Jack Welch, Me, and Mission Statements

Jack Welch was the one of the most notable CEO’s of the 1900’s leading G.E. It was a three hundred thousand person 19 business organization. He was the envy of most  CEOs and the darling of Wall St. They dominated each industry or they sold their business.

In his popular book “Winning” he lays out his thoughts on how he did it. He was clearly focused on how to maximize talent and technology in a niche. I found his thoughts on Values and Mission statements a little under whelming along the lines of contributing to community and the environment and maybe a little out of step for this new era.

He loves a mission statement and values. “The mission announces exactly where you are going and the values describe the behaviors that will get you there. In my experience, an effective mission statement basically answers one question: How do we intend to win in this business?”

“It does not answer: How can we describe our business so that no particular unit or division or senior executive gets pissed off?”  “At the end of the day, …effective mission statements give people a clear sense of the direction to profitability and the inspiration to feel they are part of something big and important.”

Whereas I would never discount his effectiveness in leading people to great achievement, I would like to see the post meltdown transformation of personal values and environmentally consciousness of the new order reflected in Business Mission statements.

I would also like to see Mission statements and values that are in greater alignment with Organizations people, customers, community, and planet sustainability.  Mission statements could be visions for the world that would create a unified consciousness.

Customer driven business, customer service, value, unique products, and profitability are goals and the values Welch chooses seem to me to be strategies. When you have reached your goals, stock holders are happy.

Why not have goals that aim at profitability and Mission Statements that improve the quality of life? In creating Mission statements for individuals and organizations that merge into a more effective force of change on the planet, the goals have to be real but aimed more directly at improving the greater good.

Welch’s top 20% of stars in his organization are enjoying achievement and the income to continue their pursuit of happiness through materialism. The middle 70% of his organization which he characterizes as the important guts of an organization might still be above the mean income but certainly more of the “everyman”.

The world in post 2005 is experiencing a globe laden with debt trying to recover solvency as well as a stress on resources, food, and climate change. The consumer has seen many of their materialistic dreams dashed on rocks of the unexpected.  Happiness is becoming more of a self generated phenomena and each consumer is realizing the power of their spending to create a better world.

Welch’s world doesn’t recognize the frustration, anxiety, depression, and even self abuse experienced by the highest percentage of population in history as they try to make it up his hierarchy of heroes.

More people want to find work that is meaningful, they want to be treated with fairness and respect, they want their work to result in a meaningful contribution, they want to see the world become more friendly to their children and grandchildren.

Creating Missions that use profits and behaviors to treat people with kindness, deliver value, build the community, and sustain the planet are not lofty idealisms. They are attainable ends that personnel, organizations, customers, and communities can attain together and should create focus so that at the end of the day, everyone knows they are happier because they are contributing to the greater good.

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Read “Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle

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