Douglas Conant
Douglas Conant
Douglas Conant is an American businessman who served as President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company until July 31, 2011. Longtime protégé Denise Morrison, who worked for him at Nabisco as well as Campbell's, succeeded him as CEO...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
CountryUnited States of America
incredibly pants people seat
You have to be a well-rounded leader. You can't fly by the seat of your pants anymore. You have to be incredibly tough-minded about standards of performance, but you also have to be incredibly tenderhearted with the people you're working with.
beyond embedded key leaders managers might narrow people surface within
Most people think of leaders as being these outgoing, very visible, and charismatic people, which I find to be a very narrow perception. The key challenge for managers today is to get beyond the surface of your colleagues. You might just find that you have introverts embedded within your organization who are natural-born leaders.
opportunity people tremendous whom work
You have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact on the lives of the people with whom you work and live. Make the most of it.
belief business results
I have a foundational belief that business results start with culture and your people.
aspire best discovered mind nature nearly people readers worked
All of us introverts aspire to be more outgoing, but it's not in our nature. When I was nearly 50, I discovered that the best thing to do was to tell everyone I worked with that I'm just shy. People are not mind readers - you need to let them know.
became caught connect discovered fully lose momentum opportunity present productive relationship sight time work
Too many leaders are so caught up in the momentum of work that they lose sight of the opportunity to connect with people. I discovered that the more fully present I was with other people, the more fully present they were with me, and the more productive our relationship became over time.
bed bring great resolve work
You must bring great resolve to your work. It's not all a bed of roses.
address business dozen group lunch notes personal perspective problems send six weeks
On a personal level, I send out about 20 thank-you notes a day to staffers, on all levels. And every six weeks I have lunch with a group of a dozen or so employees, to get their perspective on the business, to address problems and to get feedback.
awesome bring business career choose concept determined difference found fulfilling good great honored mindset people surrounded work
I have found that the more I honored others, the more they honored me and the more fulfilling my career became. In the business arena, I have been surrounded by people with awesome skills. The difference between good and great is determined by the mindset you choose to bring to the work. The concept of honor should be part of that mindset.
arrived campbell chicken costs cut half january literally longer market noodle point prior product soup taking
When I arrived at Campbell on January 8, 2001, the company had lost half its market value in the prior year. They had to cut costs to the point where they were literally taking the chicken out of chicken noodle soup and the product was no longer competitive.
believe compete culture hard strongly tough unless win winning
I strongly believe that you can't win in the marketplace unless you win first in the workplace. If you don't have a winning culture inside, it's hard to compete in the very tough world outside.
best pace performing
Extroverts may get places faster, but for introverts it's all about working at the pace you need and, at the end of the day, performing at your best.