Lary Bloom
Writer, Editor, Teacher
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Thursday, October 20, 2005
Jack Welch's Secret
Jack Welch's book, Winning, is not as unreadable as you might think. It contains some useful insights and, should the reader care to follow all of Welch's rules, no doubt some success will follow. But you needn't buy the book to understand Welch's most important lesson. Here's how I learned it one day not long ago.I attended a fund-raiser at which he was the speaker. Before the luncheon, certain guests who had given at a high level were invited to meet Welch and his wife Suzy in a private room. As I was at the table of one of those high donors, I found myself in a line of several dozen people waiting to get my photo taken with the guests of honor.
The line moved quickly, and the photographer kept the flash going -- one picture after another. Each person in line introduced himself or herself to the former GE guru. It was the sort of reception that could dizzy a person. But Welch seemed to have a perfectly fine time. When our table members approached we all shook hands with him, and he and Suzy obliged the photographer once again. Then, as we prepared to walk off and let others get their moment, he grabbed my arm, and said, "Lary, stay a minute -- get your picture alone with Suzy and me."
I was stunned. How had he remembered my name in the throng of people? In the next few minutes I watched him do this again with others. Pulling them aside, addressing people with no name tags by name.
I spent nearly 35 years working for corporations, or the U.S. Army, and I never met a force of personality like that (except for one colonel). Is it a ruse, a mere technique? Or is it genuine? Is Jack Welch so interested in others that he learns everything he can about them, and, in doing so, gets their loyalty in return?
Try it yourself the next time you're introduced to someone. Put aside every other thought you have and just concentrate on names, and then use them right away. See what happens.
Posted by:Lary Bloom at 7:06 AM
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