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The Angry Birds of B2B

2012-02-10T13:00:07Z

Until recently, I was proud not to be a ‘gamer.’ I regarded friends who never seemed to be able to put down their phones because they were searching for the best word to play next with a bit of disdain. Crops to water, cities to design, angry birds planning attacks, it all seemed ridiculous to me.

Then I started to notice something strange: really smart digital marketers who boldly identified themselves as ‘gamers.’ More surprising: these marketers not only liked playing games personally, but believed gaming presented very real commercial opportunities. The more I looked around, the more examples I saw of large companies embracing gaming: IBM’s Sim-City-like Innov8 CityOne, GE’s Terminal Command, which challenges players to run gate operations at a busy airport terminal, American Express’s $30 million acquisition of gaming platform Sometrics.

When I started my third and final ECLP rotation on the Digital Marketing Team at GE Corporate, I discovered that one of my main projects would be managing the development of a game. So, my abstract goal of gaining basic knowledge about gaming at some point this year became much more immediate and specific. Now I needed the vocabulary so I could use the proper lingo when working with the gaming developer. I needed a framework to understand how games are defined, designed and evaluated so I would know how to measure the success of the project.

Luckily, I had a great resource for this information: General Assembly, a NYC-based community center for start-ups that offers fantastic real-world training. GA hosted the Digital Boot Camp that I participated in with a number of fellow ECLPS in November. I reached out to one of GA’s co-founders with my Gaming 101 request, and he sent me a great list of links to article and videos and told me about a Gaming Design class, which I’ll be taking soon.

One of the most important things I’ve learned so far is that you don’t necessarily need Mario Brothers or rapidly falling bricks to be actively engaged in a game. Without knowing it, I got sucked in by the game of designing great games! Now I’m envious of true ‘gamers’ and want to become more like them. Some of the best, like Jane McGonigal, are working on endeavours such as harnessing the power of games to solve the world’s problems. How ridiculous!

Below is my effort to get highlights from my two favourite articles “UnStuck” from 12 pages of notes:

1) I have no words and must design: Toward a critical vocabulary for games, by Greg Costikyan

There is a difference between games and puzzles: games change with players’ actions, whereas puzzles are static (i.e. in a puzzle, there is no opposition, role playing, resources to manage, etc. Winning is merely a consequence of solving the puzzle)
“Games are structures of desire”
- Desire = goals, and players mutually agree to behave as if the goal is important to them when they play – the game creates a desire to achieve the game’s own goals
- Structure = interaction of the game’s rules, components, software, etc. create a structure within which people play
Think of a game’s structure as akin to an economy, or an ecosystem; a complex, interacting system that does not dictate outcomes but guides behavior through the need to achieve a single goal: energy, in the case of ecosystems; money, in the case of economics; victory, in the case of a game
The structure of a game is analogous to the structure of economics – you can’t assume that people will “do the right thing” if incentives to do so aren’t properly built into the game; People will behave rationally in their own self interest

2) Why Angry Birds is so successful and popular: a cognitive teardown of the user experience, by Charles L. Mauro

Angry Birds Stats
- 50 million downloads
- Total number of hours consumed by Angry Birds players world-wide is roughly 200 million minutes a DAY, which translates into 1.2 billion hours a year (for comparison, all person-hours spent creating and updating Wikipedia totals about 100 million hours over the entire life span of Wikipedia)
The importance of mystery: Mystery is all around us in the things we find truly compelling – great art, advertising, movies, products, and games
At its most basic level, experiencing mystery in what we interact with makes you ask the question, “Why did they do that?”
- What we mean here is, “Why did they do that? – A good thing, not “What were they thinking? – A bad thing
Angry Birds is full of mysteries
- Why are tiny bananas suddenly strewn about in some play sequences and not in others?
- Why do the houses containing pigs shake ever so slightly at the beginning of each game play sequence?
- When users of technology process information in this way, they are likely more deeply engaged than without these small questions
How things look: Angry Birds has a look. One might characterize the visual style of Angry Birds as a combination of “high-camp cartoon” with a bit of greeting card graphics tossed in for good measure
This leads to a more interesting question: How does visual design impact success in the marketplace?
- Visual design is still the most contentious aspect of designing compelling user experiences
- In most user experience design solutions, visual design (how things look) is technically a hygiene factor – You get serious negative points if it is missing, but minimal positive lift beyond first impression, if a user interface has great visual design

More Alumni Conference Highlights!

