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
ceos dealing lose people sight sucked tasks work
As a CEO, you get sucked into dealing with all the tasks of being a CEO. There's a big meeting, a big discussion, and you get into all the big issues, which is your job. But what CEOs often lose sight of is that it's all about the people who work for you. For every 1,000 decisions, 999 were being made when I was not in the room.
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.
hanging lead lives people record relevant specific word works
People lead complicated lives and aren't hanging on your every word or the company mission statement. You have to become a broken record of your expectations of the organization and show people why it is relevant and how it works in specific ways.
assert effective figure hard highly leadership students worked works
I would assert that highly effective leaders are made more than they're born. Every leader I know who's been highly effective has worked hard at it, and they've been students of it. The more you're a student of leadership, the more you figure out what works for you and the more effective you're going to be.
best cannot code declare people
Often leaders have the best intentions, but people cannot read their minds. That's why it's important to declare yourself: Tell people why you choose to lead and the code you live by.
deal easier heads keeping met mind nearly telling
I've met so many leaders who realize that telling your colleagues something that is on your mind is so much easier than keeping it in. Sometimes the things we make up in our heads are not nearly as big a deal as we think.
completing concerned exactly people supposed work
It would be counterproductive to tell people exactly what they are supposed to do and exactly how they are supposed to do it to a point where they become more concerned about your expectations than about completing their work in a quality way.
advantage companies hundred smell takes time wounded
If you're a wounded company, the other companies that have been around for a hundred years will smell it, and they will take advantage of you in a heartbeat. It takes a long time to get back in fighting form.
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.
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.