Jeffrey R. Immelt Quotes

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Leadership, Team, Inspiration

  53 Copy quote

• I'm an optimist.
  I've always believed the future is going to be better than the past.
  And I also believe I have a role in that.
  The great thing about human beings, myself in particular, is that I can change.
  I can do better.
  If you can get up every day, stay optimistic, and believe the future is better than the past, those few things get you through a lot of tough times.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Inspirational, Life, Change

  "The Fast Company Interview: Jeff Immelt". Interview with John R. Byrne, www.fastcompany.com. July 1, 2005.

  64 Copy quote

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Shapes, Pages, Action

  30 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Hard Work, Passion, Marathon

  34 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Learning, Important, World

  "Long-term marketing: a new paradigm shift" by John Drummond, www.theguardian.com. November 16, 2012.

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Innovation, May, Way

  35 Copy quote

• Live with passion. Live with purpose.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Passion, Purpose, Live With Passion

  23 Copy quote

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Ability To Change, Ability

  "The Fast Company Interview: Jeff Immelt". Interview with John A. Byrne, www.fastcompany.com. July 1, 2005.

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• The best thing you can give as a leader is a reason to trust. People want to trust. They're hungry for it. But they're selective. They'll only give it to a motivator, a communicator, a teacher, a real person. Someone who in good times and bad always does the right thing.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Leadership, Teacher, Real

  32 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Airplane, Two, Earning

  14 Copy quote

• The reason people come to work for GE, they want to be apart of something bigger than themselves, they want to work for a company that makes a difference, a company that is doing great things in the world.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Differences, People, Making A Difference

  30 Copy quote

• In business as in life, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and sometimes good things happen to bad people. But over time, if you play long enough, everybody gets what he deserves - good and bad.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Life, Karma, Business

  "The Fast Company Interview: Jeff Immelt". Interview with John A. Byrne, www.fastcompany.com. July 7, 2005.

  27 Copy quote

• 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"

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Views, People, Process

  24 Copy quote

• Surviving a failure gives you more self-confidence. Failures are great learning tools - but they must be kept to a minimum.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Confidence, Business, Self

  "The Fast Company Interview: Jeff Immelt". Interview with John R. Byrne, www.fastcompany.com. July 1, 2005.

  25 Copy quote

• There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around the things that are really important: setting priorities, measuring outcomes, and rewarding them.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Real, Priorities, Leader

  23 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Attitude, New Beginnings, Responsible

  23 Copy quote

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Organization, Leader, Three

  20 Copy quote

• I think there's a need for somewhat of a mindset change. We need to have a consistent external focus. We've always had the research labs. We've always had the resources to be innovative, and we've been innovative in a number of businesses. But, in any big company, you have to constantly push people to look at markets and customers, rather than look internally at themselves.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Thinking, Numbers, People

  "Online Extra: Jeff Immelt on Taking 'Swings'". Interview with Diane Brady, www.bloomberg.com. March 28, 2005.

  26 Copy quote

• Leadership is an intense journey into yourself. You can use your own style to get anything done. It's about being self-aware. Every morning, I look in the mirror and say, 'I could have done three things better yesterday.'

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Morning, Journey, Self

  18 Copy quote

• You can't delegate growth or customer satisfaction.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Business, Growth, Satisfaction

  "The Fast Company Interview: Jeff Immelt". Interview with John A. Byrne, www.fastcompany.com. July 01, 2005.

  14 Copy quote

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Leader, Trying, Curious

  9 Copy quote

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

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Jobs, People, Important

  18 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  People, Listening, Important

  14 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Integrity, Talking, Years

  8 Copy quote

• 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.

  Jeffrey R. Immelt

  Change, Business, Believe

  Chronicle interview, www.sfgate.com. June 6, 2004.

  4 Copy quote

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