A Few Things More Than I've Done in My Life

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Pallman: I was not welcome to the extent that i could have expected, because having worked for nesley and p for some people, that felt like your letting in the troyan horse. It's very rare that you want your new leader to be someone who will just continue business as usual. That's the kind of conservative attitude companies fall back on in times of trouble. The guiding principle to finding any new leader at any level within your company is to ask if this person can move the business to match evolution of the market. 99 times out of a hundred should be yes.

When Paul Polman joined Unilever as CEO in 2009, the consumer goods company – home to 400-plus brands including Dove soap, Ben & Jerry’s, and Vaseline – had been stagnated with years of lackluster performance. His famous turnaround of the company centered around his ability to redraw the boundaries of Unilever’s mission to emphasize sustainability and long-term growth. He’s a perfect example of why every leader should consistently reexamine the boundaries that limit their business – and be prepared to redraw them as you grow. By redrawing boundaries, you can reinvigorate your team with a new sense of power. As Polman says, “You cannot change people's behaviors if you only work on the purpose – and don’t change the boundaries around it that drive people's behavior.”

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