Issue No. 30 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting makes getting up this morning worthwhile! In his two-page chapter on “The Ultimate Values Test” in this week’s book, Jack Welch warns not to get rid of “value offenders” surreptitiously with excuses like, “Charles left for personal reasons to spend more time with his family.” Instead, you must inform your team publicly and “announce that Charles was asked to leave because he didn’t adhere to specific company values.”
Jack Welch, chairman of GE for 20 years, says there are four kinds of managers. Pat Clements, president of Church Extension Plan, Salem, Ore., presented Welch’s helpful insights to 25 CEOs at a recent CEO Dialogues day.
Managers should be evaluated on two key areas: their performance and how well they live out the corporate values. Managers in Group #1 deliver great results and adhere to good values. “They should be praised and rewarded at every opportunity,” says Welch. Managers in Group #2 deliver poor results, but adhere to the values. They “deserve another chance, maybe in another position within the organization.”
Group #3 managers deliver great results but have lousy values. This kind, says Welch, “deliver the numbers, but usually on the backs of their people. Companies very often keep these jerks around for way too long, destroying morale and trust as they do.” Managers in Group #4 have poor performance and poor values. This one’s easy to deal with, says Welch. “When you finally get the guts to cut the cord, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.”
This is just one of 74 insights from Jack Welch, named “manager of the century” by Fortune magazine in 1999. It’s from the book by Jack and Suzy Welch, Winning: The Answers—Confronting 74 of the Toughest Questions in Business Today.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Let’s talk about performance and values today. Are we clear on what effective performance (hitting the numbers) looks like for each team member?
2. How about our values? Do we know our values, walk the talk, and deal appropriately with team members who don’t live out our values?
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Insights from the Management Buckets Workshop Experience
A CEO told me recently that a board member invited him to lunch. “What’s the agenda, so I can be prepared?” the CEO asked.
“No agenda,” the board member responded. “I would just enjoy having lunch with you.” The shocked CEO told me it was the first time that’s ever happened to him.
That’s a great reminder for all of us. Are we making deposits in the relational bank accounts with our key people—not because it gives us an edge, but because it’s right. It might even be fun.
In our Management Buckets Workshop Experience, we explain why Amiables and Expressives (two of the four social styles) would especially appreciate this thoughtful board member. The People Bucket is just one of the 20 Critical Competencies Required for Leading and Managing Today’s Nonprofit Organization.
Email me to reserve space in the May 9-10 Management Buckets workshop or the May 11 Nonprofit Board Governance workshop, both planned for Orange County, California.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Review your calendar for the next 90 days. Have you planned any “people time” with your direct reports, boss or board members?
2. When people see you coming, do they look forward to the relationship or do they mutter, “Here’s more work coming my way.”
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