2012-02-08T13:00:37Z

Earlier in the week you heard from our very own ECLP alumni about their favorite memories and experiences from past ECLP conferences. Here are a few more that make me excited to be a part of ECLP and ready for the best Global ECLP Conference yet - Argentina, here we come!

“I remember joining my first (or second) conference in Crotonville 10 years ago. Members of Jeff Immelt’s Senior Leadership Team were present to talk to us. At the same time there was a Business Management Course, which we met in the “White house” during the evenings, and they could not quite believe how lucky we were to get this treatment so early in our GE career. I am not sure I understood it at the time - I do now! Have fun in BA - it is a great city!”

“One of my favorite memories from ECLP conferences is the City Rally at Prague. The competitive spirit of meeting random challenges with ECLP cohorts while exploring Prague’s Old Town Square is one of the highlights from my ECLP experience.”

“I can never forget playing football or ultimate frisbee after a long day of training/seminars. We are very competitive bunch.”

“A group of overachievers, the Class of 2008 incorporated nightly sales training into each of our ECLP conferences. We went to great lengths to develop these critical commercial skills, even during down time … via some classic poker games! Therefore, my lasting memory is a collective one, as members of our class would seemingly gather each night for a poker game filled with a lot of laughs and some really bad bluffs. Friendships and rivalries were formed simultaneously, and we frequently remind each other about those showdowns.”

Posted by Leslie

Meet the ECLP Argentina Conference Agenda Team

2012-02-08T13:00:35Z

Now that you have been reading about the upcoming Global ECLP Conference in Argentina, let’s take a sneak peak at how the ECLP Buenos Aires Conference Agenda Team (Kay Kwok, ECLP Water ‘13, Matthew Stein, ECLP Capital ‘13, and Guilherme Delaroli, ECLP Healthcare ‘12) has put together a great speaker schedule.

What was the aspiration of the team when it was first formed?
The Team wanted to introduce the ECLP community to LATAM through a variety of speakers from multiple businesses and geographic locations. We are excited to welcome back Beth Comstock (Chief Marketing Officer & Senior Vice President), Stacey Hoin (HR Manager- Commercial and Communications), Steve Liguori (Executive Director, Global Marketing) and we also will be introducing a few local executives and local CEO’s that will be speaking to ECLPs about opportunities in LATAM and addressing challenges they face in order to succeed globally. By the end of the conference we are hoping that our speakers were able to give ECLPs an understanding of GE life in LATAM.

What has the team accomplished to date?
Our team has worked closely with Erin Dillard and Julie Coltre to create a phenomenal panel of speakers that will connect to all ECLPs.

What were some of the challenges in formulating the conference content?
Our biggest challenge was trying to find speakers in a region that from which only one of our team members was local. It was a great experience to research and identify such powerful players on a global scale, but it was still difficult to overcome language barriers. In addition, we had to balance the speaker’s time between training and extra-curricular activities without overloading their schedule.

What is the greatest takeaway from this role?
GE is such a global company, but it is easy to compartmentalize yourself into your local region. We are given access to an incredible network and sometimes I forgot what an asset it is to hear the voice of people from different areas and cultures. Even though we only looked to the LATAM ECLP’s for assistance on this project, it is key to remember how much global coverage our program actually has.

Each quarter, the ECLP program publishes a newsletter for all program members, alums, and sponsors. If you are a GE employee, you can access the newsletter here.

Posted by Cherlene

Making Memories: Conference Highlights from ECLP Alumni!

2012-02-08T13:00:00Z

The GE ECLP Conference in Buenos Aires is three weeks away and I couldn’t be more excited. After all, this is my first Global Conference as part of ECLP, and I will be reconnecting with colleagues that I haven’t seen since I started the program back in July of 2011.

Aside from the opportunity to sharpen my skills with Credit Boot Camp, Leadership Training, and Sales Force Effectiveness workshops, I’m also curious as to what to expect, how to prepare, and what the most inspiring part of the journey to Argentina will prove to be.

