What happens when a CEO decides the best way to lead is to stop controlling everything?

Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances, found out when he distributed power throughout the organization by creating autonomous microenterprises. Each operates like a startup within the company—running its own P&L, making its own decisions, and innovating without waiting for corporate approval.

In our conversation, Kevin reveals the counterintuitive moves that made it happen—and why getting out of the way was his smartest decision as CEO.

This interview launches "Leaders at All Levels," a new MIT Sloan Management Review video series exploring how forward-thinking companies are abandoning traditional hierarchies for models that unleash leadership capacity throughout the organization. For more:

Leaders at All Levels: GE Appliances CEO Busts Hierarchy

In this video, GE Appliances CEO Kevin Nolan explains how microenterprises and distributed leadership drive growth.

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