What Jack Welch Said to Me in 1986 Still Resonates

By Russ Riendeau, PhD

Is there someone in your life that changed your thinking? Ignited your creative fire?

In 1982, a ground-breaking business book, In Search of Excellence, by Tom Peters and Rob Waterman, was a bestseller that I devoured, until the binding fractured and frayed, on my journey to figure out what my career path would be. Introducing me to the corporate models of business strategies, this book set a course of action that would come full circle.

1986, I found myself a rookie in the executive search business, after spending the previous nine years as a construction manager right out of high school. This same year The Wall Street Journal ran an article that included an interview with General Electric’s CEO, Jack Welch about leadership and one comment Welch wrote jumped out at me. Mr. Welch’s recent death reminded me of often subtle ways people and history makes its mark on us.

Jack told me--the reader of that article-- that companies should never be expected to guarantee any worker, at any level, a lifetime of employment, unless that employee continued to keep update and upgrade their skills and value to the company. If the person thought otherwise, they would not have a job very long. To me, a 28-year old newcomer to the pay-for-performance world of executive search and without a college degree at the time, his comment resonated pretty deep.

Fast forward to 1989. I decided the need to earn my college degree to remain competitive and viable in the marketplace, whether it be as a search professional or as a employee at another company in the future. So I went back to school nights to earn my degrees. Fast forward to 2001. A year after starting my doctoral studies in psychology while running my own newly-launched search practice, and doing search work for GE divisions, I was approached to be a part time instructor for General Electric. Their in-house university utilized outside professionals like me to develop and deliver sales training and leadership skills to various divisions of GE. Around this time, Jack Welch retired from GE, and shortly after 2002, I stopped my project work at GE to finish my doctorate and focus energies on my search practice.

Jack Welch’s influence on GE was significant. And his influence on me, as an impressionable, young businessman new to the corporate world and trying to find my place—my voice—in a crowded market was also significant. Tom Peters (whom I had a chance to meet and speak with as well, also made an impact.) Both these men inspired me to write books on leadership and sales best practices as well.

To this day, I still remember reading that WSJ article 34 years ago; a wake-up call to a rookie headhunter--reminding me to keep skills as sharp as possible to insure my value remains competitive and viable. And to protect against complacency in pursuing knowledge never grabs my throat.

Who will influence your future? And are you looking?

Russ Riendeau's newest book is The Big Swing, a Amazon Kindle download. He is senior partner with New Frontier Search Company.