Jack: Straight from the Gut

Rating:
Summary: Only good for business strategie.
Review: Review: Jack

Jack was born in a small family with a mother who loved him so much. She always encouraged him to do everything in which he was interested. Jack has strong personality and passion to accomplish his goal. He is always full of self-confidence. We can see his personality is always driving him or people around him.

This book helps me to know GE's strategies since Jack became CEO of GE, but I didn't see lots of Jack's feeling or reaction inside of this book. I think this book is good for people who want to know GE's strategies for their business or people who are interested in business strategies. However, if you thought that this was Jack's autobiography, you might be really disappointed at this book.

Something impressed me of this book was how he tried to convince his boss that he was the best one for him and for GE to be next CEO. His passion really touched people that he could do it. This book also showed me how he/GE manage their employees. How they keep GE active to be No.1 or No.2 in the market.

Something that I didn't like in this book was he described himself as a superman. His superman attitude makes me feel uncomfortable. What if he was wrong, he probable would lead GE to a wrong direction. What if he didn't get enough information that might let him make wrong decision, but he totally didn't know what's wrong and still insist that he is right. I think this is a dangerous attitude of management. But, lucky him that he didn't make any big wrong decision. He should proud of himself, but it makes me feel, unless I have a strong will and colorful personality like him; I would never ever lead or manage people well like him. I am wondering if that's the thing he wants his audiences to learn.

Jack is a real man. He knows what he wants. He tries to be honest to people and himself. His success was because of his vision and his personality, so he led GE turned to an international company with high technology. I really admire his guts a lot. Meanwhile, I am sorry for his craziness about his job. He didn't know how to have fun or enjoy his family life. I am so happy that he is not my father.

Rating:
Summary: We need more specific strategy about his success
Review: I like this book. While I was reading this book, I came close to business knowledge even though I had small business background. I have learned about Jack's business philosophy and management skill through his a lot of business experience. He is one of the successful men in the business world and it is valuable to know how he made it. I assure that you should read it if you are a person who is interested in business and wants to succeed in the business field.

Strengths: When I read his action toward his business life, I could contact a lot of specific philosophy. First is different treatment to his employees; Jack has treated his employees who deserve of admiration appropriately through many ways. Second is boundaryless; he got some good idea from other companies in his group and used it. Third is special bonus system; he gave stock options to his employees instead of money bonus. You can also contact his vision toward globalization, service and E-business.

Weaknesses: If you are a person who wants to find a specific method to be a successful man and the successful man's private life, I should not recommend you to read this book. Although I have learned a lot from his business philosophy, I could not find any specific strategy to become a successful man like him. Actually, I expected that he explained how he could be the CEO of GE even though he didn't have any management background and started from the beginning as a mere clerk. However, he did not mention much his process before becoming the CEO but mentioned a lot his experience after being the CEO of GE. He didn't mention his private life much, either. He only focused on his business life. I don't know if he did not have time to have his private life or just did not mention and wanted to focus on only business. It is like a collection of jack's successful business events. So, if you are a person who wants to find his private life in the book, do not choose it

Rating:
Summary: INTERESTING...
Review:

Jack's book is the description of his most important events in his business life. However he chose to write some parts of his personal life just to show how his business life influenced his personal life. At the beginning of the book Jack describes how part of his character is due to his mother principles.

Beginning college is when his interest for people is more relevant. Jack has the opportunity to enter GE, not knowing that this company will occupy most of his life as its CEO. Jack is the guy that wants to impress his managers as well as people around him. He knows he has characteristics to be a leader and take advantages of it. When he became the CEO of GE, he was always interested in being the number one at every thing he could. It is really interesting how he decides to fire or hire the staff in his company by grading them.

In addition, the media attacks him in many ways that he wouldn't support without his confidence in knowing what he was doing. Jack is the man that was made to be a CEO, even though some parts of his personal life haven't resulted as well as his business at GE. If you are really interested in business strategies this book will let you know a really good ones and how to manage and educate your staff. I'm not really interested in business; however, I found some ideas useful for personal life.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable book for inexpensive price
Review: English is not my native language. I am learning English here in America. All of my classmates want to learn about business. My teacher recommended us to read about book called "JACK". We were all excited but the price was a little bit expensive for us. ...

