I've been seeing the change. It's been steady. It's been more controlled than people think. And my own belief is that China knows it also needs to be part of the world, and that it needs to be able to have trade with Europe and the United States in order to house and feed a billion people. That's really kind of single-mindedly what they see their role as being.

You can't delegate growth or customer satisfaction.

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.

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

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

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 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.