Manager of the Century – Jack Welch

 In 1960, Jack Welch joined GE (General Electric) as a Chemical Engineer. GE is a company founded by Thomas Edison with the help of J.P.Morgan. So there is no doubt about the legacy this company carries. Jack was the one who added one more feather to it and the world got it’s the best manager.

At the age of 37, Jack Welch was the youngest VP at GE. He was CEO of GE from 1981 to 2001.

During his time, the market cap of GE increased from $13 billion to $500 billion. In the year 1999, Fortune  named him as “Manager of the Century.”

Some of the important leadership lessons from Jack Welch –

1.  Ask the important question.
2.  Inspire followers, not workers.
3.  Set priorities, and then reset them.
4. Take personal responsibility.
5.  Love ‘em to death.

 

Welch's philosophy can, however, be summarized with a quote from him that I believe sets the bar for all leaders.

Get the hell out of the office. Get out and touch the people. Listen, listen, listen. Love 'em to death and touch them, get inside their skin. Excite them about what they're doing. Give purpose to their jobs and their lives. That's what this is all about. We spend most of our waking hours on these jobs. Make them fun, make them exciting, and reward the hell out of the ones who do the job you ask them to do.