12 Jack Welch leadership principles - former General Electric President and CEO

Jack Welch is one of the most famous business leaders in the world. Fortune magazine called him "the manager of the 20th century" and contributed greatly to the recovery and development of GE (General Electric) in the early 90s. If Bill was known Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett, Jack Welch is the next name that is worth learning.

When Jack Welch came to power at General Electric (GE) in 1981 and became the youngest CEO in the history of the corporation, this legendary leader pledged to turn GE into the strongest company in the world. Welch is both a strategic planner, a business trainer, a corporate symbol, and a management theorist.

If Jack Welch sees leadership as an art, he can be considered a master artist. Thanks to building and maintaining a unique leadership style, Welch has achieved unprecedented achievements in history for 20 years. Here are 12 leadership principles that you can learn from this "governance myth."

1. Leadership, not management

A talented leader must be a visionary, know how to lead employees to achieve that vision with passion for work. To do this, do not manage your employees too hard but help them become the true owners of your company by enabling employees to participate in solving problems.

Any employee should be empowered to show leadership as long as they have creative ideas and can inspire others.

Leadership also needs to be flexible, not merely order other people to achieve their goals.

2. Create a friendly working atmosphere

Good leaders always know how to create a friendly working environment, promote sharing and cohesion. The closeness between people and people will contribute to the creation of creative ideas and encourage people to contribute more to the organization.

To do so, you can allow employees to dress comfortably when they are at work, without rituals, formalities, encouraging employees to express their own opinions, sharing family life and organizing informal meetings, travel, cultural and social activities .

3. Reform the workflow

The cumbersome workflow, many procedures, lack of professionalism are the sources of the organization's "cancer". They slow down the decision-making process, cause waste of resources, and reduce the competitive advantage and strategies that are counterproductive.

The "cure" of this disease is not simple and requires the contribution of all members. Not only leaders, employees can also contribute to improving the situation by eliminating excess work in their work processes and working closely with colleagues to speed up the decision-making process.

4. Dare to face reality

When Welch came to power, GE was still doing well. However, he realized that this success was not sustainable but on the contrary, some risks were still hidden there. Instead of self-deluding that things will gradually improve, Welch decides to face reality, find a disadvantage, outline plans and start conducting reforms.

Successful leaders always accept the fact that everything can happen and the prerequisite is to accept, be willing to change strategy and plan for a failure to continue.

5. Simple working environment

Business is not something too "super" or complicated. Simplicity is a contributing factor to make the organization's work and operation more effective.

Therefore, leaders need to be proactive in simplifying the work environment, such as eliminating unnecessary messages, letters, and not requiring employees to follow too complicated rules. fussy about form .

6. Ready to receive change

A good leader must predict the movement of the business environment and other industries, must make employees understand that change is inevitable because it is an opportunity to get off or at least It is a challenge to overcome.

A thorough preparation and availability is always the key for the company to make steady strides in a fiercely competitive environment.

7. Inspire employees

Not all leaders are right and not what employees say is wrong. According to Jack Welch, leaders need to inspire employees to work by taking the time to listen to their presentations and show their appreciation for their efforts. Don't ignore it or ignore it because it might be a good idea.

8. Break down the old, backward practices

What is true in the past is not necessarily true in the future. So, when he came to power at GE, Welch broke the long-standing traditions of the corporation to find a new direction. He often organizes meetings to find the best way to solve problems as well as to consult employees when he wants to make an important change in the company.

9. Building a learning environment in the company

Leaders need to encourage employees to constantly learn and never think that you know everything and the only one is always right. As a visionary manager, Welch never supported the arrogant nature.

He also said that every person in the organization can learn from each other, learn from people around, from GE companies and from competitors. Any good idea is worth considering, no matter who it is.

10. Encourage the dynamics of employees

Competition in the business environment becomes extremely fierce, so only active people can not miss opportunities.

Leaders need to train their employees to work quickly and the ability to make quick decisions to be able to break through when the time comes.

11. Highlight the core values ​​of the company

As an entrepreneur, a boss of a large corporation, Welch is naturally interested in financial indicators. However, he always paid attention to GE's core values ​​such as always watching customers as gods, straightforwardly eliminating cumbersome administrative procedures, expanding thinking and always ready to receive investment flows. new idea.

In addition, good leaders never evaluate employees based on indicators on the job evaluation board.

12. Reduce intensity and focus on improving management efficiency

Don't be too focused on monitoring and tracking, but let your employees be more self-reliant. Do authorized activities, trust your employees' capabilities, assign them jobs and provide the necessary conditions for them to complete the job. That is the real leader.