The History of Unlever Brothers

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Lever brothers cofounded soap maker lever brothers in 18 84. Originally, it had an expansive mission that knitted together social welfare and profits. 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 this short term approach and kick the original vision of lord lever even further out of bounds.

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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