Any time you get to learn first hand from a leader like Jack Welch it’s gold…and this interview was no exception. Here are some of my notes from Fortune Magazine’s Manager of the Century, Jack Welch,
- In businesses, people want to run big things. Leaders are reluctant to prune things and let go of things because when you prune things they get smaller.
- It’s absolutely critical that each of your direct reports know where they stand with you as their leader/manager
- The cruelest form of management is not being clear and candid with your employees
- If you don’t like people then being in the people business is a terrible job
You find a generosity gene in every great leader:
- They love to give raises
- They love to give promotions
- They love to give more responsibility
- They love to see you grow
The 3 C’s:
- Self Confidence: As the leader pour this into your team everyday.
- Simplicity: This leads to clarity and only self confident people can be simple.
- Speed: If you get this, you win the game.
- The team that fields the best players wins
- Key question to ask about change: “What’s in it for them?”
- A budget review is just a personnel review with numbers
- When you say something is important, back it up with your best personnel
- You can give 1,000’s of speeches as a leader but one personnel move can really show where your values are
- Make your boss smarter than he was before the meeting
- Managers need to take care of their best people so well, they don’t want to leave
Posted in Leadership
