At the Top, Make Leadership Personal

I ran a big organization at GE. But I learned the importance of connection, informality and access.

It is important to connect at every level: to the front lines (330,000 employees); to a business (50,000); to front-line managers (650); to senior leaders (185); in a meeting (20); and one-to-one. You can use different techniques for each cohort, but it is important to work on communications every day.

Here is an idea on how to communicate to your senior leaders in an intimate setting. Starting in 2009, I held weekend working sessions with one senior leader at a time. I did one each month for a total of 90 before I retired. Coming out of the global financial crisis, I needed a spark, and I was always energized by our team. When it is just the two of you, with no phone ringing, the two-way candor flows.

Here was the formula:

• My HR leader and I would select the right leaders for the next year. While potential was important, other factors were part of the criteria: they were new to GE; they were at a critical point in their career; we worried about retention, etc.
• On Thursday, I would review a 20-to-30-page summary, prepared by our HR team – typically the organization and staffing leaders. This would include an in-depth assessment, performance reviews, etc.
• On Friday, we would have a casual dinner with spouses. This is a great point of context.
• On Saturday morning, we would meet from 8 to 12, alone in my office. I would ask the leader to prepare thoughts about their career, their business, and the company. There was no “format.” I wanted a pure connection to hear their voice, ideas, and dissent.
• I would review with the leader a one-page summary from the comprehensive report I received. I kept it simple: what I love about you; what I didn’t like; how I see your future. At times, I disagreed with the other feedback they received, and I told them so. My intentions were pure: how do we achieve the best version of their talent; and how could they serve the company.

I learned about the person and also the company. I refined my questioning skills; here are a few of my go-to questions:

• Who was your favorite boss? (If you pick a bad one, it speaks loudly.)
• How did you solve a problem you created? (If you pick someone else’s problem, you aren’t authentic.)
• Why is your business important to GE? (Crucial for a conglomerate.)
• Name an investment you lead? (It’s easier to stop things than take risk…must lead in technology.)
• What detail do you track? (Picking metrics is a skill.)
• Who have you developed? (Can they spot talent?)

By noon, we always knew each other better and trusted each other more. But every meeting is an evaluation. Many times, my views about the leaders were confirmed. Some people were helped by the weekend meetings… there were a few Monday promotions! And, I learned that others were better off in a different company. At times, I changed my mind about a business or idea. After one weekend meeting, I decided we needed to sell our Water business. A leader thoughtfully challenged my assumptions, and they were right. When you take the time to connect, everyone is more committed.

I loved spending time with our team. Good leaders are students of other leaders. By intensively studying 90 diverse global business leaders…patterns emerged. Some are obvious: competitiveness, judgment, curiosity, resilience, character… these are foundational.

The best leaders stand apart from “group think”; they are willing to take risks. In a big company, it is always easiest to not do things. I wanted to see who had guts. I found that you could always smell arrogance or selfishness at close quarters. We rarely had elitists. But occasionally leaders suffered from the “arrogance of false piety” – the dreaded “know it all.” People can hide  selfishness in the cloak of authenticity. They were culture killers.

The ability to connect with your senior leaders is essential to success. While I know the narrative of GE is tough today, we never finished outside the top five in best companies for leaders. In the healthcare industry alone, more than 20 GE alums have run public companies in the last decade.

I bring some of this thinking to my work with entrepreneurs and startups. Find ways to segment the organization so that every cohort feels your presence.

On Friday evenings – after a long week – I dreaded another “night out.” By Saturday afternoon, I was rejuvenated. I was filled with new ideas about the company and myself… and I had an appreciation about our team. So make leadership personal.