GE Transition post-Jack Welch: How has it been?

Management Leadership Development – Welch institutionalized it – it is now an ongoing process in GE.

It is how we managed to go on without him at the helm. There was a leadership team that managed the affairs of the company and clear common goals.

Why did he do it? He saw that the company needs to be different in the new century; the challenges it would face were globalization. We needed to forge new partnerships with corporations and countries.

Jeffery R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric, was picked by Jack Welch and the leadership team to reconstruct the company.
Welch was a non-celebrity CEO – this was one of his strong points and also that he helped make a leadership team at GE in his 20 year tenure as CEO.
GE has 300,000 employees and 20,000 leaders

Titles are not what carry the day at GE but ideas and an ability to influence people.

John Rice's visit to Africa:

• To learn: not to impose creed and decree
• To support the Africa Team
• To experience Africa : it matters more to be in touch with what people go through on the ground to best represent their interests and issues at the top.

What contributes great leadership?

(a) Core Ethical Behaviour - they must have trust embedded in their DNA.

(b) Smart – a great leader must be smart enough to know his subject but must not be the smartest – this give him license to ask stupid questions.

(c) Passionate – people love hanging around passionate people – it's infectious.
Great learners – great leaders are continually learning – it’s a life-long commitment. GE is a learning laboratory.

(d) Energize others – Infect others with energy. The further you go the further you will rise in responsibilities to lead a team effort. It's about technical efforts but about enrolment in a problem to be solved, a customer to be contacted… A leader has to be clever and focused enough to energize people to get 110% effort output from them.

A leader is a steward over resources; people, cash, assets, intellectual capital [ideas] created synergies and influencing skills.

Q&A Session:

How did GE handle the recession?

We at GE learnt that business have cycles, Economies have cycles. As such we took out cost. We re-strategized and cut on dividends as well as focused on how we would want to look after the recession.

GE has a keen focus on management training, what advice would you offer businesses and governments in Africa?

It takes time, money and resources. At GE we have 3 leadership courses that I and Jeffery R. Immelt attend at any given time. We encourage entire teams to attend since when they get back to their stations they are most likely to work as a team to achieve goals as opposed to one person who would attend, this spurs competition instead of team work.

What is the leadership challenge that GE faces today?

We are present in 160 countries each of which has a set of challenges. Most countries are against shipping in of products and exportation of profits. Local investment is what will carry the day and as such at GE our ongoing question is the right kind of global footprint to have where. This calls for judicious capital allocation which is a tough question as it is.

What do you do to institutionalize innovation at GE?

We have 2,730 patents registered in the US and what we have ongoing discovered what carries the day is local innovations to handle local problems. We have recently rolled out a hand held Ultra Sound Scan device that can reach the farthest rural home to offer ante-natal care to a pregnant woman who would have not gotten it prior to the innovation. In the recession we did not cut our R&D budget, if anything we increased it and we will grow it consistently. As a company we allow for failure – we learn from it.

In a city that has 300,000 thousand inhabitants, not every resident gets to see the Mayor. How do you manage to maintain the personal touch at GE?

We have broad based communication that we make as personal as possible. We also have web-chat on our website. We also have iPod downloads whereby I am casually interviewed randomly on a random question then this is sent out to all employees as a podcast. This has elicited a personal feel for every employee in the company.

When I am on the ground I have Town Hall meetings as well as round Table meetings all this amounts to a lot of personal touch. I landed at 4:00am and at 7:00am I was having a meeting with the Kenyan Team to give them a listening ear on what they would like to be addressed.

What is your view of your Africa especially so since it contributes 3.5BN $ in sales; a 2% of global sales for GE?

We have seen that there is a lot of potential in Africa going by the numbers we have seen in the last 5years where there was 500M $ in sales in 2004 compared to 3.5BN $ in 2009. This clearly shows that Africa is full of potential. We may not be able to open service shops everywhere but through the GE Foundation we have helped in the opening hospitals with state of the art technology.

The relation between CSR and Capital is that sustainability occurs where there is a reasonable expectation of profit; capital will definitely grow. Tough problems are calling for tough solutions and people need to invest in the solving of these. This is what makes innovation to grow.

The challenge in Africa is that there are 54 countries all with different governments some of which are unstable. The challenge is not the change of guard in these governments as the stability of rules. In the US we have a new president who is not doing things the way his predecessor was doing. We have major health reforms. In Japan, there was a change in the law on financing that cost us 700M $. It is this challenges that often form the risk of our business. It is very interesting to note that investing in Venezuela right now is risky. No investment has no risk to it. The change in risk needs to be looked at vis-à-vis the Return on Investment. There is also the question of corruption which is not only in Africa but in Europe too.

Integrity is a key value at GE.

The Answer is in the Interface

A system is a rather complex way of operation, you see every individual unit is perfectly capable of operation on its own and is perfectly functional in its own eyes.

But take a peek at a car say we look at the wheels. All the four [or more] are perfectly shaped to rotate thus propelling motion. How interesting would it be if each wheel decided to go on its own, or better still if you took the 4 and placed them in the middle of the road how ridiculous would that be.

