“A” Ideas / “A” Players & “A” Leaders:
“A” Ideas: Welch frequently used the “A” to connote the best of something. “A” ideas are those new ideas that have the power to change the company. Welch encouraged workers at every level to voice their opinion and articulate new ideas. For years, GE seemed to have no interest in listening to employees. But with programs like Work-Out, Welch built trust in the organization so people felt free to speak out. In the final year of his tenure, the GE chairman explained how GE ensures that people know their ideas count: “We celebrate the ideas, we publish them, we put them online.”
“A” Players and “A” Leaders: Throughout the years,Welch consistently raised the bar at GE, asking more and more from his managers and employees. For example, Six Sigma asked GE to approach perfection in every product and “customer touch.” To make sure that his team was up to every demanding task,Welch felt that GE could not tolerate anything but the best quality employee. The GE chairman viewed “A” leaders as those capable of creating and articulating a vision, and energizing others to adopt that vision as their own. “A” leaders lived the values of a learning culture, had a passion for competing and winning, and behaved more like coaches than bosses.Welch described “A” players as those who typify the “four E’s of leadership” (see Four E’s of Leadership).
“A” Lessons: Rules for developing leaders
1. Don’t settle for anyone who is not an “A” player: Welch knew that GE would never emerge as a truly global competitor with inferior talent and made building an “A” team a top priority. Welch said that GE “could not afford to field anything but teams of ‘A’ players.”
2. Make sure that all leaders live the vision: One litmus test of an “A” leader is their behavior. “A’s” live the values and for Welch that meant individuals with great energy and the ability to infuse that energy and passion throughout the organization.
3. Think of your management team as an Olympic team or Super
Bowl contender: Welch often used sports analogies, comparing the GE leadership ideal to an Olympic coach fielding top athletes. In order to compete, you’ll need a team that is as dedicated to winning as an Olympian or a Super Bowl MVP.
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