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At that time, Jack was famous for his personal leader’s notes. In business, Jack Welch was the most famous advocate of cvs2bvs in the US.
Jack used cvs2bvs at GE to help him change the culture of a 100-year-old manufacturer to the most valuable company (at the time he left it) in the history of the world!
I was invited to GE soon after he became chairman and CEO. In the 1980s I spent several years, at his request, installing the cvs2bvs brain software at GE. He wrote to me saying,
“I would love to have a management team that really understood the cvs2bvs algorithm. It’s the ‘value-added’ role in the management process”.
In his book about his time at GE called, Jack (Warner Books 2001), he wrote, “It would make each of us wake up with the goal of “Finding a Better Way Every Day”. It was a phrase that became a slogan, put up on the walls of GE factories and offices around the world”.
Jack also used cvs2bvs in crisis management situations and on one very serious occasion involving a crisis between GE and President Reagan’s Defense Secretary, Caspar Weinberger, Jack asked me to meet with him privately, in Manhattan, to apply cvs2bvs to finding a solution.
He also told me that it helped him design new concepts like ‘Boundarylessness’ and ‘Work-Out’. He wrote, “Suddenly, “Finding a Better Way Every Day” wasn’t just a slogan. It was the essence of boundaryless behaviour, and it defined our expectations”.
As my Dad used to say, “Nobody’s perfect!” and Jack had his share of setbacks but he was a genuine strategic thinker and one of the most accomplished business leaders of his time.
Jack was famous for the little hand-written notes he would send to people. He sent me several and the one I prized the most was, “Michael, you are a friend of our company”.
Hand-written notes are a very personal and powerful communication. I have known several leaders who use handwritten notes with great effect.
I first was taught to use ‘The Leader’s Note’ in the Army and I saw recently where the Duchess of Cornwall (who is Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion The Rifles) sent handwritten notes to all the soldiers in her regiment who were wounded in Iraq.
Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Sanders, commander of 4 Rifles, said,
She bled with us throughout the tour. She wrote by hand to all the wounded and the families of those killed. She gave each of the wounded presents – whisky or hampers. We feel incredibly lucky to have her as our Royal Colonel. At a time when people in England did not really know what we were going through, she did.
DFQ #20:
PTO: Write a Leader’s Note!
On a postcard, engraved writing paper or special paper for the purpose (not email), write a short personal note of encouragement (around 10 to 100 words) to someone who sees you as their leader or mentor.
Post that you have completed this PTO within the next 24 hours saying who, when, where etc:
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I just wrote individualized notes for each person on my tennis team. I used inspirational postcards that I had and knew they would come in handy. I’m gonna give it to them this Sunday before we start the league day as a motivational kick-off.
CVSBVS
I downloaded a beautiful stationary page from mintprintables and printed it on my color printer. I composed an encouraging note. It was composes 12:37 AM 4/14/2009 at my desk in Houston Texas to Pamela Mouton as an encouragement, admiration, Love and get well note all in one! I hid it in her purse so it will be a discovered surprise at a random moment. Philosophers are often Romantics too…..
http://www.mintprintables.com/stationary/fantasy/
(I liked the Fairies!!)
In what may be a slightly different approach to this DFQ, I have written a note on a very nice Japanese notecard to my supervisor. She has a lot to learn about managing and her people skills are rudimentary. I have more or less organized the six program coordinators who report directly to her in an effort to make her a better manager, or at least a manager who doesn’t drive us all crazy with her impulsive decision-making, her need to control and micro-manage areas she doesn’t understand, and her inability to ever admit she’s made a mistake. I am trying to encourage her best side and keep everyone engaged in the possibly endless process of making our work group into a stronger team.
I wrote 4 notes: my wife, my son Adam, my daughter Tamara, and my son Bryan. I did it today at home. My family is very important to me and sometimes I get distracted and do it show it well. So, I let them know how much they mean to me.
to my nephew
always be there if needs help
I sent a card to my daughter who is in year 11 and at that age you are having a lot to cope with – study, physical/ mental change, career decisions etc. I just wanted to let her know we love her and believe in her.
This note goes a friend of mine, who is junior to me in college, she used to always think and say that i was her role model. i don’t know how far it is true, but i surely used to motivate her in all aspects. this line goes to her.
No matter what you are in life, and what you do in life, you should always be proud of doing it, and should always stand up to it. And never have a ‘give-up’ attitude, just believe in yourself and determine to do what you want to do, just believe that “impossible” word also says I m possible.
All the best dear.
Thinking is pehaps the most important subject you ever learn , Meeting Michael and for him to have thaught you how to think makes him the most VIPP you ever learn from on leadership, thanks Great friend .
To my little girls, who see me as a leader and a model, and from whom I have got and learned the best lessons of life the last years.
” what was the best thing that you did or happened today” is now an everyday way to say goodnight, till tomorrow with a new day.
For T offering love support and pride in his independence a achievements