Stories
Stories
Leading the Way
Jim McNerney (MBA 1975) is the retired chairman of the Boeing Company and is a 2016 recipient of an HBS Alumni Achievement Award. In this video he discusses his experience as a leader of two of America’s top companies and the lessons he hopes to pass on to others.
“After McKinsey, I went to GE. Everything that GE did, I had a chance to be a part of.
“I tend to be a pretty optimistic person. For example, I left GE not getting the top job. But I understand how these things work. So my effort starting the next day was focused on, ‘Hey, what company am I going to go run now.’ You just have to approach these things positively.
“Boeing is a great, great company, and I wanted a big challenge. The company was staggering; I firmly believed it could be redirected. It’s a very important company to the country. It’s important in terms of the technological development it brings to our economy. And it’s a symbol of America around the world.
“It’s a good time to leave. It’s the right time for the company that I leave. I will be doing things; some will be in the public sector—hospitals, universities—doing some teaching. I think you can teach leadership, and you can provide experiences that bring leadership out of people.”
(Published September 2016)
Support the next generation of leaders Make a gift nowPost a Comment
Related Stories
-
- 01 Dec 2022
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
3-Minute Briefing: Yla Eason (MBA 1977)
Re: Yla Eason (MBA 1977); By: Julia Hanna -
- 25 Aug 2022
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Ink: The Three-Step Startup
Re: Danny Warshay (MBA 1994); By: Jill Radsken -
- 01 Jun 2022
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Turning Point: Sparking Change
Re: Amy Hilliard (MBA 1978) -
- 26 May 2022
- Skydeck
Bidding Up
Re: Bob Wilson (MBA 1961)
Stories Featuring Jim McNerney
-
- 26 May 2016
- HBS Alumni News
W. James McNerney Jr., MBA 1975
Re: Jim McNerney (MBA 1975); By: Susan Young -
- 26 May 2016
- HBS Alumni News
2016 Alumni Achievement Awards
Re: Mary Erdoes (MBA 1993); Alan Horn (MBA 1971); Jim McNerney (MBA 1975); Sunil Mittal (OPM 27); Tom Tierney (MBA 1980) -
- 24 Jun 2013
- BusinessWeek Online
Boeing Boss Pilots a Path to the Future
Re: Jim McNerney (MBA 1975)
