You got to be rigorous in your appraisal system. The biggest cowards are managers who don't let people know where they stand.

All of management is about self-confidence

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.

If you reward candor, you'll get it.

We've only been wealthy in this country for 70 years. Who said we ought to have all this? Is it ordained?

Trust is enormously powerful in a corporation. People won't do their best unless they believe they'll be treated fairly. The only way I know how to create that kind of trust is by laying out your values and then walking the talk. You've got to do what you say you'll do, consistently, over time.

Simple messages travel faster, simpler designs reach the market faster and the elimination of clutter allows faster decision making.