Journey with the “Global New Directions Project”

Monica Li, GE Capital ECLP Class of 2012, China PoleI had the pleasure of speaking with Monica Li, GE Capital ECLP Class of 2012, China pole, to learn more about her personal experience with the new “Global New Directions Project.”

As the only on-program ECLP in this “Global New Directions Project,” can you please briefly explain the project and your role?
The idea for this project came out of the Session C Wrap process (GE’s annual process for employee performance evaluations and promotions) with GE Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt and GE Corporate Senior Vice President of Human Resources, John Lynch. After reviewing the last 10 years at GE and recognizing the immense changes that happened over that period, the company wants to start looking forward to what GE looks like 10 years out and to get ready for what we anticipate will be a very different environment. The two and a half month project was led by GE Chief Learning Officer, Susan Peters, who handpicked a team of 21 members from across the globe to address four pillars of the mission: 1. Enhance GE leadership programs (Operations Management Leadership Program, Edison Engineering Development Program, Information Management Leadership Program, Financial Management Program, and Human Resources Leadership Program), 2. Improve Accelerators (Corporate Audit Staff, Corporate Leadership Staff, and the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program, 3. Attract 1000+ mid-career talents to Global Growth and Operations Markets (GGO), and 4. Retain great talent.

During the project, I worked on two sub teams: “Develop” & “China,” which focused on leadership programs and China-specific issues. Being an ECLP, I was responsible for interviewing ECLP program directors and managers, surveying alumni and participants and identifying areas for improvement. In addition, I spearheaded surveys to all China-based Senior Professional Band (SPB) employees, leadership alumni and participants to gauge their needs and perspectives. I also interviewed over 25 Human Resources managers and business leaders throughout China. My efforts contributed to the collection of 200+ ideas that will help GE prepare for the 2020 workplace and beyond.
 

Would you please share with us on the major impact and results?
During the project, we collected 5000+ internal and external survey responses across the globe, conducted 147+ interviews, viewed 1,400+ websites/video and read 380+ articles. As a result, we brainstormed 200+ ideas to help address issues such as one size doesn’t fit all, multi-generation complexities, and lack of awareness of and connection to the GE brand. In September, we were invited to present our recommendations to Jeff Immelt and a subset of the Corporate Executive Committee. The feedback was very positive: Four out of eight big ideas were championed by the corporate team for further research and implementation on a global basis.

As the only ECLP on such an important team, what have you experienced in terms of teamwork and culture differences?
In terms of team size, the “Global New Directions Project” was comprised of 21 young professionals from 10 countries, representing all GE business units and leadership programs. The unique team dynamic brought both challenges and fun: healthy dialogue and debate, virtual vs. face to face productivity, diverse perspectives and culture differences. We also explored tools to help us stay connected as a team and enhance collaboration, which were key success factors. Although we were a self-directed team, we respected each other, embraced cultural differences and exchanged thoughts and ideas constantly.  

Tell me what your current ECLP project is and how will you find the global project useful for your future ECLP life.
Life back in the real world is good. I’ve returned to Beijing to continue my second rotation with China Growth and Operations as an Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) Key Account Manager, where I build partnerships with Chinese EPCs and identify projects for GE business units such as Energy, Lighting and Capital. Throughout project, while I built a broader network within GE and reshaped my thinking in a futuristic way, I was most inspired by the team spirit at GE. I was truly impressed with the level of attention and support we received from the corporate team to each business unit, global to local, Human Resources managers to business leaders, program alumni to participants; we often got responses within one day and were able to speak to anyone we deemed important to the project. We could not have accomplished the project without the tremendous support given by the big GE family – a great example of remarkable teamwork.

Posted by Henrik