GE Card Services
“The scarcest resource in the world is leadership
talent capable of continuously transforming
organizations to win in tomorrow's world.”
The Challenge:
•Tight Labor Market
•Tough Competition for the best
•Right Formula for Retention
•Develop More People, Faster and Earlier in
their Careers
•Develop the competencies for future
success (i.e. globalization, alliance and
acquisition, etc.)
Nurturing Leaders at all Levels
•
Crotonville GE’s Leadership Development Institute
• Jack Welch CEO & Chairman acts as a role model
dedicating time to teaching leaders.
Leadership Review Process
• GE wide process to review development and succession
plans for all leadership
• Identification of the high potentials - future leaders of the
organization.
…Proven process for developing generations of winning
leaders
Nurturing Leaders at all Levels
Developing for Succession…Developing Leaders
• 360 Feedback
-Process to assess behaviors linked to GE Capital
Card Services core leadership competencies
• Developing Leadership Excellence
-Develop leadership skills
-Maximize performance of self and others
-Drive and achieve GECS goals and objectives
...Investing significant time in developing leadership
potential
Nurturing Leaders at all Levels
• Mentoring Process
A strategic and personal change initiative
designed to build internal bench strength
and widen perspectives by retaining and
developing competencies of high potential
leaders.
… Getting the best energized, engaged and enabled to
move the organization forward
Mentoring:
Targeting a Key Initiative
Inadequate succession planning and
development of high potential exempt
employees is the most serious leadership
issue in organizations today.
1998 HRD Executive Survey
2,000 top Executives Worldwide
ASTD September 1998
Objectives
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Create opportunities for people to engage in
customized learning in order to achieve defined
developmental objectives
Increase networking and formal mentoring
throughout the corporation
Maximize skills and competencies of individuals
Emphasis on forming multiple relationships for the
purpose of learning across the business
Promote mutual learning through dialogue,
interaction and the use of technology based solutions
From 1998 High Potential Retention Survey
Why A Formal
Mentoring ranked in the TOP 10 Reasons for staying
with a company;
Mentoring
Process
1999 Goals
• Rapidly accelerate innovation and
productivity of the top tier
• Engage leaders in developing leaders
• Capture leadership legacy
• Energize the best to realize their
potential
Why Now?
•
Mentoring has a significant impact on
Retention Factors:
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Management Practices
Quality of Supervision
Organization Climate
Professional Development
Two Way Knowledge Transfer
90% of workers whose organizations offered structured
mentoring believed it was effective.
– Organizations with mentoring initiatives report a 15%
decrease in attrition of initiative participants
Scheef ODT, September 1997
Additional Payoffs
• Creating a shared vision around learning
• Unleashing untapped leadership potential
• Create a positive energy for continuous learning
• Expand network of peers to promote learning from each
other
• Help leaders understand the power of intentional
learning
• Drive boundaryless learning -- cross functional, nonhierarchical, multi level
…The real payoff is leaders who can win!
The Ideal Ingredients for Success
Learning Leader
• Senior Manager/
Broad Experience multi function, multi
level
• Success in his/her
field
• Large network of
contacts
• History of fostering
employee’s
development
• Emotional openness
• Advocate of stretch
assignments
Learning Group
• Names on
succession planning
list
• High potentials
• Diversity of:
• levels
• functions
• gender
• role
• career goals
• Willing to experiment
• Emotional openness
Learner’s
Manager
• Committed to his/her
direct reports’
success
• Skilled at providing
feedback & coaching
• Understands role of
day to day authority
and skill building
• Endorses
experimentation
• Permits mistakes
• Emotional openness
*Based on Career Systems
Networking Model
Maximizing Technology
Performing,
Learning,
Evaluating
Collaboration
Intranet
Communication
Collection
Boundaryless Learning
Consistent,
Available,
Boundaryless,
Immediate
Knowledge
and
Experience
…Continuous Learning is the End Point-Technology is the Enabler
What is Different about Group
Mentoring ?
• Leaders invest time to teach others
• Leaders draw lessons from what they know
• Leaders and share their stories and point of view
• Lessons learned from successes and failures are explored
• Interactions energize and motivate
• Willingness for change and transition emerges
… Making human capital more valuable
Reframing Mentoring
Traditional Mentor
Tell me what to do
One on one
relationship
Sell & Tell
Ad Hoc
One time event
Learning Leader
Collaborative approach with a
shared responsibility for learning
Two way learning contract
Intentional learning
Tailored learning through:
• synthesis of ongoing events
• experiences, observations
studies and thoughtful
analysis
Learning Group Design
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One Learning Leader and 4-6 Learning Partners
Goal of group is to engage in continuous learning,
based on common learning objectives
Learning Leader is a co-learner in the group
Meet monthly for nine months to one year
“No fault divorce” option if not satisfied
Begin with a Pilot
– One to three Learning Groups of 4-6 members
each
What Does a Learning
Group Look Like?
Intentional
Learning
Developing others through:
Failure &
Success
Share more than just how to do things right. Create a safe learning
forum for confidential discussion and analyzing the realities of the
organization.
 Instruction
Coaching
 Modeling
 Advising
 Providing stretch experiences

