Book Review: Jack Welch and the GE Way - Essay Example

As will be demonstrated, his leadership themes, management principles, and guiding philosophies can certainly be applied to the fields of sports leadership generally and athletic coaching more particularly. As a preliminary matter, it is useful to examine the analytical framework which Welch sets forth. This analytical framework can best be understood in terms of the general leadership themes which he identifies and treats as essential to effective leadership. The first major theme, alluded to earlier, is that a CEO or a coach ought to function as a leader rather than as a manager.

A leader, in his view, is an individual who demonstrates through his actions what is necessary for success. A leader is active rather than passive. A leader dictates politics and actions. A manager, in contrast, is more passive and tends to react to situations as they arise rather than anticipating changing circumstances and events. An organization, whether it is GE or a baseball team, follows and emulates a leader whereas it tends to function more loosely and independently under traditional management concepts.

Welch finds this distinction, between leadership and management, to be especially important. This theme has significance in the coaching industry. Players and staff want to model their behavior, and hopefully their success, on a leader. Coaches sometimes assume the leadership role exclusively, and sometimes delegate the leadership role partially by naming a team captain or co-captains. The second major theme addresses the setting of meaningful and realistic goals. Welch is careful to state that he is not suggesting the placing of limits merely for the sake of attempting to appear realistic.

Quite the contrary, he is arguing that any organization must have ultimate goals. These goals may be described and pursued in terms of an overall organizational objective, or in terms of smaller fragmented goals. The goals should be stated explicitly, set forth as expectations, and mechanisms implemented by which these goals can be realized. Goal-setting is particularly relevant in the coaching industry. There may be preseason goals, individual game goals, or season-long goals. Goals may be set for individuals, bunting more or passing more, or for specific situations such as a two-minute drill in football or defensive schemes against particular modes of attack.

Finally, goals may relate to team behavior and personal conduct. In short, this theme, the setting of goals at many levels, has significant relevance in the coaching industry. A third major theme deals with organizational agility and leanness; more specifically, this theme means finding the right people for the right roles, avoiding duplication, and letting people do their jobs. Once leadership roles have been assumed or delegated, and once goals have been established, Welch cautions that it is necessary to construct a team.

This teambuilding may involve difficult decisions, such as eliminating redundant individuals, matching talent to specific goals, and granting these individuals a substantial degree of autonomy in executing their duties. I find this theme, in terms of personnel, both challenging and important