And so it is with change management. We are dealing with a system, a conglomeration of units that are all functional and perfectly wired to operate independently. But their functionality becomes absolutely useless if they operate on their own. They need to interface with other units this is a must if system is to run. And therefore as we manage change it’s vital that we look critically at what points do the units of the system interface.

As a change manager you cannot ignore the clash of egos, the change of comforts and the opinion leaders across these interfaces hence the main area of concern is how to make these units interface peacefully.

The best way would be to rally every unit leader behind the change and ensure they buy into the change in totality not for the benefit of their unit but for the entire system. That way we can have one foot firmly into the Change so desired.

TOP-DOWN-BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

It would be wise if you were an ice cream seller to convince the dad the benefits of his kids taking ice cream and it would be even wiser if you let the kids be the ones to taste the flavours you are selling.

Why so? its the dad who will pay for it and for him all matter is whether its worth committing himself.
For the kid its all about whether they like the flavour doesnt matter if you sell 10,000 pieces to their dad if they don't like it they won't take it.

I do believe in the same manner proponents of change need to have a very convincing argument that can sell to the management, (more so the department heads) for any effective change to be implemented. Its is a lot easier to get a system through if you fully sell the benefits to the decision maker, the resource person of the department. Reason being if the juniors run into trouble during implementation they will run back to him and woe unto you if you are a Change Manager and your resource person is clueless.

Now its good to have all the knowledge but since you are the head most of the time you do the thinking and let the legs do the walking the hand the feeling the eyes the seeing. In other words you will buy the ice cream but you will not eat it. In line with this the Change Manager must ensure he gets the relevant persons for every process to be the ones to push through any change. With all due respect as much as you do the thinking you shouldn't do the operations as well.

This is the best way to fail in a project, because no matter how much you sell the idea to management, if your operations team do not get it no matter how many ice cream you sell they will not take it.

Thots of a Budding Change Manager (me)

The ah ha! Moment of Change Management

The ah ha! moment in system change is the best moment for any team leader. I do believe we do look at change in very many angles and leave out the most crucial of things.

A project will never meet its objects unless 3 things are taken care of properly; The Why, What and How of the project... and thats why I say an ah ha! moment is critical.

Its only until the Change Managers get to a point where they see the intricacies involved that they can move forward. When everyone appreciates the depth they have to go to get the things done.

4 things are key in the generation of the ah ha! moment.

• One the Project: this is basically the object you are working on. Can be a process, a system, etc.

• Two the Purpose: it would be important to outline the specific objectives you are trying to achieve. Why are we doing this project? should be a good question to ask.

• Three the Particulars: Its important to get down to the specifics of what will change. be it the tools, procedures, structures name them. Clear outline of what will change and what u expect the end result to be like. This is where it all begins to be tough

• Four the People: The most important part of the Change lies here. Many people think that the people need to fit to the change, yet its the change that should place the people. The change involved will essentially change how people work, a common reason for resistance to change because it involves altering someone's comfort. Hence its at this point that one needs to spend most time in the project. Managing the people who will effect the change so desired. You will need to outline what it is they will need to do differently. Its important to remember that each individual is that unit of change so desired in the System.

They need to have the Awareness of the change needed, develop the Desire to change, have the Knowledge on what needs/has to change, have the Ability to institute that change and have Reinforcement to sustain that Change in form of tools, procedures, policies, structure and if necessary man power to help bring the change.

Now the ah ha! moment will only be effective if it helps the project sponsors and project teams visualize this; short of which we might as well go look for Makmende!

Thots of a budding Change Manager (me)

Thoughts of a budding change manager

I have come to discover that change is extremely dynamic. It is therefore fundamental that before instituting change in any set up that the impetus of such a decision be clearly understood and laid out.

Once the objects of any change are wrong then there is grave danger of the whole system caving in. The strategies, and factors of change will always be available and indeed they are as dynamic as the change in itself but the final destination where the change is to get you must never be forgotten because with that lost, you will be engaged in a vicious cycle, spend endless strategic meetings and hire and fire as many experts and laborers as there exist strategies.

It’s the number one point of frustration for any change manager, when the process owners do not seem to realize that the constant shifting of goal posts is straining to the expert, the organization as a whole. Once you get the goals clear, even if it takes long to achieve, you can always measure progress against the goals set in the first place.

That can then give a good indication of whether or not you chasing after wind or actually drawing closer to your desired state.
…by Norman Ondego

Business is war; building a strong team is the best way to prepare for battle

from Timothy Mbugua's profile

Stepping into self employment or what most would call as the entrepreneur mindset is not an easy feat. Becoming your own boss, finding and recruiting invaluable talents, creating your own projects, and ans running the show has led to many jumping impatiently onto the entrepreneurship bandwagon.Firing your boss is the clarion call, but 9 times out of 10…it is not that easy especially once you have become accustomed to a regular paycheck and a certain lifestyle.

