Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the organization is working on. If you can't, then you're not leading well. Jeffrey R. Immelt More Quotes by Jeffrey R. Immelt More Quotes From Jeffrey R. Immelt When I was a young guy, when I first started with G.E., Jack Welch sent us all to Japan because in those days Japan was gonna crush us. And we learned a lot about Japan when we were there. But over the subsequent 30 years, the Japanese companies all fell behind. And the reason why they fell behind is because they didn't globalize. Jeffrey R. Immelt why behind reason young I have learned that nothing is certain except for the need to have strong risk management, a lot of cash, the willingness to invest even when the future is unclear, and great people. Jeffrey R. Immelt great future management people When you take over a company like GE, you think you're going to visit 100 businesses. You're going to go see the factories you haven't seen before. You're going to see a site in Texas and one in Canada and stuff like that. That has fallen by the wayside. Jeffrey R. Immelt see think you canada September 11 was horrific, but I've been through enough crises before that I had my own pattern as to how to collect facts, what a leader should do, how to communicate with people, how to set up operating mechanisms to work our way through it. Jeffrey R. Immelt leader work people way President Obama has asked me to chair his new President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Jeffrey R. Immelt chair new me president Business leaders should provide expertise in service of our country. My predecessors at GE have done so, as have leaders of many other great American companies. Jeffrey R. Immelt great service business country As one of America's largest exporters, GE remains committed to producing more products in the United States, which is our home and largest market. Jeffrey R. Immelt market more home america GE sells more than 96 percent of its products to the private sector, where America's future must be built. But government can help business invest in our shared future. Jeffrey R. Immelt help future government business