What Welch Looked for in Every Potential Leader
Welch had coined a term after he was at the GE helm for a time, that he looked for in his leaders: he called it "E to the fourth power."
What he meant by that was that he looked for tremendous personal energy within a person, the ability to get others energized and motivated.
He also wanted people that had an "edge," a word used at General Electric (GE) for having an instinctive competitive nature. It didn't stop there though, the potential leader would also have to have the skill level to be able to execute their various attributes.
Welch looked for the whole package, he only wanted what was called "A" of "B" players, the rest he would encourage his leaders to get rid of.
We've probably all heard the criticism that Welch has received for doing this, but then the question must be asked of why other businesses and headhunters consider General Electric as the greatest pool of management talent on the earth. The answer is that because what Welch practiced worked.
The one key thing I take away from Welch's focus on what he wanted in his leaders was he understood no matter how dynamic and competitive a person was, if they didn't have the skill to execute, they fell far short of what he was looking for.
When it all comes down to it, business leaders must be able to execute or they aren't business leaders, they're just cheerleaders. And many that are only cheerleaders can cheer the team while it is driven into the ground by its competitors.
All the attributes that Welch mentions are important, but being able to execute surpasses them all.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
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