Jeffrey R. Immelt
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Jeffrey Robert "Jeff" Immeltis an American business executive. He is currently the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the U.S.-based conglomerate General Electric. He was selected as GE's CEO by their Board of Directors in 2000 to replace Jack Welch upon Welch's retirement from GE. Previously, Immelt had headed up GE's Medical Systems divisionas its President and CEO...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth19 February 1956
CountryUnited States of America
Enron and 9/11 marked the end of an era of individual freedom and the beginning of personal responsibility.
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and my parents are really right wingers. My dad watches, like, five or six hours of Fox News every day and stuff like that.
You can't delegate growth or customer satisfaction.
I'm out talking about this company (General Electric) seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with nothing to hide. We're a 130-year-old company that has a great record of high-quality leadership and a culture of integrity.
I love working with customers. Sales has really influenced everything I do. It has instilled in me the important traits of operating with a sense of urgency and listening to people.
And people is the most important part of my job. I spend one third of my time on people.
There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around the things that are really important: setting priorities, measuring outcomes, and rewarding them.
Surviving a failure gives you more self-confidence. Failures are great learning tools.. but they must be kept to a minimum.
Seeing people in person is a big part of how you drive any change process. You have to show people a positive view of the future and say "we can do it"
It's the sustained ability to change that really counts.
Work hard with passion and courage. Life is a marathon of contribution. You really must work hard to accomplish something... Find your passion and get good at it.
The most important thing I've learned since becoming CEO is context. It's how your company fits in with the world and how you respond to it.
Leadership is an intense journey into yourself. You can use your own style to get anything done. It's about being self-aware. Every morning, I look in the mirror and say, 'I could have done three things better yesterday.'
I was never afraid of failure. I realized that I was responsible for my own success and that every day offers a new beginning and I was confident in my ability to improve.