Jeffrey R. Immelt Quotes

Good leaders don't tell people what to do, they give teams capability and inspiration.

Managing innovation better may be the only way out of the abyss called commodity hell.

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.

Values can't just be words on a page. To be effective, they must shape action.

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.

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"

Live with passion. Live with purpose.

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.

Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the organization is working on. If you can't, you are not leading well.

And people is the most important part of my job. I spend one third of my time on people.

It's the sustained ability to change that really counts.

I was Chairman for two days. I had an airplane with my engines, hit a building I insured, was covered by a network I owned and I still have to increase earnings by 11 percent.

You can't delegate growth or customer satisfaction.

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.

Good leaders are very curious, and they spend a lot of time trying to learn things.

Enron and 9/11 marked the end of an era of individual freedom and the beginning of personal responsibility.

Really, the one thing that actually works - you know, state-run communism may not be your cup of tea, but [China's] government works.

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.

I have learned that nothing is certain except for the need to have strong risk management, a lot of cash, the willingness to invest even when the future is unclear, and great people.