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The Importance of Total Candour
Love him or hate him, there is very little doubt Jack Welch was a great success during his time as CEO of General Electric. In 1999, Fortune magazine named Welch the “Manager of the Century.” During his tenure, revenues grew from $26.8 billion in 1980 to $130 billion in 2000 while market value went from $14 billion to more than $410 billion. By the end of 2004, GE was the most valuable company in the world.
Today, Jack Welch is perhaps even better known for his views on business leadership. One of the most compelling and passionate declarations he has made about the failure of business leadership focuses on the lack of candour he has observed in most organizations, what he calls superficial congeniality. In ...
