Rating: 
Summary: Convenient Access to "The Welch Way"
Review: Krames makes skillful use of the lexicon format to present the essential concepts, principles, and values by which Welch led GE for more than 20 years. He achieves three goals: 1. "To give readers a guided tour of the language and strategies of all things Welch" 2. "To impart additional insights into Welch's key company initiatives" 3. "To chronicle the evolution of Welch's leadership thinking" Krames presumably had a difficult choice when selecting a format. He had several options, including alphabetical sequence (items listed A to Z) and chronological narrative (permitting career milestones and cause-and-effect decisions to illustrate business values and principles). Given the wealth of material at Krames's disposal, either format could have been effective but each poses certain challenges. For example, deciding where an especially complicated subject such as "Six Sigma" fits ("C" for Concept? "P" for Process? "Q" for Quality? or "Six" for obvious reasons). Ultimately, the format is merely a convenience for the reader to locate specific subjects. For me, the book's greatest value is derived from Krames's masterful cross-correlation of specific subjects within their respective historical contexts. He carefully examines several of Welch's key initiatives: turning the GE hierarchy on its head (1989), launching the "employee-driven quality" campaign throughout GE (1995), introducing the product services movement (also 1995), and GE's "e-Initiative" (1999). Each of these and other initiatives had a background and each has since had profound impact, nor only on GE but on its multi-dimemsional global marketplace. Moreover, each of these and other decisions illustrates most (if not all) of what Krames refers to as "recurring Welch themes": command-and-control is not the best way to run a company; involving everyone is the key to enhancing productivity; ideas and intellect rule over hierarchy and tradition; market-leading businesses can ensure long-term growth; finding leaders who live the values is more important than finding those who make the numbers; and finally, developing a learning culture is the key to creating a competitive enterprise. Those who share my high regard for this book are encouraged to check out Jack: Straight from the Gut (Welch), Get Better or Get Beaten! (Slater and Krames), Jack Welch and the GE Way (Slater), and Business the Jack Welch Way (Crainer).
Rating:
Summary: Practical and Inspiring
Review: This author puts Jack Welch's tools to succeed in business and in life in the reader's hands. It really hits the mark by accurately blending practicality and inspiration. Comprehensive in its coverage, this book takes you through all the phases of modern business yet it is timeless in its application. Truely, a book to be referred to over and over. A real gem that will age well, because the lessons learned here gain in depth and significance as time passes. As a sales consultant and trainer, I find this content provides the reader a roadmap to success and enables them to control their destiny.
Rating:
Summary: Practical and Inspiring
Review: This author puts Jack Welch's tools to succeed in business and in life in the reader's hands. It really hits the mark by accurately blending practicality and inspiration. Comprehensive in its coverage, this book takes you through all the phases of modern business yet it is timeless in its application. Truely, a book to be referred to over and over. A real gem that will age well, because the lessons learned here gain in depth and significance as time passes. As a sales consultant and trainer, I find this content provides the reader a roadmap to success and enables them to control their destiny.
Rating:
Summary: A Jack Welch Primer/Thesaurus
Review: This is a great find for the reader who wants to truly understand what makes Jack Welch such an icon. For years, I've been subjected to "Welchisms", loosely tossed about by everyone from managemenet consultants to managerial wannabes.
In "The Jack Welch Lexicon of Leadership", the author provides a comprehensive look beyond the man to his underlying principles. He discusses the significance of each and highlights Welch's initiatives within the perspective of the man's career as a trailblazer. Best of all, it's succinct, which is more than I can say about some of the amateur "Welchism" purveyors I've encountered over the years!
Rating:
Summary: A Jack Welch Primer/Thesaurus
Review: This is a great find for the reader who wants to truly understand what makes Jack Welch such an icon. For years, I've been subjected to "Welchisms", loosely tossed about by everyone from managemenet consultants to managerial wannabes.
In "The Jack Welch Lexicon of Leadership", the author provides a comprehensive look beyond the man to his underlying principles. He discusses the significance of each and highlights Welch's initiatives within the perspective of the man's career as a trailblazer. Best of all, it's succinct, which is more than I can say about some of the amateur "Welchism" purveyors I've encountered over the years!
Rating:
Summary: A real find!
Review: This is an excellent book! It is well written and contains a great deal of interesting information. If not already familiar with Jack Welch, this book is a great introduction and overview of his many accomplishments and business techniques. If you are already a Jack Welch fan, Lexicon of Leadership will provide you with new insights to the reasons for his continued successes, and does a much better job than previous "Jack Welch" books in capturing the essence of his business strategies. For any individual in business, this book can be used as a roadmap to success. The concepts tht Jack Welch employed over his career are timeless, and Lexicon of Leadership has captured and explained these concepts in such a manner that they are immediately understood and can be transferred to today's business climate easily and effectively.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read to learn about Welch's success strategies
Review: This is an insightful examination of Welch's management principles, initiatives and strategies that will be valuable to anyone in business. It sheds light on the origin, evolution, implementation and significance of Welch's signature initiatives and concepts--such as "#1, #2," "fix, close or sell," boundaryless, the four E's of leadership, globalization, Six Sigma, the learning organization and more--and explains how he turned GE into a global powerhouse. It also shows how managers can apply Welch's methods to their own businesses. Jeffrey Krames has done an outstanding job of capturing the mindset and seminal ideas of one of history's most successful CEOs. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Jack Welch
Review: This is an outstanding book as it contains overviews of all GE's and Welch's strategies and initiatives without the "fluff." It is direct and to the point. A benchmark and guide for all to use. Well worth the time and money.
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