Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 22, 1993 TAG: 9310220060
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG LESMERISES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Brock, the chief executive officer of General Electric Co.'s Drive Systems based in Salem, told 210 area business managers Thursday to set "ridiculous goals that are strategically thought through."
He was speaking at a labor and employment law seminar sponsored by Woods, Rogers & Hazlegrove, a Roanoke law firm, and the Management Association of Western Virginia. The meeting was at Holiday Inn-Tanglewood in Roanoke County.
At a time when many businesses are caught in a Catch-22 of increased employee productivity resulting from trimmed work forces, Brock called for a "metamorphosis" that would allow people to view the workplace in a different light.
"Kids play football and beat each other up and call it fun," Brock said. "Why is it we call it work and work is negative?
"People like to feel like they can do the impossible. You can't have fun unless you're pushing hard. One element of fun is struggle," he said.
Brock said this desire for realizing "absurd goals" turned his company around five years ago.
General Electric was about to sell the Salem plant, he said. The customer service levels were down, there were layoffs every year and, overall, a "pretty cruddy environment," said Brock.
The company worked to eliminate the desire of workers for personal success, replacing it with a drive for team success.
Individuals working only for personal success "are an irritation to others in the organization," Brock said.
The attitude at 2,100-worker GE Drive Systems today is, "If you don't want to help the team, get out," he said.
The most important thing in creating this "employee involvement" teamwork atmosphere is leadership, said Brock. His three other keys to success were vision, involvement and communication.
But this is nothing new. "There isn't a person in this room who doesn't know everything I'm saying," Brock said. "I'm just saying you've got to get together and do it."
by CNB