"The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important - and then get out of their way while they do it."
More than once people who worked at the company while Jack Welch was CEO at General Electric (NYSE: GE) said they were surprised that he was aware of what they were doing.
He, like all of us, had to figure out ways to make his people feel important, while at the same time not interfering too much in daily operations.
If you're a parent, you know what the statement of Welch above means. How many times do our children do something to get attention and acknowledgement for their attempted accomplishments? All the time.
It's the same with workers. Everyone wants to know that what they're doing is appreciated and acknowledged; that's what makes them feel important.
For the most part during Welch's tenure at GE, workers were pleasantly surprised that Welch would call them up and ask how a project was progressing. He seemed to be able to walk the fine line of showing interest without people feeling he was meddling.
In the view of Welch (and I think he was right), people are competitively liberated in a company when the leaders are able to perform this balancing act.
Other Jack Welch Resources:
Jack Welch's advice to MIT Sloan students
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