Jack Welch Winning Review

 Abraham Lincoln read one book
over and over, the Bible. It's language and thoughts permeate everything he said or did. One could take Jack and Suzie Welch’s book Winning and similarly turn it into a complete career guide. It has great rules of thumb that are practical and immediately useful. The stories in the book are vivid and memorable. All in all an enjoyable read that makes one think.

There are websites only a Google search away that pull out all the rules, lists, etc. from this book, so below are just personal thoughts that came to mind during active reading. Some higher priority comments are differentiated with bold face and color.

[Jack]
Because I think winning is great. Not good -- great:
[George]
Winning is great! Absolutely agree.  Every time a product ships on time is a win. Every Halloween contest award is a win. Every raise with high performance review is a win. Every great technology development is a win. Every software launch is a win. Count wins as often as possible, then one gets better at having them.

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[JACK]
1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence. 2. Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it. 3. Leaders get into everyone's skin, exuding positive energy and optimism. 4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency, and credit. 5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. 6. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action. 7. Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting the example. 8. Leaders celebrate.
[George]
Organizations that take #1 seriously win.
#2  people don't speak the vision enough. If the leaders don’t make the vision come to life in words and deeds, who will?
#3 is easy.
Living #4 is great for everyone on the team including the leader.
Struggled with #5 early in my career.

Something missing from this section is "leading without authority." Great leaders cross silo boundaries making things happen through the "rightness" of their vision and actions.

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[JACK]
The first E is positive energy.
The second E is the ability to energize others.
The third E is edge, the courage to make tough yes-or-no decisions.
Which leads us to the fourth E execute the ability to get the job done.
If a candidate has the four Es, then you look for that final P passion.
Whatever they just have juice for life in their veins.
[George]
The four Es and one Ps make another good rule of thumb.

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[JACK]
HIRING FOR THE TOP The three preliminary acid tests and the 4-E (and 1-P) framework apply to any hiring decision, no matter what level in the organization. But sometimes, you need to hire a senior-level leader someone who is going to run a major division or an entire company. In that case, there are four more highly developed characteristics that really matter. The first characteristic is authenticity.
[George]
Authenticity is the key. It stands far and above the other areas that Jack mentions. Authenticity is just hard (perhaps impossible) to learn. BTW. It doesn't mean the person has to have great stage presence. It is a state of being true to oneself and values and telling the truth. Everyone can see when we are being authentic.

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[JACK]
PRACTICE 6. Design the org chart to be as flat as possible, with blindingly clear reporting relationships and responsibilities.
[George]
Something missed here is that when organizations are too flat at key/top responsibility levels decision making is harder, because there are too many top people that need to be involved. This should state, as flat as possible that still facilitates quick decision making.

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[JACK]
No surprises. No humiliation.
[George]
This is a great rule of thumb.

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[JACK]
First, assume the problem is worse than it appears. Managers can waste a lot of time at the outset of a crisis denying that something went wrong. Don t let that happen to you. Skip the denial step, and get into the mind-set that the problem will get bigger, messier, and more awful than you can possibly imagine. Second, assume there are no secrets in the world and that everyone will eventually find out everything. One of the most common tendencies inside the crisis vortex is containment, in which managers frantically try to clamp down on information flow. It's far better to get out ahead of the problem, exposing its scope before someone else does it for you. Third, assume you and your organization's handling of the crisis will be portrayed in the worst possible light. It is not the job of the media to make you or your organization look good during a crisis, and they won’t. And never mind the media. Your own organization can be a tough audience during times of trouble. In both cases, the implication is the same --  define your own position early and often. Fourth, assume there will be changes in processes and people. Almost no crisis ends without blood on the floor. Real crises don t just fade away. They require solutions that overhaul current processes or introduce new ones and, just as often, upend lives and careers. Fifth, assume your organization will survive, ultimately stronger for what happened.
[George]
This is great. Getting out ahead of the problem is key. From there one can act.

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[JACK]
Look, I don t want to oversimplify strategy. But you just shouldn’t t agonize over it. Find the right aha and set the direction, put the right people in place, and work like crazy to execute better than everyone else, finding best practices and improving them every day.
[George]
Another good rule of thumb.

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[JACK]
Do deliver sensational performance, far beyond expectations, and at every opportunity expand your job beyond its official boundaries. Don t make your boss use political capital in order to champion you.
[George]
These are great. In the end it should be obvious to nearly everyone in the organization that a promotion will be good for the company.

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[JACK]
I saw that dynamic up close when James called my assistant and asked for an appointment. When we got together, after a few minutes of chitchat about his career, the real reason for his visit became clear.  Would it be OK,  he asked,  if I flew my own plane to my meetings in the field?  I told him he was nuts.  Do that only if you want to piss everyone off,  I said.  Your hours have already gotten you in enough trouble. That kind of showing off is going to kill you around here. It's not our culture.   But I’d pay for the gas!   This is not about gas!  I said.
[George]
This kind of story is interesting. Cultures are too interesting for this to be real. Being immersed in cultures, trying to figure them out… People are just fascinating. To ignore a culture in which one is living seems crazy.

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[JACK]
Your goal in managing your relationships with subordinates is to try to walk the line between the two extremes. When the time comes for your promotion, the best thing employees can say about you is that you were fair, you cared, and that you showed them tough love.
[George]
Love it! This is right on.

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[JACK]
And I used what I read. I learned, for instance, about PepsiCo's executive training program from an article in Fortune magazine. I was so impressed by PepsiCo's model which used the company's own executives as teachers that I built it into the foundation of our training program in Crotonville.
[George]
This kind of training seems off base. First, if the company really adheres to some of Jack's earlier ideas on keeping people having marketable traits, these internal programs are worthless on someone's resume. Second, one already spends 10+ hrs a day with people that drink the company's Kool-Aid. If we are going to spend the money anyway, let's use training as an opportunity to get some new ideas.

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[JACK]
It's not that bosses want you to give up your family or your hobbies or any other interests. It's not that diabolical. They re just driven by the desire to capture all of your energy and harness it for the company.
[George]
Great point. This is the key way to think about everyone on the team.

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[George]
Jack spent a lot of time on work-life balance here. This seems a bit out of date. With today's always on culture work and life are intermingled.

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[JACK]
If there is anything I would like to be remembered for it is that I helped people understand that leadership is helping other people grow and succeed. To repeat myself, leadership is not just about you. It s about them.
[George]
Great way to wrap things up.