5 Important Lessons from Jack Welch

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Jack Welch was seen as one of the greatest business CEOs of his era. The CEO of GE for 20 years from 1981 to 2001, he transformed it into a multi-national corporation. He certainly wasn’t favored by everyone and got things wrong, some would also question whether his style would work today. Regardless of his shortcomings, Jack constantly shared a number of really valuable lessons that still are very relevant today and we could all learn from them to help us lead more effectively.

5 Important Lessons from Jack Welch

1. Chief Meaning Officer - this is about instilling meaning in the people you lead. Describing the value in the work your team is doing is so important, it’s not just a task or a project, it has a higher meaning. The work is important, whether they’re serving the needs of the team, your customers, their family, or giving back to society. Helping them understand why it’s important and what’s in it for them is critical.

2. Love them to death - if you really want to develop meaningful relationships and help your people, you have to “Love em to death” Jack would say. It’s your responsibility as a Leader to develop the individual, get them to the next level and instill a sense of belief that they’re going places. Continue to make it fun and reward them for doing great work.

3. Getting rid of the Clutter - Jack always had this analogy of Curling. He said Leaders need to be the ones with the broom out in front brooming away as we see in the Olympics. It’s inevitable that there will be processes, people, or situations that slow your team down. Effective leaders quickly identify this friction and work tirelessly to remove the noise, declutter and create a space for success. This is an ongoing process, so Leaders should always have the broom to hand as environments evolve.

4. Generosity Vein - Jack was a huge fan of celebrating the successes. As a leader, you have to enjoy seeing people progress and further their careers. He would often say you have to get a big kick out of handing bonuses out, giving raises, and demanding a better experience for the individuals in your team. You have to love this process.

5. Having Fun - are you enjoying what you’re doing? Your energy and drive set the tone for the people you lead. Ensure you’re serving your purpose and making the work fun is key. Celebrate the wins and ensure everyone is enjoying the ride. Sometimes you need to mix it up or do something completely different. Cancel a meeting or 2 sometimes and take your team out for lunch. Make the work fun and exciting. Our work takes up a lot of our time, if it has fun, enjoyment, and purpose it won’t feel like work.

Jack built up a reputation as a challenging Leader with high standards, but he was more than that. He was transformational and built high-performing teams which GE enjoyed decades of success with Jack at the helm.

These 5 lessons are reminders to us all on areas we could focus on to foster the right environment and enjoy the process.

Hope this helps

David

Resources Of The Week

• Book - Winning by Jack Welch. Jack teaches you how to win in business by distilling his experience in three critical areas: working within an organization, dealing with competitors, and handling matters of life and career.

• YouTube - Truth about being the “Stupidest” in the Room by Simon Sinek - Simon highlights a great point, if you’re in a meeting and you’re struggling to understand something, then it’s likely there will be someone else struggling to understand it too. Asking questions doesn't mean you're the stupidest person in the room; it usually means you're the only one brave enough to speak up. Leaders need to have this courageous mindset.

• App - Blinkist. Do you ever read books and think there was a lot of fluff in there? Blinkist saves you hours with its premium book summary app which condenses hours of reading down into a 10-15 minute summary for you to read or listen to. Try this app to save you time and learn quicker.

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