"What counts is what you deliver"
Many companies and business leaders claim that they have meritocracies, but in reality they make decisions based upon the class or status of a person and their credentials. Welch would have none of that.
One thing I learned a long time ago that's helped me in almost all areas of management has been to not listen to what someone says about someone else or what they say about themselves, rather I watch what they do and produce. Actions and results truly speak louder than words.
Now when I say I don't listen to what others have said, I don't mean that I haven't listened to input. What I mean is that if I do get input, I never have never made input based on that solely. The only exceptions are when I implicitly know and trust the person making the recommendation.
Recommendations are tricky because they can have have so many personal connections that can cloud a person's judgement.
Obviously in huge companies there are limitations to how many people you can know, although Welch was reputed to literally know about 1,000 of his senior executives and how they were performing.
Even when we don't necessarily know all the candidates, there should be performance records or histories that let us know whether what is being said coincides with actual performance.
Welch rarely if ever promoted people because of seniority or an existing title. Many times he would dig a couple of levels down in the company to find the person he wanted, and it was based on only one thing: How they had handled previous assignments.
There is nothing more discouraging in a company than leadership putting people in positions that they aren't suited for, while our people know that those that are best for the job are being passed over.
Promotion should be based upon performance, nothing else should be part of the equation. Welch would never have done otherwise.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
Remember to Sign up for my feed, bizzbite and digg this!
Sponsored link: The outsourcing every manager requires - Tampa Locksmith
Comment Preview