Ep 169. Doug Conant: The Blueprint for Growth as a Leader

Doug Conant is an expert on leadership.  He began his career at General Mills and held leadership positions in marketing and strategy at Kraft before becoming CEO and President of Campbell Soup Company. During his career he also served as President of Nabisco Foods Company, and Chairman of Avon Products. Over the course of his ten years as CEO at Campbell, employee engagement skyrocketed from being among the worst in the Fortune 500 to being world-class as measured by Gallup. After retiring from Campbell Soup Company, Doug founded ConantLeadership: a mission-driven community of leaders and learners who are championing leadership that works. As CEO of ConantLeadership, he takes no salary, and all profits (after covering operating costs) are donated to charitable organizations at the forefront of championing the kind of leadership that can move society forward.  He’s now put all of the lessons he learned into a new book -- The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights -- that he hopes will help you to realize your full potential as a leader and as a contributing member of society.In this episode, Stew and Doug discuss leadership in the context of the current social, political, and economic challenges we all face and what’s required, for anyone, to gain greater competence as a leader. Doug’s compassionate and human-centered approach to leadership growth is practical and relevant for now.  Here’s an invitation, a challenge, for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation.  Identify your “entourage of excellence,” as Doug calls the people in your life whom you admire and want to emulate.  Then, do what he suggests:  Simply make a conscious effort to try to be more like those people.  What do you discover? Write to Stew Friedman to let him know, at [email protected], or connect with him on LinkedIn.  While you’re at it, share your thoughts with Stew on this episode and ideas for future shows.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.