Jack Welch on HR

Those of you who follow my blogging have seen me blog about Jack Welch before. His matter of fact style, intelligence, and success have been inspirational to me. When I signed up for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference this year, I was elated to see he was going to be the key note speaker. He did not disappoint.

Welch has been a long proponent of the HR function in organizations. He repeatedly states that the HR leader should command the same level of respect and importance in an organization as the CFO. When asked why many other CEOs don’t get it, Welch stated sternly that HR professionals need to deliver: “You gotta have the guts to make sure you’re important in the organization…get out of the picnics, birthdays, and insurance forms business and [focus on] developing people and building confidence”.

Welch started off the conversation, which was moderated by Claire Shipman author and correspondent of ABC News, stating that it is important for HR to establish trust. So how does HR build trust within the organization? According to Welch, it’s pretty simple: “listen to people, keep confidences, and tell it straight, communicate like hell, and get out of your damn cubicle and walk the floor”. Welch stated that “if [employees] think HR people are there to truly get them to grow, they will trust them.”.

I sat in the audience amazed at this man giving tough love to an audience of 10,000 human resources professionals. Welch knows how to run a business and he recognizes that having the right people in the organization is what leads to success. He also understands that it’s HR that brings the right people in, and perhaps we could do a better job of making sure they are building themselves once there. About his candid advice, Welch said “I love ya, and I want ya to win”.

I was fortunate to get the chance to shake his hand and have him sign my copy of Winning after the talk. An awesome experience indeed.