After pondering these questions over the last few months, I realized what better way to find answers than to go to straight to the source: our conference veterans, our information gurus…yes, that’s right… our own ECLP alumni! What I found in hearing some of their stories is that Argentina will be a memory that I will keep with me as I move through the program and into my career here at GE. I can’t wait to experience the energy, camaraderie, learning, laughs, and passion that these alumni look back on with such fondness. Here are just a few stories I wanted to pass your way, so happy reading and stay tuned for more highlights from Buenos Aires!

“I have so many favorite memories of our conferences; it is as much fun for the Corporate staff as it is for the ECLPs to be at these events. Great catching up with old friends and new faces. My favorite memory I would have to say though was the 2009 graduation where Kris Kaneta and Marcus Lee did the single greatest song as an ode to their class and the program.”

“I absolutely have to agree….Marcus and Kris were simply outstanding in that performance. I, in fact, have that video still with me, and trust me there could not have been a more correct and hilarious definition of what ECLP program is all about.”

“I have to agree…Marcus and Kris were phenomenal. It seems like the Class of 2009 always talks about that performance when we get together.”

“I think the best memory I have was from the first conference I attended in Tarrytown as an ECLP Intern. I don’t really think one can grasp the full power of ECLP until they set foot in the door of their first Global Conference. There was something about the energy in the room, the great people from around the world, the speakers, the general enthusiasm about what was ahead for each of us and how we could have an impact on our own little piece of this great big company. Five years later, many of those same interns and ECLPs I met are some of my most trusted colleagues and close friends.”

“I’ll always remember sitting first in the ballroom and later in the hotel restaurant in Prague with Jared, Heidi, and Mohammed, brainstorming the outline for what ended up being ECLPBlog.com.”

“Despite sickness taking out many of us at Shanghai conference, we still had a successful launch of the Global Engagement Committee. Its 2011 class founding committee - Adrian, Brittany, Moushumi, Joe, Jeff, Luis and Stephen - had a lot to be proud of and handed off to the capable hands of Ricardo and his team. The initial idea for the committee came from ECLP conference one year earlier in Orlando, Florida.”

Posted by Leslie

The ‘Big Brother’ Perception: Experience at an Industry Conference

2012-02-02T21:12:28Z

If you associated ‘Big Brother’ with the popular reality televisions show, sorry to disappoint you. This context is rather different, and refers to an interesting perception of GE that I experienced at an industry conference where I recently had an opportunity to present. This Conference on ‘Digital Manufacturing’ was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the leading industry forum in India. It focused on the application of digital technologies in manufacturing organizations. I was very excited to represent GE Intelligent Platforms (GE IP), and present our story on ‘Operational Excellence – The Digital Way’.

GE IP offers a variety of automation and control solutions and software that enable operational excellence in manufacturing. This conference draws a senior level audience from a variety of manufacturing industries, and its relevant theme make an ideal platform to establish GE thought leadership in this domain. GE IP recommends ‘Operational Excellence’ as a journey that manufacturing organizations should adopt towards improved productivity, optimized costs, integrated production and enterprise visibility.

My presentation focused primarily on the different milestones in this journey, pitfalls to watch out for, associated short and long-term benefits, and of course how GE could help manufacturing companies! Incidentally the presenter immediately before me also presented about one major milestone on this journey. He represented a start-up, and focused on solving an immediate, smaller problem that resonated well with some mid-sized organizations. The striking similarity of the solution (or at least a part of it) was well contrasted by the huge difference in the size of the organizations presenting it, and the different approaches to solving the same challenge. That led the Session Chairman to comment about our presentations as ‘big brother and small brother recommending essentially the same solution’.

The presentation similarity aside, it does compel one to think hard about competing with smaller organizations operating in niche categories with extremely low price points – a critical vendor selection criterion in markets such as India. During the course of my first ECLP assignment on commercial activation for our software business, I often meet prospects who are apprehensive of dealing with multinational companies such as GE, because their perception of GE is that of a high-end player with naturally high pricing. Although they do appreciate our solutions, quite often they do not need the entire suite. Thankfully GE IP’s solutions are sufficiently modular and scalable to suit their expectations, but the perception lingers.

