A few months ago, I read an interview with GE’s CEO, Jeff Immelt. He was asked (my paraphrase), “How often do you have to throw down the guantlet to effect change at GE?”
The question surprised me, because my thoughts of leadership usually center on lots of collaboration, and very little force. Immelt responded that he only has to use ‘force’ 8-10 times per year. He explained that if he uses force more often than that, something’s wrong with GE’s culture.
In October, I had a chance to learn from Bill Young, the Managing Partner (MP) of WIPFLI. [For those of you who don’t work in Public Accounting or Law, MPs are the head honchos of their firms, usually elected by the other owners of the firm.] Mr. Young’s comments on leadership extended on Immelt’s (my paraphrase): “When you show up to work, you don’t show up as the Managing Partner. You show up as another employee, who works side by side with the staff to get results for the client. A good leader only has to be a Managing Partner a few times each month. You don’t need to wear your belt buckle to work every day.”
For young professionals who are in the throes of earning their leadership buckle, this is important insight. Most leadership happens behind the scenes - hiring the right people; getting the culture right; steering the ship in the correct direction; delegating effectively; catching people doing things right. If you have to be a ham-handed leader most of the time, you may not a be leader at all.
More:
- Strategies for effective delegation from The Strategic Coach;
- Listen (mp3) to Jim Collins talk about the 5 Criteria to Getting the “Right People” on the Bus;
- Read about how Jeff Immelt manages a 300,000 person company, why he likes going to Walmart, how he reads the paper (inside-out) and what time he goes to bed each night.
