As a senior about to head into corporate American, I was curious to know about what companies are superior in regards to leadership. Also, I was wondering what different companies do to encourage leadership so I did some searching on the Internet and found interesting information about GE.
One article I found was on CNN.com that ranked the top 20 Global companies to work for that develop good leaders. The top 5 companies included General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Hindusta Unilever, and Capital One Financial. The companies filled out a survey and was rated on leadership qualities. Along with the survey, each of the company underwent interviews to help with the ranking. The complete list can be see at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/leadership/2007/global/index.html.
So I looked at GE to see what they offer their employees to help build their leadership skills. They offer promotions for leadership positions from within the company which is a motivator for their employees. Also, GE stressed helping employees develop their leadership and providing information. They spend billions of dollars for training and educational programs to help create leaders. GE has built the John F. Welch Leadership Center that is the world's first major corporate business school. Much of GE's leadership development comes from the constant training and education. GE is committed to improving leadership within the company and building excellent leaders. Much of their leadership is focused on learning. They also offer their employees two leadership programs to aid individuals in their leadership abilities. This shows that not only is GE taking on the challenge of creating these leaders but they also see the importance of constantly evolving and never stop learning. These are important qualities to have in order to survive in leadership. These strides that GE has taken not only help improve their leaders but also show innovation and the importance of leadership. GE realizes that leadership has a huge role in their organization and in order to improve this area they have devoted time and money. More information can be found on their website at http://www.ge.com/company/culture/leadership_learning.html.
“We have always believed that building strong leaders is a strategic imperative. When times are easy, leadership can be taken for granted. When the world is turbulent, you appreciate great people.” — Jeff Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO
I think it is interesting that he said leaders are often taken for granted. This is a valid point and true. A lot of times, good leaders go under appreciated because people tend to focus on the negative. So when a leader is doing a good job they are often not thanked or shown appreciation. When a leader is doing a poor job, this is when people take notice and repercussions occur.
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Your writing has improved drastically since the beginning of the semester! This post stuck out to me because you took the time to research companies and what their leadership situations are. This will be valuable information while job searching or leading in an organization in the future. The last statement made about leadership only being recognized when it is done poorly is very true and important for individuals to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe top 20 Global companies to work for that develop good leaders was such a good article and something I have never really consciously thought about. Well done, and nice job doing research and continuing learning about leadership in the real world.