From installing a gas turbine at a power plant to quickly answering a service call for a faulty washing machine, Welch wanted GE to become virtually flawless in all it does.
The first thing that stands out to me in Welch's vision, is how high he sets it. Another thing great about it, was he didn't do it in the obvious areas that get a lot of media attention and buzz, rather he did it in the servicing of customers area, which very few in the media take the time to talk or write about, unless it's poor quality of service.
You know when someone sets the standard of almost perfection in customer service, that they're going to do a fantastic job; especially when you have someone in charge that is willing to follow through on that initiative.
What was also instructive in Welch's vision, was his taking the strength of the engineering mind-set of the company, and bringing it to bear on the areas of business processes and service productivity: the two areas that would make them stand out in customer care.
One reason this is so important, is many business leaders know that customer service isn't truly what people look at in performance, regardless of the lip service paid to it. When was the last time you saw a press conference talking about how happy a customer was over how they were taken care of by a company? It doesn't get the headlines or interest of the business media. Like I said, it's only when there are colossal customer service failures that the media buzzards come out to feast on your carcass.
So having such a real customer service goal, and taking the strengths of their engineering mind-set and applying it to the problem, was in reality a move to better the company and not himself. To me, that's what really makes a great business leader, not those that are able to solely grab the headlines through a charismatic personality.
Of course those that are able to do both are worth their weight in gold to a company.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
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