Following Welch’s lead – he was a famous hand-written note guy – Dad sent Jack a thank you note.

Dad was thrilled, and I was amazed that this idea had actually worked. Three days later, a book signed by the man himself showed up in my office. She couldn’t help out on the commandments, but would a signed book be OK?I think I stammered something like, “uh, sure…!” 26 years later it still seems ridiculous that I thought this would work.) I got a woman named Phyllis Piano in GE's PR department who said she wasn’t familiar with the Six Commandments (I had asked for a signed copy), but would “see what she could do.” I didn’t expect anything – after all, I was but a lowly law clerk – why should she call me back? – but sure enough, the next day my phone rang. On a lark, I called GE headquarters, and asked to speak with someone in Welch’s office. Dad's birthday was approaching, and as an unpaid intern I didn't have a big budget for a gift. In 1994, I was a law student clerking at a non-profit. Control your own destiny, or someone else will.If you don’t have a competitive edge, don’t compete.Face reality as it is, not as it was or as it should be.At various times in my life, they've served me well, and I'm reflecting on them again today as news of Jack's passing broke: When I was in high school, Dad gave me a copy of Welch’s 'Six Commandments' – a list of his rules for running G.E. My Dad started his career at GE, and was a Jack Welch admirer.

Jack welch rules of success