Way to Go, Jack!
Jack Welsh participated in a Q&A style presentation at SHRMS 61st Annual Conference. As usual, he did not disappoint his faithful followers who have always enjoyed his appreciation for HR.
Jack rocked the house with his comments, including: “You have to have the guts and the stuff to make sure you’re important in the organization.” Well said, Jack! Talent, technology, and a deep sense of where you are going are not enough. As Jack says, you have to have the guts!
I’m reminded by Jack’s presentation of a client I met with a while back who explained that their HR team was keeping their heads above water but they felt like they were missing something. After spending a few weeks helping them evaluate their situation, I was ready to move them into an HR Effectiveness survey where we would gather feedback from the HR team and their customers. To my surprise, the client balked. When I asked why, the response was disappointing, “We know they’re just going to throw rocks at us, we’ve been through this before. I don’t think the results will do much for our morale.” I was shell-shocked. I never saw this coming. How can you measure the effectiveness of your organization if you don’t have the guts to hear what your customers think about you? I’ll follow up on this story in a later blog entry.
Jack went on during his SHRM presentation to hammer home his point about creating value within an organization: “Get out of the picnics/birthdays/insurance form business,” and instead take action that makes a difference, he said to loud applause. “Nobody wants to see some crazy cheerleader in there while [the organization’s] leaking.”
I love this guy! He talks ‘straight from the gut’ and smiles while he speaks bluntly about the reality of HR. He ended his presentation in typical Jack Welch style by shouting out to the crowd of HR professionals, “Stand up—get voice. Please don’t be a victim. You [have] the most important jobs in America.”