Former Campbell's CEO says make business personal

The former president and CEO of The Campbell Soup Company said the key to business success is to make it personal and build a network. 

Doug Conant, credited with improving Campbell Soup's business strategy and structure, spoke to a crowd of about 200 people November 6, as part of the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture series sponsored by the Seidman College of Business.

During Conant's speech, "35 Years in the Rearview Mirror: Life Lessons from the Corporate Journey," he said personal feedback to employees makes a significant difference.

"When I started at Campbell's I wrote a short thank-you note to an employee, and the very next day it was in a frame on that employee's desk," said Conant. "That struck me. So, in my 10 years at Campbell's, a company with 20,000 employees, I wrote 30,000 personal notes." 

Conant shared a number of guiding thoughts and lessons for leaders, like building a network of like-minded people. 

"After working nine years at General Mills, I was told my position was eliminated," he said. "I created the world's best job search. It was time to take control; to turn the coin over. You have the power of choice. When I interviewed at Campbell's, I had several people help me put together a proposed plan for the company. I've helped them out along the way, too."

Conant told the crowd to be tough minded on standards and tender-hearted with people. "I've had 28 bosses and three were good," he said. 

He also described work as a spiritual experience. "We have to manage the spirit of people. The soft stuff is the hard stuff. We have to figure out the nuances and how to communicate," he said.

In 2011, he founded ConantLeadership, a growing community of people dedicated to improving the quality of leadership. He also serves as chairman of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute at Northwestern University, as well as chairman of Avon Products.

From 2001-2011, Conant served as CEO and president of The Campbell Soup Company. He transformed the global leadership team, reconfigured the portfolio, cut costs and made strategic investments. The changes resulted in cumulative shareholder returns in the top tier of the global food industry. Under his leadership, employee engagement went from being among the worst in the Fortune 500 to being consistently among the best.

Conant has also served as president of Nabisco and worked for Kraft Foods.