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. 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.