Jacked Up: The Inside Story of How Jack Welch Talked GE Into Becoming the World's Greatest Company » (Bargain)

Bill Lane joined GE as a speechwriter in 1980, after seven years at the Pentagon. From 1982 to 2001, he was Manager, Executive Communications for the Company, and Jack Welch’s speechwriter.

“Shockingly informative, unexpectedly funny, and a surprisingly good read about Welch’s tenure as GE’s CEO and CRO (chief rhetoric officer).” -Strategy + Business magazine When it comes to leadership, DO YOU KNOW JACK?

NO MORE REPORTS:Jack got quiet for nearly a full minute, and stared down at the table with the semi-scowl that meant some kind of processing was going on. Then he said, loudly and decisively:“No, no, no! We’re not doing this any more. No more ‘reports.’ We’re sick of reports. The only pitches that are worth anything are when you tell people what they ought to do. Otherwise it’s just a waste.”And so it began, gradually, that GE began to move from a self-absorbed corporation to what Welch would later describe with much pride as “a real learning company.”A SHOUT FROM THE BATHROOM:One day Jack brought a copy of a letter he had been sent. It was written by one of our very senior business leaders “explaining” some Corporate initiative. The letter made no sense, and Jack read passages of it aloud, with inflections that emphasized the absurdities in what the man had written. Finally he stopped laughing long enough to render his final criticism.

“It’s like something he yelled out the bathroom door to his secretary while he was sitting on the can. That’s it exactly. This is a shout from the bathroom.”THIS IS JACK: UNCENSORED, IRREPRESSIBLE, AND UNBEATABLE

Bill Lane joined GE as a speechwriter in 1980, after seven years at the Pentagon. From 1982 to 2001, he was Manager, Executive Communications for the Company, and Jack Welch’s speechwriter.

Introduction     xi
Part I
Torched by an A-Hole     1
Retiring But Not Shy     5
Reflections of a Pimp     11
Bore Wars: Chet Lang and the Big Bang     13
Death of a Pitchman     17
Part II
I Can't Deal with this Anymore     23
Mike's Big Day     27
Crotonville High     35
Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance     37
Fred's Bad Day     39
Triumphs, Train Wrecks, Coronations, and Jack's Biggest Miss     43
You're Going Nowhere at GE Unless...     45
How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying     49
Love-or Hate-at First Sight     51
The View from the Bowling Alley     55
The Bogus Boca Presentation     61
Died and Went to Headquarters     65
Selling Hats to Each Other     69
Part III
The Russians Are Coming     73
Hectoring the Hobbit     77
Movin' On, Sideways     79
Death to Strategic Planning     83
Blubbering on the Stand     85
From Grunt to Flunky     87
The Marionette Meister     95
Jacking Up the Commo     101
Don't Dive.Swim!     103
Part IV
Restuffing Guts     107
Gentle Meddling     111
Called on the Carpet     113
More Change via Negative Reviews     117
Takes One to Know One     119
Dead Man Talking     121
"Stop Construction Today"     123
Every Biopsy Doesn't Have to Come Back Positive     127
I'm Okay; You're an A-Hole     129
Bulletproofing the Love-In     131
Part V
Death by Presentation at NBC     137
Peeing on the Kidder Body     141
A Shout from the Bathroom     143
The Wright Stuff (Righted)     147
Diversity Is Our ... er ... Strength     149
Part VI
Fly Ball at The Pierre     155
Black Clouds Lift the Stock     163
The Chairman and the Strawman     165
Don't Screw This Up     169
Don't Care About It? Don't Do It!     173
The 110 Percent Solution and Jack's Perks     175
Wanna Drink Lunch with Us?     181
The Firing Squad     185
Part VII
Why Gary Wendt     191
Lack of Care Packages     199
Seinfeld in Fairfield: The Yogurt Incident     203
Order and Logic Out of Chaos     205
Doin' Time     209
Better Than the Best     211
Herb Smokes Jack; Warren Lurks in His Nightmare     213
The Welch Work Ethic     217
The First Through the Drapes     221
Crotonville Turkey Shoot     225
A Pad in Front of You     229
Part VIII
If Your Wife Thinks It's Boring, It's Boring     233
Danger: Flying Carrot Fragments     237
Ringo's Rule     239
The Perfect Annual Report     243
"Not a Pennyworth of Difference"     249
Part IX
Bore Wars Continue ...     251
Lloyd's Law: A Learning Company     257
The Bore Test. Are You Relevant?     261
Larry Leaves. Lane Grieves. (On the Way to the Bank)     263
The Inevitable (But Very Short) Golf Section     269
Tough Jack to Follow     271
Know Your Potential Enemy     275
Out of the Gate and Serious     277
Part X
Tell Me a Story     281
The Dogs Are Your Friends     285
What You Face If You're Black, Asian, or a Woman     289
Ten Minutes! No More!     293
PowerPoint Is the Enemy. Never Surrender      297
On Being a Leader Rather Than a Projector Operator     301
Do It All in Five Charts     303
At the End of the Day     307
Love Story     311
Final Thoughts     315
Index     317
Boring Acknowledgments Section     323