Originally posted on HBR.com here It was the spring of 1984. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. It was a beautiful morning on Boston’s North Shore and I could smell the sea air as I drove to my job as the Director of Marketing for The Parker Brothers Toy and Game Company. When I arrived, I was greeted by the Acting Vice President of Marketing and asked to step into his office. … Continue reading →

Originally posted on HBR.org here As a leader, what do you want to accomplish? Do your employees know what needs to be done to reach that objective? Do they know how you expect them to behave? And — once they know the “what” and “how” — do you provide them with enough autonomy to get the job done in an effective and timely way? These are pragmatic business issues that all leaders encounter. Here are a … Continue reading →

Article originally appeared on HBR.org here. Several years before I came to Campbell I worked for the CEO of Nabisco as part of his executive team. He asked his direct reports to confidentially take a test designed to provide insight into our ways of thinking. The test results identified me as an “Idealist-Realist.” I’ve used this term as a touchstone time and again over the years because it is such an apt description of … Continue reading →

Article originally appeared on HBR.org here. Perhaps you’ve heard the story. When I stepped in to run the Campbell Soup Company in 2001, the environment at Campbell was hugely challenging. We’d lost half of our market value in just one year. We were at a strategic crossroads for our shareholders. Employee engagement had plummeted to an all-time low and some our best people were hanging on by a thread. Making matters worse, Camden, New Jersey, … Continue reading →

A few years ago, my best friend, who is gay, contracted stomach cancer. Serendipitously, the day after I learned of his condition, a member of Campbell’s OPEN network (our human resources network – a.k.a “affinity group” – which supports the LGBT community), offered me a rainbow-colored bracelet to wear in support of “gay pride.” I am not gay myself, but I vowed to wear the bracelet and not remove it until my friend was … Continue reading →

Have you ever worked with someone who made your own job difficult? Someone who forced you to pick up the slack, or who had “personality issues”? Such people make you feel like you’re working two jobs — theirs and yours. Such an experience makes you appreciate their rarer opposites — those who do their jobs really well. When you work with competent, caring people, you become more positive. The workplace isn’t a grind. It positively hums. Getting … Continue reading →

How do you go about finding the right candidate for a job? If you are like most people, you look around for the right internal candidate. If that doesn’t work out, then you conduct an outside search. To do this, you go fishing — placing ads and hiring recruiters, and then seeing what lands in your net. You might find a few competent candidates this way, but odds are you certainly won’t get the real talent … Continue reading →

  One morning in the 1980s, I went to the office as usual and was told that my job was being eliminated. I packed up my personal effects and left the building by lunchtime. I was, of course, in shock. For 10 years, my whole world had consisted of my work with this company and my young, growing family. Now half of that world had disappeared. I was angry and bitter and I felt remarkably alone. … Continue reading →

Every time I’ve taken a Meyers-Briggs test, I score high on the introversion scale. As an introvert, I enjoy being by myself. I sometimes feel drained if I have to be in front of large groups of people I don’t know. After I’ve been in a social situation — including a long day at work — I need quiet time to be alone with my thoughts and recharge. But as a CEO of a company with more … Continue reading →