Worthy

A little more than five years ago, I received a call from a search firm, asking me if I knew anyone who would be interested in meeting Larry Culp, the recently appointed CEO of GE.? Elaine and I had raised our children in Connecticut, and the GE story was very up-close-and-personal for many of our neighbors and friends.

I vividly remember casually mentioning the search firm call to Elaine – who encouraged me to throw my hat into the ring.? We thought about it that weekend, I called the search firm back Sunday night, and three days later, I was sitting across the table from Larry in an anonymous hotel conference room in NYC, talking for a couple of hours over some food we had ordered from room service. ?That night, on the way home, I decided that if Larry was interested in having me join his team as his head of human resources, I would leave a company and a CEO I was very fond of, and jump in the pool, headfirst.? I remember telling the search executive who first called me that this challenge would be, in a single word, “worthy”.

The rest, I suppose, is history.? A few weeks later, I walked into the Boston HQ very early on a Monday morning.? The place was buzzing – not something you see very often at 5:45am in a corporate HQ.? We were announcing the sale of our BioPharma business in a couple of hours, and it signaled the first of many moves Larry and the GE Board of Directors decided to make to save our company.? It also signaled the beginning of five years of building relationships, learning an entirely new way of leading and operating, and helping GE regain its footing.

I am certain others will one day chronicle these past five years.? Faced with everything from unfunded liabilities related to decisions made long ago – to the grounding of the Boeing MAX fleet – to a global pandemic – and just about everything in between – we persevered.? And when we announced the decision to transform GE into three fantastic companies, back in November of 2021, the end of my GE runway became clear.? The work between then and now actually became more difficult – more challenging – but more worthy than I could ever imagined late in 2018.

And now, for a few thank-yous:

• ?To Larry and the GE Board of Directors:? Thank you for entrusting me with such a significant set of responsibilities. ?I have learned much from you and given you everything I had.? You’ve often made my contributions feel vital and appreciated, and that is all I could ever have asked.
• To my HR Teams all over the world:? Thank you for consistently rising to the challenges we all faced.? We faced them together, and you have done what you did long before I put on a GE uniform – you made the impossible look fairly normal.? It was rarely an easy or straightforward path, but you responded beautifully when called upon – in big moments and thousands of small moments.? They all matter, and I am astounded by your “fight to the finish” set of values.
• To my Executive Teammates – some of whom I helped bring into GE – and some of whom are long serving veterans of GE – I thank you for your partnership, your excellence in your respective domains – and your friendship.? We have flown through incredible turbulence together – and I wish each of you “clear skies and unlimited visibility” in all you do going forward.
• To the GE Family – all over the world – some of whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting – and to those of you who might know me only through my notes or videos:? Thank you for representing our company so incredibly well over your entire careers.? When people ask me what I like most about GE, the answer is always the same:? I love the people – and I love the fact that we do things and make things that the world needs, and that very few other companies would even attempt to do.? Thanks to all of you, I have come to better appreciate what “worthy” really means.
• And finally, to my family:? For your patience, understanding, and unwavering support over the past five years – I am deeply grateful.? Although Larry will respond “Family First” when something important arises we need to attend to, I confess I haven’t always followed that advice.? I’m looking forward to making it up to you in the months and years ahead.

When the spinoff of Vernova happens in the next few weeks, my GE chapter will come to an amazing close.? When I am asked what I feel best about over the past five years, I have but one response:? For those who hung in there, and stuck with GE when the skies were darkest, I am privileged to have been part of the team that restored GE to becoming three very successful and admired companies.? Thank you for the opportunity to serve – it has been an honor.

I have so much confidence in the leadership teams of the three companies GE is becoming.? To a person, they are excellent, and our future is in such very capable hands.? I can’t wait to see what you all achieve!