Lexicon (lek-si-kon): (1) A dictionary; (2) A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary.

—THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY

In his two decades at the helm of GE, Jack Welch did more to add to the leadership literature than any other CEO of the modern era. Not only did he give more thought to the business of leadership, Welch devised principles, strategies, and tenets to lead by.

In creating one of the world’s most competitive corporations, Welch created his own lexicon, a new language that gave voice to the new methods and strategies that transformed GE from a century-old bureaucracy into a global juggernaut.

The Jack Welch Lexicon of Leadership is alphabetically organized and includes more than 250 of the words, ideas, concepts, tools, and strategies used or created by Welch and GE between 1981 and 2001. Some listings, such as “Boundaryless,” have already found their way into the everyday language of business. However, there are dozens of terms that have received less attention but also played a vital role in advancing Welch’s leadership agenda. For example, while most managers have heard of Six Sigma, there has been less written about Master Black Belts and Green Belts.In similar fashion, Work-Out?,Welch’s sweeping cultural initiative, has garnered the spotlight in countless books and articles, while other

concepts associated with the program, such as “high hards” and “rattlers,” have received far less attention.

Many of the entries in the Lexicon were indeed the brainchild of Jack Welch and GE. However, it is worth noting that the book includes dozens of entries that were not invented by the GE chairman but have some unique and pertinent Welch application. For example, the entry for confidence does not include a literal definition, but instead explains why Welch felt that “instilling confidence” was one of his key responsibilities. In addition, to fully grasp why the GE chairman attributed such weight to confidence building, readers will learn the origins of Welch’s own self-assurance, as well as the role it played in crafting his vision for GE.

 

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