In GE we have had anonymous on-line surveys every year since 1994. We are happy to find the results to have more than 90% of the responses were favorable when asked if an employee's career with GE has had a "favorable impact on me and my family. " In 20 years as a CEO , I've noticed the job is close to 75% about people and 25% about other stuff2. I worked with some of the smartest, most creative, and competitive people in the world-many a lot smarter than I was. I'm very proud of working together with them to create a great company, the best organization. On leaving GE, I told the employees that GE had to change more in the next decade than it had in the past 20 years. "Forget about yesterday. Prepare for tomorrow. Change, as Bulgari Replica(http://www.rep1ica.com/GoodsBrand/Replica-Hublot-Watches-44.html) you have never seen it, at speeds you've never seen. " I said. I believe they can do it. At every moment of my life, I've been lucky to have people at my side whose support, encouragement, and love made all the difference in the world. They filled my journey with great fun and learning. They often made me look better than I am. During this column, My Personal History3, are running, I have been notified that there were many favorable responses coming in to The Nikkei Shimbun4 from the readers with questions and their opinions on my story. I was terribly pleased to hear that many were strongly impressed with my mother, saying; "I'm encouraged to have a baby," or "I'm learning a lot about child caring. " They really strengthened my pride in my beloved mother. I also felt happy to hear many readers shared with me about the hardship and difficulty of management. The 30-day installments5 of this series are based on the first autobiography, jack; Straight from the Gut, which is near 500 pages in English, and about 700 pages in total of two volumes in Japanese translation. This column6 story is an excerpt7, about 10% of the original book. I sincerely hope the Nikkei readers will further enjoy the book, in which I described in detail especially my management philosophy and practices. Among the questions our readers have made, they wanted to know my view on perspectives of Japan's future. As the country now wrestles with its economic future, I remain optimistic*. My optimism for Japan's future is great. Time after time, Japanese companies raised the bar of excellence in one industry after another and set standards of higher quality, lower cost and ever more value. No company has better symbolized the spirit of innovation and superior quality than Sony. Akio Morita9 and Sony became synonymous with innovation, and that tradition continues to expand today led by Chairman Nobuyuki Idea and his Sony team. Tokyo Electric Power10 and its CEOs from Gaishi Hiraiwa to Nobuya Minami, tried to demonstrate opening the Japanese market to the world and also worked hard to ease political tensions between Japan and the U. S. The transformation toward recovery is under way, but it will take time-and it will be difficult and painful. It will take courageous leaders like our partners, but Japan has many of them: Fujio Mitarai of Canon, Isao Kaneko of JAL11, among so many others. The Japan I know and love has much more to teach and contribute to the development of the world, and I'm confident will contin-ue to do so. Other questions were focused on my personal future. Yes, I was suggested to take high position in the U. S. government or to run for political office. But I honestly don't have Cartier Replica Watches(http://www.bestwatches4u.com/omega-c-340.html) any interest in the government or politics. I dislike political negotiations, and the bureaucracy12 is the very thing I have hated and fought throughout my career. I don't want to restrain myself from speaking out or from free actions. I'm not interested in the academic post, either. I like teaching, but I'd rather ! teach businessmen, especially managers, who are working hard in real life than students who have no experience in real life. I will not be joining company boards but will be a management advisor to several companies. I'll fly to Tokyo next week to have some talks in Nikkei's special seminar13. It will also be a good opportunity to meet my old friends I highly respect. I am retired from GE, but not from life. This is not an ending, but a beginning of . new life. I'm in quite good health now after I got heart bypass14 surgery in 1995. ', My wife Jane and I expect more relaxing time, which I am sure, will come.
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