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Book Review By Humaira
Winning by Jack Welch

Jack Welch is a famous American Business Executive and renowned author. He held the position of Chairman – General Electric Company from 1981 – 2001 and it was a success story and he knows how to win. During his forty-year career at General Electric, GE's market capitalization increased by $400 billion, making it the world's most valuable corporation. His corporate management style became the ultimate standard in business, with his implacable focus on people, teamwork and profits.

This book offers a guiding principle and a road map (in a corporate environment). Writer's main objective is to help out the people with aim and passion, no matter what they are doing in an organization. People are considered as the most valuable assets of any organization and they are everything when it comes to winning. As a result they are the main focus.

He laid down the following core principles towards the attainment of ‘WINNING objective:

1. Mission & Values:
2. Candor -The biggest dirty little secret in business
3. Differentiation - Cruel and Darwinian? Try fair and effective
4. Voice and Dignity - Every brain in the game
5. Leadership - It's not just about you
6. Hiring - What winners are made of?
7. People Management - You have the right players, now what?
8. Parting Ways - Letting go is hard to do
9. Change - Mountains do move
10. Crisis Management. “From oh-God-no to yes-we're-fine
11. Strategy - it's all in the sauce
12. Budgeting - Reinventing the ritual
13. Organic Growth - So you want to start something new
14. Mergers and Acquisition - Deal heat and other deadly sins
15. Six Sigma - Better than a trip to the dentist
16. The Right Job - Find it and you'll never really work again
17. Getting Promoted - Sorry, no shortcuts
18. Hard Spots - That damn boss
19. Work, Life, Balance - Everything you always wanted to know about having it all

Mission and values are often misunderstood in the business world. The mission tells exactly where the company is heading? And values depict the behaviors that will get you there. Creation of values is very important too: as they are the means to the end – winning. Contrary to the mission, everyone has something to say about values of the organization / company. Devising a mission is primarily top management's responsibility.

People / employees often stay quiet to avoid conflicts by keeping their opinions & reactions to themselves. Candor facilitates conversations & socialization. To get candor, a company must reward, praise it and converse about it.

Differentiation takes companies from average to outstanding stature.
Every person wants voice & dignity and every person deserves that too. “Voice”, means people want the opportunity to speak their minds. “Dignity” means people innately and impulsively want their efforts and individuality to be respected.

Success is all about growing yourself (prior to becoming a leader). When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. Leaders lead from the front and take responsibility.
Hiring good people is a tough but hiring great people is viciously hard. In the end it's all about getting the right people on the field. Integrity, intelligence and ability are prime factors in this whole process.

Letting people go is a process that has to be owned by the organization (conducted by two principles i.e. no surprise and minimal humiliation). Unfortunately, one learns it under the most tensed circumstances. There's no preparation as such but one must also remember that every leaving employee represents the company.

Change is the only constant in this world. You need to change, preferably before you have to. That's the point where the effectiveness steps-in and it often differentiates a good growing company from a bad one.

Crises happen and problematic situations do arise as well because the companies are made of humans. However, crises demand a daunting balancing act from the leaders. Leaders are the driving & inspiring force for their people.

Strategy is about decommoditizing. Think about innovation, technology, internal processes, and service add-ons – whatever seems unique. The budgeting is another important process in companies. Six-Sigma, on the other hand develops the design processes, gets products to market faster with fewer defects and builds customer loyalty.

It's said that you can only live life forward and understand it backward. The same idea applies on the careers of people.

While coming across a jerky bad boss, ask some questions to yourself about the possible reasons (there could be many factors).

Work life balance is about how all of us manage our lives and allocate our time – it's about priorities and values. Don't be inclined towards one side.

Keep your head high in whatever you're doing. Keep learning and enhancing your performance and be focused on where you are proceeding. Establish a justified work-life balance plan and make sure to fulfill your dreams and passions. Winning offers deep insights, genuine thinking, integrity of character and micro management with practical approach. It will surely change your overall perception about work.


Plot & Themes
Big Business story? Yes
Business: - building up big business
Period of greatest activity? - 1900+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - American
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
Century: - 1980's-Present

Writing Style
Book makes you feel? - encouraged
How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog
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