A chief exec's parting advice on leadership and learning
`Keep a lot of thoughts to yourself,' and other wisdom from Jeff
Immelt, the former General Electric CEO
Jeff Immelt of GE recently passed the baton over to John
Flannery as the new chief executive.
Before the transition Immelt chose to share some of the lessons
he had learnt while leading the corporation in his last blog to employees.
“Leadership is a `one-act play',“ he wrote. “On the other hand, learning is a
part of the DNA for all good leaders.I never stopped learning.“ Here are some
of Immelt's wisdoms, in his own words:
Set purpose with high standards. You must always conceptualise
the future; have a point of view. Set a high bar and hold people accountable.
Be willing to fight in the alley to preserve reputation. `Be on watch' every
minute of every day. Be respectful and motivating; be a competitor. Always
focus on the important stuff.
Make the tough decisions. These are the ones that no one really
wants to do. As CEO you must not fear judgment or criticism. Remember, every
job or decision looks easy until you are the one on the line. And, always take
the high road. I learnt (the hard way) that you can't control events; you can
control yourself.
The future comes. Never apologise for investing in it. The long
term is about more than a series of short terms. It is about ideas.Sometimes
our owners have a different time horizon or value metrics more than the process.
Good business people value the journey as well.
Keep perception and reality in sync. This is not about candour;
that is the easy part. Facts without context isn't truth. Sometimes people want
to `unload everything on their mind' and call it candour. They feel better,
everyone else feels worse. Remember that facts are a path to progress, not a
way to pass judgment. Truth telling requires facts and context.
Act big and small, long and short; keep a lot of thoughts to
yourself. The best leaders are versatile thinkers. Must have a world view that
is 10-20 years out; and quarterly. Leave a few things `unsaid', so that others
can have the last word.
Deputise others. Trust your team. We move fastest when teams are
purposeful and empowered. Our winning initiatives ... all had strong teams that
could move quickly and leverage our scale. Organisation power should be
distributed.
We win in markets, not conference rooms.It is easy to get
trapped inside the company. Surround yourself with `scouts' who will negotiate
for the future. You must listen to them. Be willing to experiment and fail. But
winning requires doing and not talking.
Like the work more than the title. Every day away from the
central task... at conferences, external councils, etc... is a day off of
mission. I never cared that much about being a CEO, but I loved the multitude
of tasks that a CEO did. No job was ever beneath me.
Never give up. Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a strategy until
they get punched in the nose.“ I know we can get better. Leadership is a deep journey into yourself.
How fast can you learn?
How much can you change? What do you want to give?
Lead in the moment. Give fully of yourself... always appreciate
work, workers and jobs. I have never met someone more dedicated to what they do
than an engineer who works on an aircraft engine or a piece of healthcare
equipment. You must build personal relationships.
businessinsider.in
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