In this series, professionals reflect on their inevitable career mistakes. Follow the stories here and write your own (please include #BestMistake in your post). “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde How many mistakes have I made? I can’t even begin to count them. There were jobs I might have taken (I seriously thought [...]

In this series, professionals share all the right — and wrong — ways to leave a job. Follow the stories here, and write your own (please include #IQuit somewhere in the body of your post). It was with a heavy heart that I chose to leave General Electric back in 1988. I had basically started my professional career [...]

In this series, professionals share the words of wisdom that made all the difference in their lives. Follow the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #BestAdvice in the body of your post). The lessons I’ve learned over my 40-plus-year career have come from a wide range of sources. I’ve turned to business leaders, publications and news [...]

In this series, professionals share how they rocked — or didn't! — the all-important first 90 days on the job. Follow the stories here and write your own(please include the hashtag #First90 in the body of your post). The first 90 days in any new job can feel almost overwhelming. The learning curve – whether you’re starting your [...]

In this series of posts, Influencers explain how their career paths might have changed. Read all the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #RoadNotTaken in the body of your post). “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” My life was actually planned out for me while I was still [...]

It's a conversation I'll always remember. The simple one-on-one meeting with a new employee took place when I was president and CEO of GE Transportation. I’d been asked by one of my senior staffers to meet with a young man who he described as “amazingly impressive for someone with so little business experience.” As the [...]

In this series of posts, Influencers explain what they wish they could fix — and how. Read all the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #FixIt in the body of your post). Kudos to the energy entrepreneurs and innovators! Their efforts over the past decades have been heroic, given the challenges they face. Having been [...]

I am often asked in interviews this seemingly simple question: “How do you do what you do?” My responses are usually fairly brief. In most interviews and discussions, I’m working against a deadline, and it’s not an easy task to codify in one or two sentences what I’ve done over the course of a 40-plus-year [...]

The scandal that is currently unfolding at the VA that has forced the resignation of its lead administrator reminds me of one of the great truths of leadership. Delegating authority and responsibility without attaching accountability and consequences for failing to perform is pointless. I’m sure many of you associate the word “consequences” with firing, but [...]