Jack Welch’s Winning is packed with no-nonsense advice for leading and succeeding in business (and life). Here are the biggest takeaways:
- Winning matters. It’s not just about making money—it’s the foundation of a thriving economy and society. At CRE OneSource, one of our non-negotiables is Start to Finish. This is our version of saying results matter. We can call or walk hundreds of people through a demo, if they don’t sign up, there’s no value. We can start ten new features, if we don’t finish them, deploy them, and teach our customers how to use them, there’s no value. In business, we are paid for results.
- Clarity wins. Values are just behaviors. Be specific, clear, and back them up with rewards for people who live them—and consequences for those who don’t.
- Candor is king. Lack of honesty slows everything down. Reward candor, praise it, and practice it yourself. When people are open, the whole organization works better. I have learned this one over the past few years – transparency leads to ownership. The more transparent we are with our team, the more we share (good, bad, and ugly), the more ownership our team takes over the results.
- Leadership isn’t about you. Before you lead, it’s about growing yourself. Once you’re a leader, it’s about growing others. Great leaders:
- Upgrade their team constantly.
- Build trust with transparency and give credit where it’s due.
- Inspire their team to take risks, experiment, and continuously grow.
- Execution beats ideas. A good plan means nothing if you can’t make it happen. Execution is about driving decisions forward, through chaos and obstacles, until they’re done.
The big idea? Winning companies focus on people and performance. They cultivate the best talent, embrace constant improvement, and stay agile. Leaders who set clear expectations, reward results, and aren’t afraid to shake things up will always have the edge.
Want to win? Get the right people, be relentless about improvement, and build a culture that thrives on clarity and candor.
Charlie Coppola
