YouSaid · the spoken record

Paul Polman

lines on the record: 36
first: 2021-12-07
most recent: 2021-12-07
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

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“Master of Scale is a weightwater original. Our executive producers are June Cohen and Darren Triff. Our senior producer is Jordan McLeod. Our supervising producer is Jay Punjabi. Our producers are Adam Skeuse, Catherine Clark Gray, Heile Bondi, Marie McCoy Thompson, and Christina Gonzalez. Our editor at large is Bob Saffian. Our music director is Ryan Holliday, original music and sound design by Eduardo Rivera. Audio editing by Keith J. Nelson, Steven Davies, Andrew Nalt, and Mike Gallagher. Mixing and mastering by Brian Pugh. Special thanks to Chrichier, Elisa Schreiber, David Sanford, Saeeda Sapieva, Greg Beato, Adam Heiner, Emily McManus, Kelsey Capitano, Tim Cronin, Anna Pizano, Ben Richardson, Mina Kurosawa, Sarah Tartar, Charlie Minesis, Cheneme Ezequena, and Colin Howarth. Become a member of Masters of Scale to get access to a year's worth of courses and content on the Master's of Scale courses app. Find out more at masterscale.com.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Companies are focused, accountable autocracies. In most cases, they have a single leader who takes responsibility when things go well and when things go not so well. But companies are also accountable to customers, markets, shareholders, governments, and society as a whole. These relationships are engaged and dynamic on both sides. Boundaries help us focus on our responsibilities and give clarity on our accountability. And this is why we need to be able to redraw the boundaries, not on a whim, but with a clear objective in mind. When we do this poorly, our boundaries will restrict our potential for growth and our ability to help each other. When we do this well, our boundaries will be dynamic and help us all achieve our goals, mission, and purpose I'm Reid Hoffman. Thank you for listening”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Hall explores how CEOs, leaders, and businesses can redraw traditional boundaries and play a more positive role in its new book titled Net Positive.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Reshaping these boundaries to encourage people and entities who may not normally work together to cooperate, imagine help scale, a collective sense of purpose, and bring it to bear on some of the world's most pressing issues.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“After 10 years at Unilever, Paul left to focus more on breaking down these boundaries. He found it imagine the organization he set up to mobilize business leaders to tackle climate change and global inequality.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“After helping set the UN's targets for 2030, Paul used them at Unilever to help redefine the boundaries of the firm's brands and instill each with a new sense of purpose.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In 2012, then UN Secretary General Bon Ki-moon asked Paul to serve on a panel to set goals at the Rio Conference on Sustainable Development.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Another key to Paul's plans for Unilever was shaping the boundaries around defining success to encompass more than just the quarterly balance sheet.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Building that trust relied on a deep and lasting cultural shift, a shift that took years. But it would ensure that those redrawn boundaries would stay clearly outlined instead of disappearing into the undergrowth over time.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It wasn't just about boundaries around ownership of the company that Paul expanded. He also opened up the way decisions were made in the business.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Paul also redrew the boundaries governing compensation, aiming to weave purpose into the company identity and the identity of the team.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“When you redraw boundaries, an unavoidable side effect is that you will exclude some of your current stakeholders. But this isn't a reason to compromise. In fact, it's a big part of redrawing those boundaries. The important thing to do is maintain your course. It's like laying down a new path through a forest. If you keep walking it, it will stay in place, embed itself, and eventually become a new feature. However, if you don't keep treading on that path, it will rapidly overgrow and disappear. So Paul kept treading that path.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Picture a bobsled run. If purpose is the energy that gets your team's legs pumping as they push that bobsled along to build speed. The sides of the bobsled run are the boundaries that keep them on forced and focused on their objective. Now change your team's boundaries. That is, take that bobsled down a different run, and you can get somewhere new, though the sense of purpose that fuels your run stays the same. Of course, what should be fluid boundaries can over time become fixed? And in extreme cases, people can be thrown into disorientation when they're changed.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Factory floor is usually out of bounds to customers and for good reason, but by broadening that boundary to bring customers and production workers face to face, Bill George instilled a new sense of purpose in that team. And this is an example of how redrawing boundaries can enhance the sense of shared purpose in your team. Those boundaries might be physical like the gates of a factory or mental, like how involved you think your company should be in the wider community. Paul asked Bill to help him reshape the purpose blocking boundaries at Unilever.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It was another situation that needed boundary pushing action rather than a soapbox speech. For inspiration, Paul looked to his friend Bill George, author, and former CEO of medical device maker Medtronic. Paul recalled visiting a Medtronic pacemaker factory to study quality control methods.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Remember this radical move to cut out quarterly earnings reports was part of Paul's plan for a wholesale redrawing of the boundaries that governed Unilever. He wanted to move from an intense focus on the short-term bottom line to an expansive view that looked to the long term and the greater good. But to have any hope of making it work there was an even more important group of people he needed to convince his team.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Part of what makes businesses work is an intense focus on core objectives, revenue, costs, market share. This focus is what allows businesses to be among the most efficient types of organizations that human beings tend to create. But there's a balance to be had, and widening the boundaries of a business's focus to encompass, for example, playing a good role in society or preserving the environment doesn't necessarily mean losing focus on profits and share prices. For Paul, communicating this to shareholders and a wider market focused on the short term was never going to be easy. This is why he saw the controversy around cutting those quarterly reports as an opportunity to prove out his new direction.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Over a decade later, this doesn't seem so extreme. And the way Paul tells it underplays just how hugely controversial this move was. But back in 2009, it was explosive. Paul was radically and publicly redrawing the boundaries that were keeping Unilever from pursuing its purpose with vigor. For investors focused on short-term gains, the move was too much.