Leadership & the former CEO of Campbells Soup, Doug Conant
Trust is critical to leadership. Trust in the enterprise, trust in the people that work with you, and trust in yourself.
Jarie Bolander from the Entrepreneurs Ethos (you should totally check it out and subscribe to his podcast), texted me this podcast from the Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish.
The podcast is an interview with Doug Conant the former-CEO of Nabisco and later Campbell’s Soup Co.
I know when Jarie texts me something, it’s going to be super good!
Side note — when do you get time to listen to podcasts?
I used to take the 38-R bus down Geary Ave in San Francisco, heading to the office (downtown). From 24th Ave / Balboa (in the Richmond) to 2nd and Montgomery, it was a great 35–42 minute ride. Since it was early in the route, you were always bound to get a seat, which was nice.
With COVID-19 and the shift we’ve made to WFH (work from home), I’ve really missed the ‘transit time’ that I used to get to listen to podcasts, practice Duolingo, or just meditate.
My solution: As of recent, I’ve been working out at our gym, and it gives me a solid 45–60 minutes that I get to listen to a podcast.
OK — getting into it. The quote from Doug that really got me thinking.
As a leader, you’ve got to live in three time zones simultaneously, the past, the present and the future.
Everything you do has got to honor the past, deliver in the present, set the table for a more prosperous future.
And as you think that way, that’s why trust building becomes mission critical.
The entire podcast is great, but this line really stuck out to me. Why?
I’ll pull in a separate Forbes Article. In an interview with Doug, he expands a bit on how he uses the three timezones.
He says:
Whenever I’m facing a big decision, I have a time-zone checklist that helps me choose the best course of action. It takes only 60 seconds, but the exercise often recalibrates or strengthens my decision-making.
Past: Have I taken a clear-eyed look at the past and does this course of action reflect what I’ve learned?
Present: Am I thinking clearly in the present and does this course of action honor the expectations of today?
Future: Am I compromising the future and, if not, does this course of action pave the way for continued prosperity and success?
Three time zones — the Past, Present, and Future
Doug, in the Knowledge Project speaks about a Venn Diagram. The first circle is your leadership approach. This is the approach that you’ve outlined for yourself, that works for you. Looking internally, this is your moral and leadership compass.
He continues with how he wrote a 50 page document of his life. This story guided how he builds a mental model for his leadership style, today.
He has more on looking internally, here. He also quotes Brene Brown (whose TED Talk on vulnerability I still love)
This is intersected by a second circle of the leadership approach that is expected of you. You don’t live in a vacuum, and obviously your leadership style and model will be projected on the people that you lead and in reverse what the world expects of you.
In the center is a hatched area of how you want to show up and how the world (or the enterprise) expects you to show up.
(I’ve drawn the little Venn diagram below).
I layer this Venn Diagram over his time zone check, and from what I can make of it (Doug may have something different to say). I see the past as everything that has driven you to where you are today. This is your ’50 page life story’ that is the mental model for how you live. That drives your leadership approach.
The present is the synthesis of how you’ve got to where you are today. You’re in this leadership position, driving this ship forward. You’ve built the Venn Diagram. You see what the enterprise expects of you, and how your mental model has a shared area. Are you honoring that, today?
And the future is obviously asking if you’re being honest and trusting of the people that you lead, the vision you’ve crafted, and the joint direction that you’re traveling as a company.
How I’ll use this
I really like Doug’s introspective approach to leadership. He has a section in the pod, where he talks about how many leaders have great business plans and great financial plans, but really no leadership plan. Many fly by the seat of their pants. If people are the number one asset in an organization, the life-blood of the vision, and the real folks who execute — having a leadership plan is key.
Thanks again for sending this over, Jarie! Excited for next steps on implementing a piece of this leadership blueprint.
Music I was listening to while I wrote this
CKay — Love Nwantiti Remix ft. Joeboy & Kuami Eugene [Ah Ah Ah] (Official Video)
This is day 23 of my #90DayOfProse challenge.
