The Welch Way

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Jack and Suzy Welch
Jack & Suzy Welch

In an interview with BusinessWeek editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler, Jack and Suzy Welch offer their views on a wide range of subjects:

Part I - Wal-Mart & Unions
Part II - Differentiation
Part III - Compensation
Part IV - The Media
Part V - Global Warming

The Welches on Succession

Jack and Suzy Welch advise a small company on how to pick a new CEO from among four strong internal candidates

What's Right About Wal-Mart

Former GE CEO Jack Welch and his wife Suzy answer viewer questions on business, company and career challenges

Welch's Wisdom

Jack Welch shares insights from his new book, "Winning," in this extended interview

How To Move Up The Ladder

Jack Welch tells you how to move up the corporate ladder



Don't Forget to Write!

Passionate bouquets and punishing brickbats: Columns from Jack and Suzy Welch that lit you up this year
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Resisting the Pull of Office Politics

As Hillary Clinton enters President-elect Obama's Cabinet, the issue of palace intrigue arises
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India's Moment of Truth

Its response to the terrorist attacks will have a huge effect on its economic future
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Release Your Inner Extrovert

Mix, speak up, get out front. Or get used to being overlooked
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GM: The Case Against a Bailout

Jack and Suzy Welch say that bankruptcy reorganization, with the U.S. as financier, would open the doors to meaningful structural change

Team Building: Lessons for Obama and CEOs

The President-elect must avoid the same hiring hazards that face any new leader
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Barack Obama's Victory: Three Lessons for Business

The Illinois senator built his decisive win on three leadership principles: a clear vision, clean execution, and friends in high places
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How to Survive a Media Mauling

If you're caught in the jaws of the press, only the truth will set you free
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The End Is Not Here

Talk of a Great Depression II abounds, but the not-so-distant future looks bright
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Trust in a Time of Turmoil

Why Washington is having to go to extremes to restore America's confidence
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What Change Agents Are Made Of

They've got power, vision, bravery, and support—which may be why they're rare
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How to Seize the Storm

Tactics for guiding your company past this crisis& dash;and past the competition, too
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Murder on the Financial Express

There are plenty of guilty passengers on this train—and all should get their due
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The Welches' Advice for Lehman & Merrill Staffers

Jack and Suzy Welch offer advice to employees of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, or anyone caught in an M&A or bankruptcy
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What's Hobbling the IRS

When workers have ironclad job security, managers have few means to motivate

Why Your Office Isn't Like Google's

Most managers want to empower their workers, but reality can get in the way
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Emotional Mismanagement

Negative feelings tend to spread. But information and inspiration can work wonders
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CEO Pay: No Easy Answer

The free market may at times overcompensate. But there's not a better system
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Hiring Is Hard Work

The lessons we (re)learned recently from two job applicants we almost employed
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While Corporate Europe Fiddles…

…And looks to the east and south, good deals in the U.S. go begging
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The Connected Leader

Web Age managers must learn to sift for gems through torrents of data and chatter
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High-Performers Won't Wait

These days, holding back promising employees until they "pay their dues" is folly
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The Road to Global Readiness

Why companies in developing nations need to hone their skills against local rivals
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What's Age Got to Do with It?

In politics—and business—being curious and embracing change are what matters
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How to Bust into the Big Leagues

You want A-list clients? Begin with an irresistible proposition—then overdeliver
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Red Flags for the Decade Ahead

On our list: family businesses under stress, a dearth of managers, and corruption
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Before You Go Job-Hopping…

Don't accept a new position—no matter how sweet—without nailing down the details
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Keeping Morale Up in a Downturn

In tough times, leaders can't afford to be anything but totally transparent
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A Punching Bag Named Nafta

The trade deal's enemies are in full scream, but its benefits are simply undeniable
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Finding Innovation Where It Lives

Smart companies don't just wait around for their geniuses to shout "Eureka!"
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Courage Under Fire

How Bernanke and Paulson showed themselves to be leaders, not bureaucrats
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Getting to Know Your Next CEO

How to generate genuine insights from the interview process for the top job

When Growth Is the Only Solution

For a healthy company facing tough choices, the smart bet is often expansion
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When a Star Slacks Off

A top performer who decides to coast can inflict damage on an entire organization
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It's Business-Bashing Time

Election after election, there's no cheaper target than the corporation
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Trim the Fat, Not the Service

When times get tight, make certain your customers don't feel the pinch
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Immigration: A Reality Check

How do we deal with this complex problem? Try looking at it from a managerial angle
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Miscreants Among Us

Most rogues, like SocGen's Jérôme Kerviel, don't go unnoticed—just unreported
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Give Till It Doesn't Hurt

This bonus season, avoid two common mistakes: being a skinflint or a sprinkler
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Chief Executive Officer-in-Chief

The President needs the same skills as a top-notch CEO—only sharper
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Employee Polls: A Vote in Favor

When corporate surveys ask the right questions, the answers become invaluable
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Fear Not the Foreign Investor

Why U.S.-bound money from Asia and the Middle East is no cause for anxiety
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State Your Business

Too many mission statements are loaded with fatheaded jargon. Play it straight
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Hot-Button Columns of 2007

Wherein we either raised your blood pressure or struck a chord
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Death to Bureaucracy

That may sound harsh, but hidebound behavior is a business-killer
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Behind All Those Undone Deals

Nervous dealmakers are trying to use loosely written escape clauses to bail out
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The Folly of Star Wars

Why it's often wiser to let a top performer walk than get into a bidding battle
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How to Really Shake Things Up

Transforming a company requires total commitment and serious stamina
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Scrambling to Find a Successor

Why so many companies aren't ready when the boss departs
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It's Insular at the Top

Did Chuck Prince and Stan O'Neal lose touch with the companies they ran?
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Should You Stay or Should You Go?

