Better Dads Better Kids

Jack Welch had a 40-year career at General Electric, retiring as chairman and chief executive officer in 2001.  During his tenure, GE's market capitalization increased by $400 billion.  After leaving GE, he has travelled the world, speaking to over 250,000 people and answering their questions on a variety of topics.  In his book Winning, Mr. Welch gives his response to one of these questions:  do you think you will go to heaven?

"If there is anything I would like to be remembered for, it is that I helped people understand that leadership is helping other people grow and succeed.  To repeat myself, leadership is not just about you.  It's about them.

I would also like to be remembered as a huge advocate of candor and meritocracy, and believing everyone deserves a chance.  And I'd like to be remembered for trying to make the case that you can never let yourself be a victim.

Now, it is no secret that I've made plenty of mistakes in my career.  I've made some bad acquisitions, hired some wrong people, and moved too slowly on some opportunities.  And that is just a fraction of the list.

As for my personal life, I have four great children and nine terrific grandchildren.  My love and admiration for them cannot be expressed with words, and their happy, fulfilling lives today give me no end of pleasure.  I had two marriages, however, that did not work out.  Life goes on and usually for the better, but no one lives through two divorces and feels proud that they happened.

So, as for heaven, who knows?  I'm sure not perfect, but if there are any points given out for caring about people with every fiber of your being and giving life all you've got every day, then I suppose I have a shot."

How could such a smart man not understand the most important question of his life?

You can't earn your way to heaven.  It is a free gift that can only be attained through faith in Jesus Christ.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast."  —Ephesians 2:8-9