Jack Welch in Context…Did You See the Speech?
July 17th, 2009 | by Leanne
Did you see the Jack Welch speech at the SHRM conference? Have you watched the video on the SHRM site? If so what do you think he said or was trying to say? And please let us know which generation you are from…because I suspect that those younger are a bit more angry at his attitude than those of us who have been in the workforce longer, are used to his attitude and have bumped up against it enough times as to be tired from it.
I’ll admit I just can’t get this topic off my mind:
1) The changing workforce. For the first time in history women are poised to be the majority in the workplace…so to tell the majority of your workers that they can’t reach the corner office without giving up everything else is ridiculous. Instead don’t you think the way the corner office works may morph with the changing workforce? Not to mention the great abundance of technology now available to CEOs and other workers? I think the attitudes of workers as to what can be accomplished is very different today than when Jack Welch headed GE. And so is the power shift during this “mancession.”
2) Workplace flexibility and women. It’s not only about women! Yes, we are gaining ground and may soon be the majority…but do we really want to start demanding the corporate world work only our way? Don’t we all need to work together and make work work for everyone? Which is one of my problems with the book “Womenomics.” And this ties in to the Jack Welch speech because Claire Shipman, one of the authors of “Womenomics” interviewed him during the speech. I’ll admit I didn’t see it live…I was however viewing the twitter stream about #shrm09 off and on during the speech and saw no hue and cry in it about his comments. So either people weren’t paying attention, or some of the comments out of context are much more inflammatory than they were live. And context is important.
3) The future of conferences: In today’s world people are picking and choosing which conferences they attend very carefully and I agree that the way conferences are being “attended” is changing dramatically – possibly for the long term. I didn’t go to the SHRM conference. It is an expensive ticket along with hotel and airfare costs. Also, for me personally, it is a juggle…I either need to bring my little one and childcare with me, or I need to arrange and hire for childcare while I’m gone. I chose to watch virtually through twitter, Facebook and some of the streaming sessions. I asked SHRM for the link to this session for this post but it is accessible only to those who are members of SHRM. China Gorman, SHRM’s COO noted that over 8000 people had viewed the video. But if you’ve read the WSJ articles, some of the great blog articles and the oodles of comments on this topic…you’ll see that Welch’s comments were directed at 50.7% of the population. A number slightly higher than 8,000. And I know there is a debate raging in this country, rightly so, over what should be free and what should be paid for…but at some point, I think there are times when it’s more important to do what’s right for a large amount of the population than to hold information hostage. I am not trying to equate this issue with very large political issues…but weren’t we all glad Twitter.com allowed the Iran Revolution to have a voice over sticking to their maintenance and upgrade schedule?
Yep, that’s the way my mind works. I read a lot and think a lot and before I know it, I’ve tied Jack Welch and “Womenomics” to the Iranian Revolution…show of hands…who feels bad for my husband?
3 Comments
Your husband is the luckiest man in America!
Leanne: 1) I agree with Laurie.
2) Remember who was interviewing Jack and what the topic of her just published book was.
I love it that this conversation is raging right now. HR should be considering the talent pipeline in total to determine where the next generation of leaders is coming from and the next and the next — preparing their organizations for sustainability and future success. And if the way we manage talent now isn’t working then changes should be made! What do you and your readers think need to be changed to create a different reality than the one Jack describes?
Thanks for such a great commentary, Leanne.
I did not attend the conference, either, and since I am currently in China I can’t view the video on our slow network connections. I am, therefore, addressing only the emotions the soundbites are churning in me.
I began my career in 1980, when women did not yet enjoy enforcement of fair labor standards. I have seen biased treatment at its ugliest and most base, and also have seen men to rose to a higher standard of behavior than many around them. Later when I began raising children, I was fortunate to have a husband who did share in the raising 50-50. We both made sacrifices, depending on the timing and our job positions, for our children. We were honest and straightforward with our employers, and made sure we never collected a paycheck we didn’t more than earn. I have the greatest respect and admiration for my husband because he made our children a priority. In some ways, his parenting skills exceeded mine. In other ways, mine exceeded his. We have a daughter with high self-esteem, in no small part because she spend a great deal of time with her father.
We both hold positions of leadership in multinational corporations. Luckily, not all CEOs share Jack’s perspective. Some recognize that if we are to enjoy all the top talent and the decision-making excellent that can only result from diversity in all its forms, our paradigm of career has to shift. Surely it has been long enough since WWII for us to realize women are a workforce to be reckoned with.
I hesitate to take advice on this particular issue from someone with such low family values. Not once, but twice, Jack Welch began new relationships before ending the current one. The first time – he disrespected his wife of 28 years, leaving his children to cope with the wreckage.