The Simple Power of Repetition
While there is no doubt that Jack Welch was a great communicator, there are definitely limitations to communication if you don't understand what that limitation is.
Very early on when Welch had been made the CEO of General Electric (GE), he found out quickly that you simply can't will things to happen, neither can you only communicate things with several hundred people at the top of the company and assume it will filter down to the rest. He found that you can wait a long time if you think that change will happen that way.
So what he did was really very simple. First of all, he was on message. He had no uncertainty on what it was he wanted to communicate at any one time. So no matter what part of the company he was communicating to, it never altered. Because he wasn't fickle in his message, he was able to bring it to his people repeatedly; regardless of where he was at at any one time.
Second, within the context of consistency, no matter where he was he would repeat his message over and over again, while reinforcing it at every opportunity.
The point is that in spite of the simplicity of this, it worked. Welch wasn't bouncing off the walls at every new fad or thought that was always being thrown around. He knew where GE needed to go, and he hit that with his conversation repeatedly.
The results show that there may never have been such a big organization that had it together so well. It's one of the key reasons why at one of the most crucial times in GE's history, they rose to the top, rather than shrink into obscurity as one of the tired, worn-out industries of the past.
Repetition. It's a powerful tool that still is one of the best ways to ensure who we are and what we want is communicated effectively across our businesses, no matter what size they are.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
Sponsored link: The outsourcing every manager requires - Tampa Locksmith
Comment Preview