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Paul was convinced he needed to broaden the boundaries of Unilever's mission and address the wider long-term issues that threaten us all, but often aren't seen as being the concern of individual companies. And to do that, he made a move that has become boardroom legend.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Note how Paul went back to the founding roots of the company. He quickly saw that over the decades Unilever had narrowed its boundaries. Originally, it had an expansive mission that knitted together social welfare and profits, and this had helped the company thrive for more than a century. But gradually, the company had narrowed the boundaries of its remit to short term profit, and now it was struggling. With the financial crisis, the pressure was on to double down on the short term approach and kick the original vision of Lord Lever even further out of bounds.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That history began with the first viscount lever home, otherwise known as Lord Lever, who co-founded soapmaker Lever Brothers in 1884.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Back with Paul Pullman, former CEO of Unilever. If you're enjoying this episode and want to share it with friends, send them the link Masterthale.com slash Pullman. That's P-O-L-M-A-N. And to hear my complete interview with Paul, you can become a master of scale member at Masters of Scale. com slash membership. Before the break, Paul had just taken over as CEO of Unilever. As the new leader, he was set to be the catalyst to revitalize the company. But he was facing two massive obstacles. The global financial crisis and resistance to his appointment by some of the board and team members. He needed to find a way to cut through both these crises and quickly redraw the boundaries that held the company back.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Listeners, Bob, here, if you listen to rapid response on Masters of Scale, you may be missing half the show, because every Friday we release a second rapid response exclusively in the rapid response feed. The guess and topics are just as compelling and timely from Ford CEO to NASA's administrator to the lessons from the Devilware's Prada. It takes about 10 seconds to find just search rapid response wherever you listen to podcasts and hit follow to make sure you never miss an episode. I hope to see you there.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You can hear more of that discussion in the master scale episode featuring Sally, titled Check Your Blind Spot. Someone from the outside of your organization is likely to have a fresh perspective, as well as a sense of purpose that is not bound by the company's established way of doing things. Paul knew this, and he wanted to drastically reframe the boundaries at Unilever in order to help the entire team rediscover their sense of purpose. But before he could do that, he had to break through the intense resistance to his appointment.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But this is the kind of passive approach that will often make things worse. That's why an external candidate can be a better choice. Sure, promoting from within means you can easily find someone who is steeped in the same values and culture as your company for a hugely successful example, listen to our episode with Microsoft's Satcha Nadella. The guiding principle defining any new leader at any level within your company is the answer to the question will this person move the business to match the evolution of the market? The answer ninety nine times out of a hundred should be yes. It's very rare that you want your new leader to be someone who will just continue business as usual. Talking with Paul also brought to mind another important reason to redraw the boundaries of where you seek talent, one which I previously discussed with Sally Crachek, founder of the investment platform”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We should have found an internal candidate. That's the kind of conservative attitude companies fall back on in times of trouble. And it's a mistake. The thinking is that you need a safe pair of hands, someone who won't rock them.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“When Paul took over as Unilever CEO in 2009, he was faced with a company and economy reeling from the recent global financial crisis, but there was an even bigger challenge.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That night in Mumbai one hundred seventy five people lost their lives, including many in the Taj Hotel. Paul and his party were among the fortunate ones who escaped thanks to the quick thinking staff of the Taj Hotel.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That terrible event was the harrowing attack and siege of the building, which was part of the two thousand eight Mumbai terrorist attacks.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“After his self created CFO boot camp, Paul joined the Unilever executive team at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai to celebrate the handover from outgoing CEO, Patrick Sesco. But as they were preparing to eat, tragedy struck.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Paul rose through the leadership ranks of PNG. By 2001, he was group president for Europe, based in Geneva. In 2006, after 27 years of the company, he decided to retire. However, Nestle's CEO, Peter Braubeck, convinced Paul to take on the role of CFO at the company. This would be a significant expansion in Paul's experience by his own admission he was a marketing guy, not a finance guy.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's a clear example of how changing the limits that define your role can give an entire team a sense of purpose. A note how this wasn't at odds with the good of the company. It actually helped reinforce engagement, camaraderie, and ultimately the company's success. All while having a net positive impact on the wider community. I also want you to think about the impact this had on the next generation of leaders. Executive coaching is valuable, but there's too much emphasis on coaching the leader as an individual. Rather than as part of a team. But the wider role that Paul discovered in Newcastle and which he then embraced served as a kind of embedded executive training, all the leaders under Paul saw how widening the boundaries invigorated everyone, and they would mostly take this on board in their future leadership roles.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Experience shifted Paul's perception of leadership, specifically the boundaries that defined his role as leader. And this had a surprising impact on Paul's team.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Discovered that his predecessor had redrawn the boundaries of his role to encompass more than just benefiting the company.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Paul went to study at the University of Cincinnati, the hometown of the Consumer Goods Giant, Proctor& Gamble. After graduating, Procter& Gamble hired him to work back in Europe. After a few years, PNG sent him to Newcastle, England to head up a business they'd recently acquired.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Paul famously turned the company around by redrawing the boundaries of the company's mission to emphasize sustainability and long-term growth. However, in his younger days and by his own admission, Paul initially struggled to find a purpose of his own. Eventually he fell into studying business and economics. When he graduated he found himself without purpose.”
2021-12-07 · Masters of Scale · How redefining boundaries drives performance, w/former Unilever CEO Paul Polman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT