General Electric and Success Theater by Alec Hill

What the Demise of General Electric Teaches Us About the Dangers of Happy Talk

For decades, General Electric represented excellence. But by 2024, the company’s value had plunged 90% and it was subsequently sold off in pieces. GE, as we once knew it, no longer exists.

According to the aptly titled book, Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric, GE leaders engaged in “success theater” – pretending that things were better than they really were, insisting on happy talk, and stifling dissenting voices.

I’ve witnessed several ministries fall into this trap. By suppressing bad news and allowing only positive stories to surface, senior leaders engage in a kind of theatrical performance.

The road to hubris has several on-ramps.   

Overemphasis on Relational Harmony

Some ministry cultures prize niceness over truthfulness. Harmony is valued so highly that instigating robust – and disruptive – debate is tacitly frowned upon. The result? An environment of “Christian Nice” where trustees become passive and vice presidents self-muzzle.  

I know of a board that touted its chemistry – “we get along so well…it’s never been better.” But when a crisis split trustees into two factions, the board couldn’t recover. Resignations ensured. By overemphasizing niceness, the board never developed the tools to process significant disagreements.    

Too much happy talk makes it easy for ministries to paper over struggling programs and strained budgets. Such skewed optimism often masks a darker reality.

In a famous children’s story, a ruler believes that his invisible clothes are radiant. Unwilling to speak up, his aides and subjects play along. Truth-telling is left to a child who states the obvious – “the emperor has no clothes.”

Similarly, “Christian Nice” can blind us to organizational flaws. By curtailing vigorous (and honest) conversation, problem areas aren’t brought to light and corrected.   

Excessive Deference to Dominant Leaders

Success theater also occurs when strong leaders – often founders – dominate the scene. With deeply held opinions and a record of success, they expect trustees and staff to defer to them.

In GE’s case, Jeff Immelt (16 years) followed Jack Welch (20 years) as CEO. Both possessed formidable personalities and tightly held the reins of control, serving not only as president but also as board chair.

While not officially occupying the chair’s seat, I’ve seen ministry presidents dominate their boards. They always seem to get what they want, with trustees kowtowing to their wishes.  

Performance theater flourishes when ascendant leaders centralize control, limit opposition, and weaken accountability.    

Limited by Groupthink

In his book, In Defense of Troublemakers, Charlan Nemeth describes the dangers of pursuing consensus. While having everyone agree is comforting and nurtures a sense of community, it often leads to bad decisions.

Appropriate dissent is necessary to consider better options. Though often annoying and disruptive, disagreement elevates the board’s collective effort.    

Groupthink – the subtle power of a majority pushing for unanimity – limits the alternatives considered by curbing free-flowing discussion. When minority voices find that their views are unwelcome, most find it psychologically easier simply to go along with the crowd.   

Dissenters face heavy headwinds. It takes incredible courage to hold firmly in the face of group pressure. In the movie 12 Angry Men, Henry Fonda is the lone holdout on a jury bent on convicting a young man. Initially ostracized for his position, Fonda slowly persuades the other jurors, and in the end, the defendant is acquitted.

In a similar vein, the Catholic Church has traditionally appointed “devil’s advocates” to offer counterarguments for the canonization of prospective saints. Their job is to rebut evidence presented in favor of sainthood. In this manner, decision-makers are forced to avoid groupthink.  

Success Theater is Dangerous

May the Lord protect us from happy talk that ignores (or suppresses) the truth. To prevent success theater, may we not overvalue relational harmony, cower to the whims of dominant leaders, or overemphasize the virtues of consensus.

 Alec Hill is President Emeritus of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA.

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