[The Knowledge Project Ep. #116] Jeff Immelt: Leadership In A Crisis

Shane:  Your legacy at GE is at best controversial. You made thousands of decisions impacting millions of people, often under extreme uncertainty and constant media scrutiny and second-guessing. You inherited a pile of shit following a cult-like leader and then steered the company through 9/11, Enron, and the financial crisis. What was the hardest part of your tenure at GE?

Jeff: Oh gosh. The hardest part was the financial crisis and that it was a sheer fright for probably 60 or 90 days. It was such a big company with so many people, there was so much going on, there was so much unknown. And I literally didn’t want to go to bed at night because I didn’t want to wake up the next morning. After all, you just didn’t know what you’d see. So I’d say for an intense time, that was the hardest stretch of 90 days I’ve ever had to go through.