The conference also surprised me with the progressive attitude of its delegates to consider new technologies. In an industry that has still not fully embraced automation, the audience was all ears when a presenter from their own (end-user) industry spoke about cloud computing and managed services as viable models to address capital investments in automation. And they were even more excited at the prospect of ‘visualizing’ their factories from remote locations on tablets and smart phones. In true ‘Big Brother’ style, they would like complete visibility over their operations in any area, anytime, from any location.

While that wish might take some time to materialize (although the applications are already available, including those from GE IP), I was happy that I could find some good leads that I could follow up with after the conference. And the experience of presenting at an industry conference is definitely memorable – I have it etched below ‘digitally’!

I am sure you too have held some perceptions of a company as large, as diversified, and as complex as GE. Please feel free to share your perceptions in the comments section.

PS: If you are interested in a copy of the presentation, it is available here.

Posted by Milesh

Rotation Review: December 2011

2012-01-30T14:00:33Z

December was a great month on-Program for me, as well as for my team. Personally, I accomplished a lot within the job function, with the FB&A team, with ECLP initiatives, and I still had time for a great vacation during the last week of the month/year (gotta love Vail, CO)! Overall our team made great strides in building out many of the marketing initiatives that are underway, and from a sales perspective, budgets were met (some at the 11th hour, of course).

As the managers and leaders of the different regions across the country evaluate partial-year performance of the FB&A vertical (due to the formation of the group in mid-2011), a clear focus is on creating budgets, understanding GE Capital’s current portfolio of relevant deals, and most importantly, gaining a clear understanding of the potential market for 2012 and beyond. Simultaneously, at this point, the main initiative of the group is to give the sales team all of the tools needed to be successful in the marketplace.

Within this framework, the resident ECLP is really a utility player. A large majority of my time in December was spent working on marketing initiatives with the FB&A group, as the structural elements of the vertical within GE Capital are built out. This translates into spending a lot of time with salesforce.com (our internal CRM system), internal GE deal tracking systems, and capital markets information. I pulled together resources for formal and informal meetings, and built out the FB&A web portal and the documents to be used therein, all while managing the typical year end day-to-day activities. In sum, it was a busy end of year, and the month flew by.

This month I was also fortunate to attend the GE Capital Growth & Innovations team’s Eco Financing Innovation 360 Summit in Connecticut, which included senior members of not only GE Capital, but also other GE businesses that are involved with projects that could be considered “eco” or “green” finance opportunities. The structure of the Summit brought together cross-functional, cross-platform teams to explore growth ideas, with the goal of designing a range of new partnerships, products and service opportunities that leverage the eco market’s growth potential. The hope was to radically innovate within the space to provide a competitive advantage to GE, drive growth, and remain compelling and relevant to our customers. This was a unique opportunity to take experts from various businesses and brainstorm how to bring forward a one-GE approach to solving customers’ problems in the eco space. For two days we shared ideas, storyboarded various ideas in small breakout sessions, and worked through the initial phases to build out initiatives that will allow GE to effectively go to market.

The Eco Summit was a highlight of December for me because it was an opportunity to be a part of a company-wide initiative that could be a game-changer for the company and within many of our industries. It was amazing to be in MBA class-like breakout groups with senior leaders of not only GE Capital, but also other businesses within the organization. As an ECLP, we often have the opportunity to present to these leaders, but this Summit was unique in that we were able to bounce around ideas and build out thoughts with some of the most intelligent people at GE!

Now the challenge is to take this momentum, these initiatives and connections, and to build out operating rhythms that actually bring together the different facets of GE…

On a side note: GE potentially utilizing Apple computers—THIS made my day!

Posted by Ryan

International Recruiting at ECLP

2012-01-25T13:49:02Z

In just about a month’s time, the GE ECLP Classes of 2012 and 2013 from all GE businesses will travel from all over the world to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the semi-annual global ECLP conference. But that’s not the only exciting thing happening in the program between now and then. GE ECLP international recruiting is in full-effect, and we are excited to share with our readers the upcoming events surrounding this initiative. I sat down with Chris Thomas, Global Recruiting Director for ECLP, last week who shared his insights and best practices for prospective international ECLPs.

