Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

You Never Know What a Few Hours Conversation Will Do

Last post on Jack Welch we talked about the time that he quit General Electric and had already accepted an offer from another company.

The determining factor in Welch staying with GE was a young executive named Reuben Gutoff, who when Welch told him he had quit, took him out to dinner with his wife, Carolyn, and spent four hours trying to talk him into staying with the company.

What he basically told Welch was that he would do whatever he could to keep Welch from being bound up by the red tape so prevalent at GE. He also promised that he would create for him a small-company environment that would include large-company resources.

This must have made a huge impression on Welch, as he not only stayed of course, but those themes were the very essence of his management style over the years he headed the huge company.

It's interesting to look at what a four-hour dinner and conversation can result in. I've never read where Reuben Gutoff was given any recognition for his part in the Jack Welch and General Electric story, but he was an important player.

What I personally like about it was that the two right people were in the right place at the right time, with both being true to what they believed and said. The result was that Welch stayed at GE, and GE got one of the great large-business managers of all time. Not too bad for a few hours work.

Other Jack Welch Resources:

How Jack Welch Runs GE

Jack Welch Defends

25 Lessons from Jack Welch

JACK WELCH'S ENCORE

Assessing Jack Welch

Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students

Quotes

Candor

Interview