The beginning of the book was a little bit boring but suddenly it caught my attention so deeply because business vocabulary, skills and strategy ideas flow over the page. Even though Jack is not a writer, this book is well organized in logical order and easy to follow....

If you are looking for success in your business you'll get great, incredible ideas for this book....

I would recommend it to businessmen, students, professors, leader and even housemakers. Especially if you want to become a CEO or dream to become a CEO, you must read it. It is worth it....

I feel rich now for inexpensive price.

Rating:
Summary: Jack: Straight From the Gut
Review: I got the audio (unabridged) version of the book and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mr. Welch's stories and observations about business and life, in general... He's what I'd call a "solid guy" and I imagine anyone who's been lucky enough to work with/for him must have benefited tremendously through this experience. Thank you, Mr. Welch, for writing this deeply insightful and pertinent account of your business life...

Rating:
Summary: I feel icky just touching the book
Review: In light of the new news, should the book be called "Jack: Straight from My Bed?" It's nice when a "hero" of business shows his true colors. So "Neutron Jack" now known for not only his temper and his firms manufacture of nuclear triggers has a little problem with keeping "little Jack" at bay - what's the big deal, everyone is doing it right? Ken Lay, Global Crossing, etc. those are the bad guys, right? Not some guy who can't stay faithful to his wife, that's not unethical.

Enough said, if you want to worship this "person" feel free....

Rating:
Summary: Interesting - but obviously written in a rush
Review: The book is an amusing read. However, it cannot compare to the great business leader's books, e.g. by Alfred Sloane. It can also not compare to a well written biography (see for example the biography on Ted Turner by Porter Bibb), that would give you numbers and strategy examples of high value. So, don't expect too much. The last third of the book is a real bore - it focuses on justifications for certain not so political correct production methods more than on anything else.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: Part of the art of being a CEO is managing to be just interesting enough to hold people's attention without offending any listeners or revealing too much. Of course, there is much more to it as well, like exercising authority, setting clear standards and maintaining your integrity. Jack Welch's fairly conservative autobiography proves that the irascible Welch mastered all aspects of this difficult discipline, especially the first. Don't expect to learn juicy details of Jack's divorce or to get an insider's political view of the horse race to select his successor. Nevertheless, this memoir might be the closest you ever get to answering the question, "What made Jack Welch tick?" Despite some bland moments, we from getAbstract contend that anyone who wants to understand the American corporate landscape should read this book - so once again, Welch delivers.

Rating:
Summary: If Terrance Mann was...
Review: If Terrance Man in the movie "Field of Dreams" was the self-described "East Coast Distributor of involved", Jack Welch may be the World Wide Distributor of egomania.

I can't knock his results. But as a book, the autobiography seems to paint himself in the worst possible light. He devotes an entire chapter to Golf. Not only does this conjure up images of deals being made on the 19th hole (excluding women of course), was more often than not the Coin of the Realm with Welch as far as the people he dealt with. After reading the book, if you worked for GE for 70 hours a week, lead the life of a Quaker, and followed the GE employee handbook to the letter, you were set up for a quick exit unless you were also one of the boys that shared his slant on life. Several of the country clubs he speaks highly of are noteworthy for being single sex, single race establishments. Which, to me, is fine. However, there are both flagrant paradoxical mentions of diversity at GE and out and out creeds that preach total inclusion and involvement on the part of the employees which stands counter to his personal life.

Is Mr. Welch a sexist, racist, bigot etc...? No. Of course not.

However, it does speak to an ego out of control when his private life is spent in such a manner that contradicts his stated values.

As a business book, it is pretty good. I doubt most GE employees would recognize the company he talks about in the book but the management theories cannot be detracted from. The results speak for themselves. Jack Welch was a great CEO for GE.

Call it 9/11 syndrome but I was looking for somebody who was actually all he was cracked up to be. Jack Welch isn't.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: The book is pretty light in terms of management observations, heavy on self-agrandizement.

GE has been a successful company. One leader assuming the lions share of the credit is misguided.