Storytelling
Mentors should tell their real life stories, personal scenarios,
Mature
Development
Mentoring is not a one time event. It is a synthesis of ongoing
Joint
Venture
anecdotes and case histories.
events, experiences, observations and studies.
Sharing responsibility for learning. Contract for learning.
How are Learning Groups Formed?
They are formed to ensure breadth group and depth as depicted by:
… Balancing background, ethnicity, gender and functional
expertise
Selection Criteria
Learning Leaders
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Expertise acknowledged and endorsed - not
development needy
Diverse in gender, ethnicity, function and experience
Key Leadership Competencies
Influencing Others
Promoting Teamwork
Developing Others
Fostering Openness
Selection Criteria
Group Members
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Possess strong functional expertise
Identified as High Potential with significant leadership potential
Completed 360 Leadership Feedback Process
Represent a cross-functional and diverse population
Key Leadership Competencies:
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demonstrating business acumen
demonstrating innovation
visioning
building alliances
influencing others
-driving results
-thinking strategically
-committing to the
organization
Why Technology?
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Reasons for Technology Based
Learning Solutions:
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Geographic Dispersion
Real-time Knowledge Transfer
Increase Impact of Senior Executives
Facilitate Collaborative Learning with Natural Work
Teams
– Capitalize E-Learning Strategies
– Drive Down the Cost of Learning
Sample Applications of Technology

Collaborative Learning Examples:
– Leadership Dialogue with Leaders via
Videoconferencing
– Internet Based Leadership Development
Tools
– Audioconferencing and Web
– Provide Multiple Options (text, voice, video,
web, etc.)
Sample Applications of Technology

Audioconferencing and Web/NetMeeting
– Dialogue over conference bridge
 Sessions recorded for later reference
– Participants share experiences, learnings, stories
 Teachable points of view
 Role model leaders as teachers
– Web/NetMeeting enabled support services
 Self Assessments
 Resources and tracking
 Mind map of learning and stories
 Key Learning Publication
Senior Management Support
• Visible Support/Sponsorship
• Business Priority
• Time Allowed and Preserved
• Model active learning
Critical
Success
Factors
Alignment with the Performance
Management System
• Goals incorporate development
objectives including mentoring
• Recognized as a means of professional
growth
• Accelerates career development
Alignment with Leadership
Competency Model
• Reinforcement of critical
competencies
• Role modeling is a “must have”
Some Ways We Can Measure
Success

Satisfaction
– Participant satisfaction greater than target 4.0

Retention
– Pre/Post Survey Results Improved
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Application
– High Performance Ranking
– 360 Results
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Results
– Hi Potential Turnover
– Retention
– Lateral or Upward Mobility
Role of Performance
Development
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Program Management
Facilitation
Coaching
Forum for Feedback
Program Enhancement
Share Successes
Knowledge Management