by Real Business - Thursday, 30th August 2007

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We had been in discussions with GE for several months about whether they should invest in our business. This was back in 1996. During my conversations with the GE team, I mentioned that I would like to see chief executive Jack Welch to get a view from the top. We were small fry back then so I really didn’t expect to meet him. It was a bit of a throwaway remark, I suppose.

So I was absolutely amazed that they managed to arrange it. I was going to be in the States anyway, and the meeting was in New York. Obviously I left myself plenty of time. I was going to meet the world’s most important businessman, after all. You don’t let people like that down. But, sure enough, on the day itself, the flight from Washington to New York was incredibly delayed and, eventually, cancelled. I considered hiring a car and driving to New York, but it was just too far. I was at my wit’s end.

In the end, I arrived about six hours late. I was too rushed to be nervous as I had to run all the way to the office. I was ushered straight into Jack Welch’s large, but not lavish, room. He was very warm and understanding; delayed flights are an occupational hazard in the States.

I now know how busy I get running a 2,000-person business; heaven knows what it must be like running a 200,000-person business. But he had obviously been able to change his timetable to accommodate me.

We went into a meeting room alongside. There were a few of his colleagues present, too. I explained our business, but not as a sales pitch. They knew about us already. Instead I put it in the context of other GE businesses such as trailer and fleet rental.

He had clearly been well-briefed. His manner is powerful, warm and very sharp. He picked up the idea of the business very quickly. He asked very good questions. He made me feel very much at ease. But the questions made me think about the business in a new way. He asked, for example, about what we didn’t do as well as what we do.

Okay, it was very much a business meeting, but it ended up as a bit of a masterclass for me. I came out a lot wiser than I went in. I was only in there for 35 minutes, but I came out inspired. Three things stuck in my mind: to empower more people, focus on quality and the big picture.

He’s not one for big hierarchies. He believes in putting himself at the bottom of the pile and looking up. Remember, he’s one man running a company the size of a small country; the only way he can do it is by surrounding himself by good people.

I took away some real lessons about training from Jack Welch. He doesn’t live in an ivory tower; he personally leads the training of managers at GE. I was doing a bit of this at the time but, ever since then, I’ve done it even more. Nowadays, I lead what we call a SWOT session with every new manager that comes into Regus. In these sessions, we address how are we going to improve the business. Whether it’s via videoconferencing or in person, it’s important that I should lead those sessions. Like Welch, I should be the spirit of the company.

Another lesson I picked up was about keeping in close contact with customers. Today I always call two customers every day.

I had taken the time to Jack Welch and the GE Way beforehand. Meeting him in person confirmed everything that I’d grasped from his writing.

We didn’t do the deal with GE in the end. The timing wasn’t quite right to bring them in as an investor. But I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet such a revered figure. He’s driven me on to do better things. That’s the great thing about genuinely inspirational people such as Jack Welch. They make you realise that anything’s possible.

Contacts
Mark Dixon is executive chairman of Regus, the global serviced office business. For more details on Regus, call 0800-0928094.

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