Four questions to help you decide if you're ready for a new job
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Negotiate in a Cool, Dark Place

Lessons from the very public breakup of Joe Torre and the New York Yankees

Directors Who Don't Deliver

These five types of dysfunctional board members "serve" at many companies
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Define Yourself—or Others Will

Leaders who don't explain their big decisions can wind up in big trouble
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Breaking Through the Bias

Companies embrace diversity, but to get ahead, minorities still have to go the extra mile
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Generation Y's Bad Rap

Its rep: Greedy and swaggering. Reality: Driven, thoughtful, and candid
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Leaving The Nonprofit Nest

Businesses are wary of hiring from the public sector because the lack of competition fuels a different culture, but the doors aren't closed
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Wielding The Velvet Hammer

Creative types need special care, but they are the lifeblood of your company
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Opportunity Is Knocking

The current credit crisis will pass. And so will the rewards awaiting the courageous
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The Succession Timetable

If the head of the family business is keeping plans quiet, there's probably a good reason
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From Hero to Zero

You may be smart and deliver stellar results, but an outsize ego will bring you enemies
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The Hiring Batting Average

There's a simple technique for hiring smart in high-speed, high-pressure conditions
Podcast: Improving Your Chances of Hiring Right

Customer Loyalty's New Rules

Only by providing clients with new ways to win do you have a hope of keeping them
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Don't Count Brand America Out

The U.S., as a political brand, is in trouble. But as a business brand, it's rock solid
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The Reverse Hostage Syndrome

Imagine buying a company you don't control. That happens too often in M&A
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Bosses Who Get It All Wrong

Blowhards. Jerks. Wimps. What lousy leadership is, and how inept leaders can derail a thriving enterprise
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Private Equity Redux

When all the hoopla is done, this wave of LBOs will have made America more competitive
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Who Will Rule The 21st Century?

China and India aren't as stable or adaptable as the U.S.—and won't be anytime soon
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Lay Off The Layers

The more layers in a business, the more spin, meddling, and worst of all, delays
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Which Job Is The Right Job?

There are five questions you need to ask yourself as you weigh competing opportunities
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The Six Sigma Shotgun

Resistance to change requires blasting Six Sigma into every nook and cranny
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Get Real, Get Ahead

The critical component of success is authenticity. Bloodless executives can't motivate
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The Walking Wounded

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz are trapped in a common organizational ordeal
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When to Talk, When to Balk

As today's drumbeat for transparency grows louder, here are four simple rules for managers
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The New Brain Drain

It's not just the lure of fat paychecks that has top talent flocking to private equity
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The Importance Of Being There

Working remotely may be ideal for your lifestyle. But you can't phone in real leadership
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Turning Blasé Into Buy-In

It's every leader's job to make purpose come alive—to turn cynicism into engagement
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Fear of Flying High

You've discovered a secret about success: Being promoted is thrilling—and terrifying
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The Right Way To Say Goodbye

The first step in successfully firing an employee: Make sure it's not a surprise
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Choosing China or India

Here's a way to figure out which, if either, is right for your business
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The Unemployment Act

An insidious pro-union bill in Congress would impair America's ability to compete
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The Blame Game--Forget It

Using corporate as a crutch is just bad leadership
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The Global Warming Wager

Even skeptics should plan for the worst
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That's Management!

Real managing means delivering short- and long-term results at the same time
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Company Man Or Free Agent?

Weighing the satisfaction of being your own boss against the joy of working on a team
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The Succession Opportunity

Don't dread the time to pick a successor. It can be a wonderful opportunity
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Hiring Wrong--And Right

Fight like hell against the three hiring impulses that get managers into trouble most often
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The Hot Buttons Of 2006

Four columns more than any others excited—or incited—you. Here's to a passionate '07
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Avoiding Strikes--And Unions

How to avoid strikes—and make unions unnecessary
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The High Cost Of Corruption

The lack of graft in the U.S. is one reason we lead the world in business creation
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The Boardroom Bunker

Too often the question is: "Has anything happened lately that could embarrass us?"
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Getting Back On The Radar

Comeback techniques to revitalize your career—and attract your boss's attention
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Growing Up But Staying Young

Growing outfits often put in systems that kill the spirit that made them successful
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Don't Play The Office Cop

It's a losing battle to confront a troublemaker at work if you're not in authority
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Call It Work-Life Choices

There's no perfect formula—think of it as work-life choices, not work-life balance
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From The Old, Something New

Starting a new venture inside the old one
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Send The Jerks Packing

Employees who make the numbers but undermine trust and morale must go—publicly
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A Dangerous Division Of Labor

A split in leadership can cause division
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Dialing For Growth

The best way to find out how other outfits got to where you want to be: Call 'em up
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The Six Sins of M&A

The most common pitfalls, and how to steer clear
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It's Not About Empty Suits

Charisma's hidden advantage for the lucky leader who has it
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Whose Company Is It Anyway?

This one is easy—it's the shareholders
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The Case For 20-70-10

Ranking employees into performance categories
Podcast: Ranking employees into performance categories

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  INSIGHT

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Jack and Suzy Welch look forward to answering your questions about business, company, or career challenges. Please e-mail them at  thewelchway@
BusinessWeek.com