Managing Up How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You

Chapter 1 Chemistry "WHEN THE GODS . . . punish us, they answer our prayers," wrote Oscar Wilde. In other words, be careful what you wish for. In the fall of 1988, I had no interest in becoming executive assistant to John F. Welch, the Chairman and CEO of GE. In fact, from my job as administrative assistant in GE's Corporate Human Resources department, I was praying to get a promotion to an entry-level management position that had just opened up in GE Supply. In retrospect, perhaps my prayers conveyed mixed messages. On one hand, I wanted to move up the ladder, but on the other, I liked my boss, my colleagues, and the work I was doing. The two wishes may have canceled each other out. At the time, I had been at GE for more than twelve years in a variety of administrative assignments. Corporate Human Resources was one of the better gigs, with lots of responsibility and opportunities to deal with senior executives and some of the company's hottest businesses. One of the advantages of being in HR was that it let you get involved in many different areas instead of being stuck doing the same old thing. I know HR can be dumped on for being too "back-ofFice" or "touchy-feely," but that's a bad rap. A good HR department goes beyond handing out beneFit booklets and is the driver of successful employee development. The broad experience I gained in HR is what gave me a shot at the posted open management position. That job entailed managing a group of regional sales facilities for products distributed by GE Supply. I actively campaigned for the job and overcame most of the personnel hurdles. Jack Peiffer (senior vice president of Corporate Human Resources and my manager at the time) agreed to the move. He was a wonderful boss with a down-to-earth demeanor, and his blessing on my candidacy was important not only politically but personally. Nonetheless, I was having trouble bringing the Final offer to closure, so I went to him to ask what was going on. Instead of giving me a straight answer, his usual approach, he tap-danced around, Finally saying that on further reection he didn't think the position was right for me. I was shocked and angry, and left his ofFice determined to get the promotion or quit. Being single and not having children, I hadand still havethe luxury of independence and a few rash acts. I was happy working at GE, but I was not going to be stied and held back. I wanted out. A few days later, Mr. Peiffer took me aside and explained what was going on: Jack Welch's executive assistant, Helga Keller, was leaving to get married. My name had been tossed into the hat as a possible candidate, and I was on the short list. I briey considered taking my name off the list, but I didn't want to embarrass those who had obviously been singing my praises. I was also curious to see what the hiring process was like at the CEO-level of a company as enormous as GE. Maybe I'd learn something new. I agreed to be screened and, if I made it that far, interviewed by Jack Welch. It may seem like a pretty imsy rationale for not pursuing the management slot, but at the time it made sense to me. But I've never kidded myself into thinking that Mr. Peiffer and the company got out the scales and carefully weighed the beneFits of Rosanne the manager against Rosanne the executive assistant. HR had a paramount goal: Fill the position in the CEO's ofFice with someone who had a reasonable track record and was likely to stick it out for a while. Jack Peiffer was enough of an HR veteran to know how tricky it is to match a senior executive with an assistant and how costly a mistake can be in terms of wasted time, aggravatBadowski, Rosanne is the author of 'Managing Up How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You', published 2003 under ISBN 9780385507721 and ISBN 0385507720.