Can you talk about the upcoming GE ECLP global recruiting events?
Over the past couple of months, ECLP Recruiting Leadership completed international recruiting conferences/events in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Shanghai, China, and Singapore. There were also recent virtual recruiting events for Latin America and Asia Pacific regions. Recruiting conferences are scheduled to take place in Africa, China and Australia in February of 2012, so stay tuned for more details.

GE ECLP is participating in the first annual Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business Global Career Conference on February 9-10, 2012, on Georgetown’s campus in Washington D.C. At this conference, GE ECLP will focus on recruiting international students currently studying at US MBA programs who are looking to work in their home country after graduation.

What advice do you have for international students looking to join ECLP?
GE ECLP looks to hire MBA students and working professionals with prior commercial experience. This would include MBA students and professionals currently studying or working outside the United States, as well as international students currently enrolled in US/UK MBA programs with authorization to work in their home country after graduation.

The ECLP blog is an excellent resource for information on what life is like on-program and a great tool to connect with current ECLPs and ECLP alumni from around the world. Blogs like “Un Vistazo a America Latina” sharing the perspective of a 2012 ECLP in Mexico or “Global New Directions Project” sharing the experience of a 2012 ECLP based in China are just examples of the numerous posts you will find that share the international perspective of ECLP and highlight the global focus of the program.

Just recently, the GE ECLP Recruiting Team started to rollout LinkedIn sub-group pages by region to connect with prospective ECLPs across the world. Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) Region was the first established, however, look for the other regions and join the conversation. Also feel free to use LinkedIn for independent searches to connect with current ECLPs and ECLP alumni.

If an international candidate is looking to join ECLP, who should they contact?
Post your resume on the GE careers site. We have recruiting teams in each region that will review your resume and pass it on the appropriate GE business. If you are a current international MBA student, check with your career services staff to see if there is a current GE ECLP job posting.

Posted by Leslie

Looking Back On An Unforgettable 2011 and Excited for 2012

2012-01-23T13:43:14Z

2011 was a great year. I finished my MBA (in China), started ECLP, and got married. A new degree, 2 life changes and a trip around the world… it was awesome. Just a few weeks ago when we said goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, I thought to myself, how could this year possibly compare to 2011? And then I remembered, I’m in ECLP. That means, this year, I will change jobs two times – once in March and once in October. I will make at least one international trip with our two week training and conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and fingers crossed our GE ECLP October 2012 conference is in a similar, sweet, international location. So right off the bat, this sounds like it could a pretty good year, but let’s dig into it a bit more.

In just a few weeks, we will head to Buenos Aires. During our first week there, we will be spending most of our time working through an intense risk training class (which complements the online risk training course we are all in the process of completing). This is my first exciting part of 2012 - I will be trained in an area of business that I never previously touched (as I worked in real estate pre-GE) by some of GE’s top risk experts. I know I may sound like a nerd saying this, but it’s pretty cool we are all given such in-depth education to supplement our rotations.

During our free time, I will be catching up with the 52 2013 Capital ECLPs. From Hannah, who works with Mubadala in Abu Dhabi, to Cherlene, who works for GE Capital Aviation Services in Singapore (and also got married this past year), there are a lot of colleagues I have not seen in 8 months, so we have a lot to catch up on – my second exciting part of 2012.

Then, after a week with just Capital folks, we head to the ECLP conference. This week is worth several blog posts on its own (this post from our last conference is a good summary of what it is all about and look out for many future posts about Buenos Aires in March), so I’ll just say the ECLP Conference will easily be the third most exciting part of 2012.

Upon return from the GE ECLP conference in Buenos Aires, I will start a new rotation, which I just learned will be a sales role in Corporate Finance. So, I will have gone from a Real Estate career in 2011, to a marketing role within the Customer Insights team (where I did a wide variety of customer research projects for almost every platform within GE Capital Americas), to now a sales role in a specific GE Capital Americas business. That’s quite the career path in just eight months – the fourth exciting part of 2012, and we’re just in March.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are moments from 2011 that 2012 won’t even come close to rivaling…

But I enter the year feeling lucky to be a part of a program and a team that provides for so many exciting and interesting events in a year. I wish all of you a great 2012 too!

