Earlier this week, the legendary Jack Welch passed away. Mr. Welch, former CEO of General Electric, became known for developing leaders during and after his GE career.

To honor Mr. Welch’s contributions to leadership, let me share three of his messages on change that will stand for all time.

Leadership Tip

Let the wisdom of successful leaders inspire you to perform at an even higher level.

Mr. Welch’s thoughts reinforcing the value of change followed by my comments:

“You are not a leader to win a popularity contest-you are a leader to lead.”– As a leader, you make decisions all the time. This message provides a solid reminder for you to make decisions that are best for your business. Your decisions will not please everyone every time and particularly when it comes to change. That’s OK. Use this message as a reminder to always decide what’s best for your business, both in the short term and the long term.”

The people who get into trouble in our company are those who carry around the anchor of the past.” – Leaders should constantly seek and then implement change. Those who resist change or whose actions don’t support it can be disruptive to an organization’s plans for success. As a leader, you must watch for this and put in corrective measures quickly.”

If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” – Brilliant. Responsible leaders don’t change for the sake of change. They know where they want to go but are mindful of what’s going on externally. They then make appropriate adjustments to stay ahead of the changes happening around them.

Here are more of Jack Welch’s wisdom.

As a leader, mastering change successfully will elevate your leadership ability and the organization you lead. What is the one change in your area of responsibility you need to make?