as a leadership guru.

In fact, Winning is loaded with exclamation points and "Great!" But underneath the pep is a serious message for his target audience. The book covers his philosophy, managing and leading a company, the competition and careers.

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What winning leaders do

In Winning, Jack Welch says he found that some ways of leading always seem to work in creating a winning company – and that they became his "rules:"

1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self confidence. Take every opportunity to inject self-confidence into those who have earned it. Use ample praise, the more specific the better.

2. Leaders makes sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it. There were times I talked about the company’s direction so much in one day that I was completely sick of hearing it myself.

3. Leaders get into everyone’s skin, exuding positive energy and optimism. Unhappy tribes have a tough time winning.

4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency, and credit. Leaders never score off their own people by stealing an idea and claiming it as their own.

5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. Don’t run for office. You’re already elected.

6. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action. "We’ll look into it," says Welch, is the all-too-common business head fake.

7. Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example. There is no edict in the world that will make people take risks or spend their time learning.

8. Leaders celebrate. Celebrating makes people feel like winners.

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By Kerry Hannon, Special for USA TODAY

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2005-04-13-welch-winning_x.htm