No living person is more closely linked with the concept of business leadership than Jack Welch. Even for those who have never put a foot on the corporate ladder, who couldn’t tell Six Sigma from Six Flags, Welch’s name is instantly recognizable. During his time as CEO of GE — a two-decade span that started in 1981 — he took it from a $14 billion company that was thought of mostly as fine but lumbering to a $500 billion one that was fast, full of talent and willing to take risks (though GE is now unwinding some of those big bets).
Fourteen years later, Welch’s business lessons are still followed and debated: That management has to ruthlessly weed out mediocre employees (“not removing [the] bottom 10% early in their careers is not only a management failure, but…a form of cruelty,” he declared in one annual report); that if you’re not No. 1 or No. 2 in your industry there’s no point in being in it; that problems can be solved in rank-defying, public “work outs” vs closed-door, hierarchical meetings. His LinkedIn posts, co-written with his wife, former HBR editor Suzy Welch, almost always become instant hits. What they write about is what professionals are wrestling with every day: How to get better, how to move faster, how to stay relevant.
One way? Skip the traditional MBA.
Read the rest of the story at LinkedIn
National Principals’ Day is a reminder that every successful school relies on a principal who…
Teacher burnout is becoming one of the most significant challenges facing education as schools work…
Create your free edCircuit account and start getting your voice—and your message—in front of education…
School boards play a central role in shaping decisions within every public school district, yet…
Reach education decision-makers without ads—and more importantly, without being ignored. Because here’s the reality: Most…
Assessment in the AI era is rapidly becoming one of the most disruptive shifts in…
View Comments
Great lesson from Jack Welch! Hope that LinkedIn people really listen to this! 'cause they say small languages, countries, businesses are not in their interest. And forget that no company started as big.