Posted by Becky

Global GiveBack, Is Back!

2012-01-20T14:00:29Z

Last year, Women in Commercial Leadership Programs (WICLP), a hub of the GE Women’s Network, launched the ECLP Global GiveBack Initiative.

The program encouraged ECLPs from all GE businesses around the globe to get involved in giving back to their communites with time and monetary contributionsIt was a unique way to engage participants across the world and enabled them to customize their participation based on cultural and local needs.

The 2011 ECLP Global GiveBack Initiative was a great success! ECLPs across the world joined together to make a positive global impact. In total, 94 participants from nine regions, across seven GE businesses gave 885 hours of their time to give back to their communities through donations and volunteering.

We’re planning to kick off the 2012 Global GiveBack Initiative later this month. Our goal is 100% ECLPs participation! How will you give back this year?

Check back here for more information on how ECLPs are getting involved!

Posted by Jackie

Putting Innovation Theory into Practice

2012-01-18T14:00:37Z

The buzzword in my universe at the moment seems to be innovation. I attended a conference of 80+ companies last week on encouraging innovation in the rail sector. The previous week I was presented an excellent framework for Commercial innovation at our annual Transportation marketing staff workout. Governments almost daily publish worthy reports how more innovation will solve their economic woes…or at least in Europe anyway! It got me thinking what do we mean really by innovation and why does it seem to be so difficult and require constant pressure.

Of course, in some sense innovation – or at least one definition of it – is in our DNA. One common definition is that invention is coming up with the idea: the new bit of science, the new chemistry, the new whiz-bang device. Innovation is turning that idea into reality. Taking the idea on paper and making it not just into an object but into a product that customers actually buy. And enough customers buy at a price to make it success for us and them.

And that is why I think it’s so damn hard. It’s not just about producing a radical new product that is better than anything else on the market. If it was, the Apple Newton would have been a success. It’s not just about delivering something that the market wants at a lower price. If it was, every low cost airline would be a success. It’s not just about finding a new business model to serve an existing segment better. If it was, we would be shopping online at boo.com rather than still going to the Mall.
It’s some sort of complicated discovery journey that involves suppliers and customers learning from each about what’s possible and what’s valuable. I like Henry Ford’s famous saying: “if I’d ask my customer what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse”. But if you don’t ask or understand your customers enough, you end up producing a Sinclair C5.

And that’s precisely the journey we’re embarking on in my role within the GE Energy Storage business. We have technology and a great product, and have ideas about great markets for it. But we are on that customer journey - explaining to them the benefits, understanding how they see value, identifying new applications that either we or they didn’t see until we started talking. It’s certainly not easy and absolutely involves a learning experience from both sides.

In some ways though, I think that is the point. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. We’ve been listening and learning from our customers for over 100 years. We need to do more of it, do it faster and capture the learnings quicker.

Adrian Pinder
ECLP Class of 2011
GE Transportation
Senior Market Development Leader

Celebrating 10 years of ECLP!

2012-01-16T14:00:43Z

The ECLP program turns 10 years old this year! The program has evolved over the year - number of rotations, locations, and business involvement has changed - demonstrating GE’s commitment to continuous improvement.

Keith Mait, GE Capital Class of 2010, and Steve Zelechoski, GE Capital Class of 2007, will be planning great event to celebrate the 10 year anniversary. They are in the earliest of planning stages but have been able to share some high-level details (subject to change of course).

The event will be two or three days in the summer of 2012. The key goals are to introduce alumni to the current program, host leadership workshops and deliver Crotonville-type commercial training.

This is certainly a momentous milestone and one that has current ECLPs, alumni, program leadership and supporters excited. Periodic updates on the planning will be shared and in the meantime we invite you to share one of your favorite ECLP memories in the comment section below.

Reflections on life for a Caymanian in Dubai (by way of Paris)

2012-01-13T14:00:48Z

People act surprised when I tell them that my new home, Dubai, reminds me of where I grew up, in the Cayman Islands. But, apart from the obvious (desert vs. island, Arab vs. Caribbean culture), there are many surprising similarities which have made me feel as if I have found a home away from home.

