TO train its future leaders, General Electric has rising young stars study and visit an array of different organizations, from Google to West Point.
What can managers at the 132-year-old industrial giant learn from Google? A corporate mind-set that prizes “constant entrepreneurship,” says Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.’s chairman and chief executive, during an interview at his corporate headquarters in Fairfield, Conn.
And what wisdom is on tap at the United States Military Academy? “Adaptability” and “resiliency” amid uncertainty, says Mr. Immelt — skills as vital to surviving in business as they are on the battlefield.
Strategies are useful, he says, but only if they can quickly adjust to nasty real-world surprises. “In the words of the great philosopher Mike Tyson,” Mr. Immelt says, smiling, “everybody has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.”
To read the full, original article click on this link: For G.E. and Jeffrey Immelt, a Return to Basics - NYTimes.com
Author: STEVE LOHR
