395 Quotes by Jack Welch

Strong managers who make tough decisions to cut jobs provide the only true job security in today’s world. Weak managers are the problem. Weak managers destroy jobs.

The idea of let’s all share the pain equally, or let’s freeze salaries altogether – it’s ass-backwards. It’s absolutely ass-backwards.

People always overestimate how complex business is. This isn’t rocket science. We’ve chosen one of the world’s simplest professions.

You got to be rigorous in your appraisal system. The biggest cowards are managers who don’t let people know where they stand.

The productivity now at universities is terrible. Tenure is a terrible idea. It keeps them around forever and they don’t have to work hard.

You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.

If work is just going in every day and getting a check, it’s an ugly life. When you can make work a meaningful purpose, you’ve hit the jackpot for people.

One of the things about leadership is that you cannot be a moderate, balanced, thoughtful, careful articulator of policy. You’ve got to be on the lunatic fringe.

Life is too short to spend every day doing something you don’t love.