My first impression of course was the heat. Arriving in May, the temperature only went upwards – people slowed down and stayed inside in the air conditioning. One step outside and you could feel your body temperature rising at an alarming rate. Daily chores made you feel like Thesiger himself, venturing into the inferno – no amount of water was enough! It made me wonder – is this what tourists to Cayman used to feel when they braved our islands from cooler climates? My mother (who is still living on the island) and I shared very consistent emails during those months – it’s hot!!!

There’s a motto that expats have about Dubai: “work hard, play hard”. The expats who come here, do so for many reasons, but the consistent ones seem to be (in my interpretation of majority) – opportunity, a new experience and, let’s be honest, the tax-free salary ain’t that bad either! Before moving to Dubai, I was based in Paris, and despite the 6 hour difference from Cincinnati, OH (GE Aviation’s headquarters), I had a relatively ‘normal’ work day. And now, despite only being a 2 hour time difference from Paris, Dubai is another beast altogether. I come in late, and leave later – my work life balance needs work!

A plan is in process at Aviation which should make this better – moving resources from HQ to the field, delegation of authority and more HQ empathy for those working through their dinner (or night, as for the folks in the Singapore office). And covering Africa and the Middle East is no small feat – the customers have a lot of experience under their belts (Ethiopian Airlines has been operating for over 60 years, and Kenya Airways for over 30 years – NB. Legacy American carriers have been operating for ~ 70 years), and often have major Airline executives as part of their board. So, I digress, but wanted to illustrate that wherever you are in GE, you are never sitting on your hands, and a non-US time zone can make that tougher.

The upside, and almost as a way to compensate, Dubai has a rich social life – people make friends fast (indeed we – my husband and I - knew people in Dubai before we moved out here), there are lots of social spots, hotel brunches, water activities, and a budding cultural and art scene. And during the winter months, the opportunity of an outdoor activity is fully embraced while the temperature allows!

I briefed upon the social life – there are some who are skeptical of the friendships made here, questioning their depth and longevity. But in my experience (so far) I have been touched by the extensions of generosity, kindness and genuine concern shown by the people I have met here, extending across all nationalities and cultures. If I’m honest, we were a little worried about moving out here from Paris, a country that teaches the world about the “joie de vie”, but we have found something else out here that is equally as valuable – what to call it? … Camaraderie? Who knows, but it definitely reminds me of the closeness of an island when I walk through my supermarket or I’m out for dinner, and I bump into someone I know who reaches out to me, asks how I am, and then invites me to their Halloween party that weekend (no celebration goes unmissed in Dubai!).

So, here I am. I have survived the summer, I’m learning how to shoe-horn myself out of the office to get home for dinner and I’ve bought myself a BBQ for the winter – now there’s something I never thought I would say!

Christine Savage
ECLP Class of 2010
GE Aviation
Sales Support Director

ECLP Conference comes to GE Capital Equipment Finance

2012-01-11T14:00:33Z

In November, Equipment Finance (EF) hosted the 3rd EF Leadership Programs Conference organized by EF’s Sales Force Effectiveness and HR teams. 13 ECLP, Financial Management Program (FMP) and Coporate Leadership Staff (CLS) program members attended the two-day event that included:

Lunch and learns with Brian McGarvey, HR Leader, Equipment Finance and Kristi Webb, GM, Dealer Finance
Functional trainings such as risk
Speed networking event with Diane Cooper, GE Officer and GM, Equipment Finance; Joe Hanlon, CFO, Equipment Finance; Dean DeBroux, CRO of Equipment Finance and Steve Engelman, GM, Retail Finance; and
A volunteer event with the alumni to “build” stuffed animals to be given to residents of The Family Place, in Dallas, which provides shelter for victims of domestic violence.

“The event was a fantastic way for our leadership program members and the EF leadership team to engage in discussions that are key to our business goals and objectives. The members of the FMPs, ECLPs and CLS Programs continue to be integral members of the business…it was a great opportunity to network.”
– Michael Barrett, CMO Equipment Finance

“It was great to see the EF HQ and get to meet with some of my Dallas team. The speed networking event was great as well. Thank you both for the time and effort you put into the two days. I know it was hard to get dates nailed down this year, but it was well worth my time.”
– James Bryant, ECLP Class of 2013

Posted by: Jerome

GE Challenge...the results from the MBA Case Competition from the land of Soccer and Samba!

