I received a surprise gift in the mail from my mother - a copy of Jack Welch’s Winning. I’ve never thought I’d find much interest in Welch’s thoughts, mostly because of the size of the company he led (GE) - I’m always on the side of the startup, the little guy trying to make something from nothing, not something bigger out of what is already huge.

I shouldn’t be so quick to judge! So far (I’m 1/4th through it) I’m loving it, and have a new respect for Jack Welch and his accomplishments (not that I didn’t before… I just didn’t relate).

The business books I love focus my mind and set it spinning - it’s terrible for actually reading the book, but my imagination launches to so many other tangents that I might not have reached without it. Sometimes I have to re-read the same few pages over and over until my mind has settled down and I can digest the story without interjecting my own situation in between the lines. Winning is one of those books.

Crammed with ancedotes that span his entire career, I found the first quarter to be motivational and positive. Hopefully the next sections (Your Company, Your Competition, Your Career) will be just as insightful!