Excerpts from "Winning" by Jack Welch
The 4-E framework took years for me to solidify. No doubt other people have other frameworks that work very well in building winning teams. But I’ve found this one was consistently effective, year after year, across business and borders.
The 4-E framework took years for me to solidify. No doubt other people have other frameworks that work very well in building winning teams. But I’ve found this one was consistently effective, year after year, across business and borders.The first E is positive Energy. It means the ability to go go go – to thrive on action and relish change. People with positive energy are generally extroverted and optimistic. They start the day with enthusiasm and usually end it that way too, rarely seeming to tire in the middle. They don’t complain about working hard; they love to work. They also love to play. People with positive energy just love life.
The second E is the ability to Energize others. It’s the ability to get other people revved up. People who energize can inspire others to take on the impossible – and enjoy the hell out of doing it. Now energizing others is not just about giving speeches. It takes a deep knowledge of your business and strong persuasion skills to make a case that will galvanize others.
The third E is Edge, the courage to make tough yes-or-no decision. Look, the world is filled with gray. Anyone can look at an issue from every single angle. Some smart people can, and will, analyze those angles indefinitely. But effective people know when to stop assessing and make a tough call, even without total information. Little is worse than a manager at any level who can’t cut bait, the type that always says, “Bring it back in a month and we’ll take a good, hard look at it again,” or that awful type that says yes to you, but then someone else comes into the room and changes his mind. We called these wishy-washy types last-one-out-the-door managers.
The fourth E is Execute – the ability to get the job done. It turns out you can have positive energy, energize everyone around you, make hard calls, and still not get over the finish line. Being able to execute is a special and distinct skill. It means a person knows how to put decisions into action and push them forward to completion, through resistance, chaos, or unexpected obstacles. People who can execute know that winning is about results.
Then you look for that final P – Passion. By passion, I mean a heartfelt, deep, and authentic excitement about work. People with passion care – really care in their bones – about colleagues, employees and friends winning. They love to learn and grow, and they get a huge kick when people around them do the same. The funny thing about people with passion, though, is that they usually aren’t just excited about work. They tend to be passionate about everything. They’re sports trivia nuts or they’re fanatical supporters of their alma maters or they are political junkies. Whatever – they just have juice for life in their veins.
