12 of the Best Jack Welch Quotes

Jack Welch passed away on March 1, 2020. He’s most known for his role as Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) for 20 years from 1981 to 2001.

Most everyone in America knows the name Jack Welch - whether you are a white or blue-collar worker. His leadership and management style was revolutionary. And the impact he had on American business will not soon be forgotten. His work ethic was impeccable. Though some argued he could be ruthless. Regardless of how you feel about him as a leader and businessman, you can always learn lessons from a figure such as Jack. So here are ten of the best Jack Welch quotes I've found and resonated with over the years - that apply to both business and life.

General Quotes

Change before you have to.

Control your own destiny or someone else will.

I've learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success.

Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.

The secret of success is changing the way you think.

Nothing of any importance has ever been accomplished by a pessimist.

On Organizations & Leadership

An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you almost don't have to manage them.

Great leaders love to see people grow. The day you are afraid of them being better than you is the day you fail as a leader.

A leader's role is not to control people or stay on top of things, but rather to guide, energize and excite.

Strategy is simply resource allocation. When you strip away all the noise, that's what it comes down to. Strategy means making clear cut choices about how to compete. You cannot be everything to everybody, no matter what the size of your business or how deep its pockets.

You can't grow long-term if you can't eat short-term. Anybody can manage short. Anybody can manage long. Balancing those two things is what management is.

What’s your favorite Jack Welch quote and why?