Jack Welch

“The idea flow from the human spirit is absolutely unlimited. All you have to do is tap into that well. I don't like to use the word efficiency. It's creativity. It's a belief that every person counts.”

“Change before you have to.”

“I was never the smartest guy in the room. From the first person I hired, I was never the smartest guy in the room. And that's a big deal. And if you're going to be a leader - if you're a leader and you're the smartest guy in the world - in the room, you've got real problems.”

“Any jerk can have short-term earnings. You squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, and the company sinks five years later.”

“Be candid with everyone.”

“Give me a highly successful unionized industry.”

“In my lifetime, Mitt Romney is the most qualified leader I've ever seen run for the presidency of the United States.”

“If GE's strategy of investment in China is wrong, it represents a loss of a billion dollars, perhaps a couple of billion dollars. If it is right, it is the future of this company for the next century.”

“The team with the best players wins.”

“An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”

“In order to lead a country or a company, you've got to get everybody on the same page and you've got to be able to have a vision of where you're going. America can't have a vision of health care for everybody, green economy, regulations - can't have a bunch of piece-meal activities. It's got to have a vision.”