Jack: Straight from the Gut

It's hard to think of a CEO that commands as much respect as Jack Welch. Under his leadership, General Electric reinvented itself several times over by integrating new and innovative practices into its many lines of business. In Jack: Straight from the Gut, Welch, with the help of Business Week journalist John Byrne, recounts his career and the style of management that helped to make GE one of the most successful companies of the last century. Beginning with Welch's childhood in Salem, Massachusetts, the book quickly progresses from his first job in GE's plastics division to his ambitious rise up the GE corporate ladder, which culminated in 1981. What comes across most in this autobiography is Welch's passion for business as well as his remarkable directness and intolerance of what he calls "superficial congeniality"--a dislike that would help earn him the nickname "Neutron Jack." In spite of its 496 pages, Jack: Straight from the Gut is a quick read that any student or manager would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

• Winning
• Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
• The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
• The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life
• The Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing Your Career
• The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation
• Essays In Persuasion
• Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street
• Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings
• Where Are the Customers' Yachts?: or A Good Hard Look at Wall Street