Skip to main content

Winning

Winning

by Jack Welch

Who Should Read?​

This book is mostly for leadership, but also contains some pretty great advice for someone who is in a normal role, but looking to move up.

TLDR​

  • I recommend the audio book. Listening to him read his own book is a great experience with his no-nonsense Boston accent.
  • Laying out concepts of Mission/Values, Candor, and Voices/Dignity are the strongest parts of the book, in my opinion and match significantly more recent authors emotional intelligence concepts, but presented in a more approachable (less explicit) way.

Why?​

Jack does a great job of providing a lot of actionable advice in a very easy to understand way. He provides a lot of examples, and a lot of reasons why things are the way they are. I kept feeling like some of his advice wouldn't age well, but he really does a great job of providing timeless advice and even directly addresses that concern frequently.

Overall, I don't agree with absolutely everything, but the general feel of the advice is solid and directionally correct.

Important concepts​

  • Mission & Values: This is the most important part of the book. He talks about how important it is to have a clear mission and values, and how they should be used to make decisions. He also talks about how important it is to have a clear mission and values for your own life.
  • Candor: He talks about how important it is to be honest with people, and how important it is to be honest with yourself. Clear is kind.
  • Voices & Dignity: He talks about the importance of getting all voices at the table, and even about diversity. It is perhaps a little bit no-nonsense for creating a culture of psychological safety, but it is a good start, and his approach may be more palatable to some.