2012-01-09T15:02:09Z

“Fantastic!” was one of the words of the new ECLP Global Recruiting Director, Chris Thomas, who joined the Latin America ECLP team for the finals of the first International ECLP Case Competition which took place in Brazil last month.

On December 2, 2011, almost 50 MBA students from FIA (Management Institute Foundation), which is one of the highest rated Business Schools in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had the opportunity to present their findings and solutions to the judges, which included four GE leaders and three professors from FIA. The auditorium was full - aside from the students, judges, representatives from GE Human Resources and ECLPs, there were also representatives from other top MBA programs in Brazil: Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP), Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa (INSPE) and Business School of São Paulo (BSP), all which showed interest and excitement to participate in the event next year.

All the participants were impressed by the deep and creative solutions from the students which included ideas on energy generation in unusual places, water treatment, logistic issues and waste treatment. The winning team created a waste to energy solution for the Brazilian slums, and will visit one of the GE’s facilities in the region as the big prize.

The event was a huge success. The students gave us very positive feedback, such as the opportunity to use end to end solutions for their MBA projects, and they were excited to use their knowledge and learning in a real-life situation, with a real company. The GE Challenge used social media and local on-campus presentations to engage with students, both of which gave students an opportunity to ask questions about GE and the ECLP program. In addition to some great candidates for ECLP Class of 2014 being identified, the event increased the awareness of the GE & ECLP brands to MBA stakeholders in the region.

The team goal now is to roll out similar events with other top MBA Schools across the Latin America region. Stay tuned for more exciting news to come!

Posted by Monica

Criticisms of Rotational Programs

2012-01-06T14:01:26Z

This post has been selected as a one of the “Best of 2011.” It was originally posted on August 26, 2011.

One year out of Harvard Business School, I have taken over the position of lead recruiter for the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP) and am planning to come back to campus this fall to recruit ECs (2nd year students) to join GE. In preparation for the mid-October 1st round interviews, I had a call with HBS’ Director of Career Services to discuss what ECLP is all about and how we can connect better with current students.

It’s really interesting to be on the opposite side of the table now – looking at all the great candidates and having the responsibility to promote only a few to the next round of interviews. Even more interesting were the common criticisms of rotational programs from current HBS students that the Career Services Director shared with me.

Here are a few of the concerns current students had about rotational programs and my thoughts in response now that I am getting to experience the rotational leadership program firsthand.

The rotational program as too long … how can I possibly commit to two years?
Sure, for some, two years is a long time to stay in one job. However,in ECLP, you have three eight-month rotations – thus you really have three jobs. You have the visibility into three times the networks, three times the job experiences, three different perspectives. As someone coming from the military prior to business school, I wanted to get as much commercial experience as possible right after HBS.

The rotational program as too short … what really will you gain after only two years?
I think of ECLP as six years of experience condensed into two: success in most places (from startup to big company) is proportional to the number of people you know (and their knowledge base), not necessarily what you individually know. ECLP and other rotational programs are well suited to gain a breadth of knowledge, both cross-functional and cross-industry, in an incredibly short period of time. I find that I am constantly interacting with many bright, dedicated individuals – this has enriched my professional experience post-MBA as well as enabled my personal growth into a general manager.

Being at a large company is the antithesis of entrepreneurship: I want to start something on my own and can’t do that do that in a company of 300,000 employees
I think it’s important to differentiate between two types of big companies: the ones training their future leaders to pilot the plane only by teaching them how to turn on the autopilot, and the ones asking their leaders how best to build the plane. GE is the latter of the two: our organic growth targets are daunting and the only way to achieve them is by aggressively growing the smaller companies within the infrastructure of the big organization. There is no lack of opportunities for intrapreneurship – GE is financially strong and incredibly resilient.

While ECLP is not for everyone, I believe that the program offers so many permutations of possibilities in terms of businesses, assignments, locations and functions within sales/marketing that it truly can serve many purposes. I look forward to hearing from MBAs at other schools as to thoughts or questions you may have about ECLP. Feel free to leave your comments here.

Posted by Christina