One of GE's Great Leaders, Charlie Reed, recently died.

I recently learned that Charlie Reed,one of GE's great leaders died. This is what I wrote about Charlie in my book (The Secret to GE's Success): "one of the major reasons that General Electric's material business succeeded was a chemical engineering Ph.D, named Charlie Reed. Reed, blessed with both creativity and leadership skills, was able to put together a team of very diverse individuals and encourage them to create a business--- one that has continued to be a major part of the GE culture. One of the by-products of this business, of course, was Jack Welch."

Charlie was Jack's mentor.

It is ironic that just about the time that Charlie died, GE sold its Plastics business, which was Charlie's creation.

GE has been gifted to have many leaders like Charlie Reed who provided the foundation and has permitted this remarkable company to prosper and grow, while its peer companies have either died or been submerged into other companies.