Change

When it comes to change, I suffer from a split personality. I would like to think that I cope well with most of the swirl that comes from working at a Company with 300,000 employees operating in 180 countries around the globe, but I admit to struggling with the more personal aspects of transitions like the ones that GE announced last week.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled for John Flannery and, from seeing him in action over my 10 years at GE, I am excited for GE and all of us. Jeff Bornstein richly deserves his promotion to Vice Chair, Kieran Murphy is a perfect choice to succeed John at GE Healthcare, and the thoughtful and deliberative process that culminated in last week’s announcements has renewed my deep faith in our Board of Directors and the integrity with which GE nurtures, evaluates and promotes leaders. I believe, now more than ever, that great things lie ahead for GE.

But I am going to miss Jeff. When he became CEO back in 2001, the world was mostly at peace and blessed with traditional cycles of steady economic growth. The constant change since then (e.g., terrorist attacks around the globe, the financial crisis, the digital and additive revolutions, the BRIC and other emerging markets) has transformed the world into a much less predictable place.

In many important respects, Jeff has changed along with it. He has come to appreciate that, while we cannot control the world, we can control how we choose to lead and to behave within it. He has acknowledged mistakes, learned important lessons from his and made sure that the rest of us were not afraid to learn from ours. He has also come to appreciate the importance of resiliency, displaying it personally in the most challenging of times and encouraging it in the rest of us. And he has never shied away from bold moves when he believed they were necessary.

But in so many other important respects, Jeff has stayed the same. Being the CEO of GE means traveling in rarefied circles, and mixing with Presidents and Prime Ministers can be heady stuff. Yet Jeff has never stopped being the Midwestern kid who grew up in a GE family in Cincinnati. He has been a serious leader who has never taken himself too seriously. His families – at home and at GE – have remained his priority. He has never stopped taking pride in what we have accomplished or believing that GE was destined for greatness. As our CEO, he has always been happiest when meeting with customers or interacting with GE employees at town halls.

One such interaction will always stand out in my memory. At the 2015 Global Leadership Meeting of GE’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (GLBTA) Alliance in Orlando, Jeff answered questions for over an hour.  Toward the end of the Q&A, a gay employee asked Jeff why he had made the trip to Orlando. Jeff’s answer was vintage Immelt: “I think it’s important for everyone to know that GE is everyone’s company.”

It’s been a privilege to work for a decent and inclusive CEO who has inspired us toward a genuine, diverse and global meritocracy. And it remains the honor of my career to have been selected by Jeff to serve as GE's General Counsel.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think ...