Welch Considered His Greatest Achievement Care and Nuturing of Leaders
Welch had said in the past that he knew 1,000 top people at General Electric (GE), not only by their names, but by their responsibilities. It more than impressed those that worked with him.
It was so powerful because he was saying the individual did count in the company - and they did.
You hear a lot of the second-guessing and attacks upon Welch after he left GE, but all that garbage can't be backed up with facts. The truth is that the growth of the company was unprecented, and the greatest leaders in the business world worked for General Electric. What Welch did and represented attracted them to the company.
"This place runs by its great people," said Welch. "The biggest accomplishment I've had is to find great people. An army of them. They are all better than most CEOs. They are big hitters, and they seem to thrive here."
General Electric continues to be the hunting ground of corporate headhunters as it continues to churn out great leaders built upon the foundation that Welch laid.
One of the reasons it has worked this way is that Welch self-consciously made sure that he had a vested interest in as many of his up and coming leaders as he could. The result was that not only did he nurture their skills and careers, but they then turned around and did it with others coming up. It created a culture of excellence and interest in the individual, at a time when growth could have made workers feel lost in the shuffle.
People felt like they mattered under Welch and his genuine interest in them caused them to pay him back many times over. General Electric surged in response.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
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