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and you may find that inexperience (not lack of knowledge), lack of talent or poor management will slowly drain your passion and your creative juices will cease flowing leaving you in a dry, sorry and depressed state of self. Have I convinced you to stay “employed”? If not read on coz you are one of the few people who actually have the balls to launch out on your own. That said there are some important characteristics that you must have in-place to ensure that you stepping out is not in vain and that you will at least cross that 3 year start-up ceiling that should see you well on your way to business stability and growth.

Before you can start your own technology company, you must be clear of your objectives, focus, and direction. Understand that Rome was not built in a day and your leap of faith into venturing your own business will be tested by constant obstacles.

Recruiting Talents as Partners

Fortunately, you need not experience this alone. In order to have better success, you need to make use of others’ expertise to grow your business regardless of the industry vertical. Most tech businesses are not built alone. In order to form your dream team of partners, you must master the art of recruiting talent .

There are a few reasons why being a single founder is tougher and will easily succumb to failure. There will bound to be many difficult decisions and it might be tough to decide without another person’s opinion or banding together to call the shots. With a single founder, there would not be enough diversity in generating ideas and problem-solving processes. Look at big companies like Google and Apple, they have a wonderful pool of talented people around, and are still constantly recruiting new talents. Plus you must also realize that there are smarter people out there…get them to work for you!

Furthermore, with a partner, you can motivate each other to keep things going and see things from different perspectives. But there is the other extreme, and it is when too many cooks spoil the broth. This runs into the problem of things being debated or argued constantly, causing critical decisions to be delayed.

Same Aspirations

There is nothing more powerful than like-minded partners. To determine the correct person to join your venture, first you have to determine their aspirations. A worthy partner and a mere partner are equally busy; but because of different aspirations, their gains will also be different.

Respect Your Partners and Control Your Desire

After you have recruited the suitable talents, maybe a designer or developer, you must control your desire for power. A partner or company chief executive who cannot relate well with those around him and cares only about his personal desires is unlikely to stay successful for long. You have to control your personal desires and respect others in order to achieve great cooperation.

Rewards, Recognition and Penalty

Next, when it comes to rewards and penalty, one has to be fair. Giving due reward or penalty is an important part of the art of leadership. As times change, however, one ought to be flexible in deciding the type of reward or penalty to be meted out. Give a lighter penalty when it is difficult to decide what penalty is due and give a greater reward when it is difficult to decide what reward is due. If a project design is well received by your client, give more credit to your designer and praise him or her. And when a project messes up, do not be the first to push the blame but help to shoulder the responsibility.

Foster Good Working Relationship

No one likes to be bossed around. In terms of relationship, you must foster good relationships with your partner, superior and subordinate. A superior treats his subordinates with kindheartedness and in return, the subordinates will sincerely respect their superior.


Happiness is the Health of Your Company

A group of happy people is a requisite for company prosperity. When the people are angry or unhappy in a company, they are unnameable to the precepts of ethics. Without moral values, social cohesion is impossible and the loss of support of your team will spell the downfall of your company.

Humility is Key

Humility can get you very far no matter where you go. It’s a great attribute that is useful to cultivate. But be careful not to overly do it, as it might be perceived as fake. Always be ready to listen humbly to the criticisms of your partner and make timely corrections.

Be Willingly to Delegate Responsibility

Always give food for thought to people with high aspirations. These days, many young people are used to a life of plenty and enjoyment from an early age. In such an environment, it is difficult to nurture outstanding talent. In adversity, the survival of the weak is constantly being threatened. Be willingly to delegate your responsibility to your partner and watch them perform. Those who have the courage to accept challenges and give full play to their potential may turn out to be a valuable ally.

Meritocracy is the Way to Prolonged Prosperity

A wise leader would employ people judiciously and give key position to worthy and honest partners, thus making the company strong. Know your partners’ strength and not just allow mediocre people to hold key positions based on friendship or connection.

Take Less and Give More to The Company

Any one will desire that the company give more and take less from them. Invest more time, trust or money into your company and take less from it in order to build up the relationship.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Unified command and unified action are prerequisites for company success. A team without unified command and esprit de corps is doomed to failure. The same ingredient is also vital for the success of any organization.

Be Expectant of Adversity

A person is bound to have one form of worry or another. Nothing in the world remains unchanged. Success and failure, good times and bad times, conflicts and harmony, are all part and parcel in a company journey towards success. Knowing this, if you still does not anticipate disasters and prepares for them, a good time will soon be gone.

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Additional insights from Aidan Huang, a Web enthusiast fascinated by the vivid design and technology world. He is also a front-end Web developer that strongly believes in sharing exciting and noteworthy information.

Cold feet

This year has been the coldest for my feet so they say...i must say its been transition after decision after definition.I don't know if they sat down all of them and said lets get married, but most of my friends really have been on a roll this year in that sector.

so when i sit back and think about it i feel like i am not ready to do it and my immediate thought is that am having cold feet. but wait a minute...i don't feel that since the sun rose today and guys decided to wear green pants then its wrong for me to be in my yellow shorts.

I have come to learn that at times its good to define yourself and not let everyone else define you, or a circumstance dictate your flow. I believe that a situation is true only if you say it is.

I have come to realize that when i want to do something i will do it out of my own voalition and not peer pressure. If they label my decision cold feet then be ready for damn freezing year.