Several weeks ago, I wrote a blog highlighting Jack Welch who served as chairman and CEO of General Electric during the years of 1981 and 2001 and his position on Differentiation and the 20-70-10 rule.  The division and transparency of the top 20, middle 70 and bottom 10 was so clearly defined that it brought various levels of performance into competitive perspective and helped to catapult GE into hyper growth during his tenure.

This week, I would like to highlight Welch’s perspective of what winners are made of and what specific qualities he looked for in his employees. During the hiring process, intelligence, positive energy, edge, passion and the ability to execute were a few of the sought-after qualities that he looked for in his candidates.  The ability to work hard, maintain a positive attitude and make tough decisions when faced with obstacles were prerequisites to joining the team. However, of all the qualities that he looked for, the most important was that of integrity.  Welch quoted the following as his definition of integrity, “People with integrity tell the truth, and they keep their word.  They take responsibility for past actions, admit mistakes, and fix them.  They know the laws of their country, industry, and company-both in letter and spirit-and abide by them.”

Companies often adopt a mission statement and a set of core values which defines the spirit and culture of the organization.  Planet Beach’s values are People, Belief, Integrity, Focus & Goals. When conducting interviews, I always state the company values and ask which of the values is most important to them and why. Although the values are of equal importance, it’s always interesting to hear their perspective, as this is no wrong answer.  The absolute most important value to me is integrity.  It’s doing the right thing when no one is watching because you know it’s right. It’s having a foundation of strong moral principles and behaving accordingly. As Jack Welch would say, “Integrity is a ticket to the game. If you don’t have it in your bones, you shouldn’t be allowed on the field.”