JACK WELCH: A ROLE MODEL FOR TODAY'S CEO?

摘要

On Sept. 7, Jack Welch will retire from his 20-year reign as chairman and ceo of General Electric Co. (page 136). Already he has been hailed as one of the great business leaders of the past half-century—and deservedly so. Now a new generation of ceos is emerging, including Jeffrey R. Immelt, Welch's successor, Kenneth I. Chenault at American Express, W. James MeNerney Jr. at 3M, Alan G. Lafley at Procter & Gamble, Anne M. Mulcahy at Xerox, and Steven S. Reinemund at PepsiCo. As he leaves the scene, should Welch be considered a role model for this new generation of business leaders, or will they need different or additional skills? There are reasons to discount Welch as a prototype. Unlike many ceos, he inherited a company that had been financially successful and widely admired for most of the 20th century. He also enjoyed the tail-winds of America's longest and most powerful economic expansion. Nevertheless, almost everything Welch did is worthy of emulation.