Hot Seat: What I Learned Leading a Great American Company

Former General Electric CEO Immelt looks back on what he terms his “controversial” 35 years at the company in this page-turning if petulant debut. Spurred to action because of a “histrionic” 2018 article in Fortune that called him “inept,” Immelt energetically recounts triumphs, failures, and the end of his time at GE in 2017: “I’d been about as brilliant as I was lucky, by which I mean: too often I was neither,” he quips. Immelt started as CEO the day before 9/11, taking over for Jack Welch (who had no shortage of “idol worshippers,” the author notes). His defensiveness about this transition shines through, and he points out that he took over “without speaking a single negative word” about Welch, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. Immelt’s account reveals the inner workings at GE, including efforts to clean up the Hudson River, corporate board issues, and the decline of GE Capital. Though it’s presented as a leadership book (sections are headed with such koans as “Leaders Show Up” and “Leaders Manage Complexity”), instead of guidance Immelt opts for succinct, personal writing that often comes across as self-exoneration. Readers in search of a behind-the-scenes look at GE will be entertained, but those looking for business wisdom can give it a pass. (Feb.)