When it comes to workplace advice, it does not come any better than the words of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, author of best-selling books on management and workplace issues, blogger on Jack WelchInfluencer and founder of an on-line MBA program. He has had a busy and very successful life, and he has a lot to say about getting ahead in business (which includes the law profession, of course).
This blog on LinkedIn got my attention. It is simple and straight forward advice on getting ahead and being happy in your career, and it literally comes from “the horse’s mouth.” Print out a copy and put it in a convenient place. Refer to it often when you are wondering what plagues you in the workplace. The answer is likely to be addressed in the advice from Jack Welch below.
1. Find Where Your Passion and Skills Intersect
We have a concept called Area of Destiny, which is the very rich territory at the intersection of what you are uniquely good at and what you love to do. That’s where you should be building your profession.
2. Make Your Boss Smarter
No matter where you are in your career, one thing never changes. Every day, it’s your flat-out responsibility to make your boss look good. You have to make him or her smarter — about your industry, your customers, your competitors, your products, and technology — all the time.
3. Know When to Leave a Bad Boss
Great bosses are generous bosses. If you feel your boss doesn’t in some way have your best interest in mind and want you to grow, you’ve got to have the confidence to move out.
4. Give Yourself a Deadline
Don’t let work feel like a grind. If you’re unhappy — or you just aren’t all-in — you have to put a time-frame on how much you are going to put up with before making a change.
5. Don’t Fear Failure
The thing about failing — because you will fail if you take risks — is that you realize you don’t die. You just pick yourself up and keep going — and how fast you get back on the horse says a lot about you.
6. Never Stop Reinventing Yourself
Who wants to just “retire”? Banish that word from your vocabulary. You’ve got to constantly reinvent and take a chance on something you’ve always wanted to do — it’s what keeps you alive. You’re never done.
So, there you have it. In case you are not familiar with Jack Welch, here is some additional background. Jack Welch began his career with the General Electric Company in 1960, became its eighth Chairman and CEO in 1981, and was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune magazine in 2000. After retiring from GE in 2001, Mr. Welch published his autobiography Jack: Straight from the Gut, an international bestseller; his second international bestseller, Winning, was published in 2005 and written with his wife Suzy Welch, as is his most recent book, The Real Life MBA. Suzy Welch is a best-selling author, television commentator, and noted business journalist and former editor of Harvard Business Review.
