Ch-ch-ch-changes
It's been quite a week at Kimberly-Clark. Given my job is why we moved to this Sunnier Version of Sweden, being in a good situation professionally is key to this whole experiment working out. The last several months have already been a time of great change, with a global restructure announced for the company at our first earnings release and call of the year. Having been through several of those with Kraft Heinz, though, I wasn't too worried about it, and have for the most part just kept my head down and continued doing my job, leading my team, and trying to set the direction and guidance for the business within my swim lane.
This past week, though, was pretty monumental in the journey. First, on Monday, we finally got the formal announcement of who our new President of Sales, U.S., will be. Kurt Laufer will be my new boss, joining K-C from Dean Foods down in Dallas. I haven't run across the guy in my professional life to date, so he's a total unknown to me. There are plenty of people speculating and trying to find out more about him, but I've learned that honestly, it doesn't matter. I can work for styles that run that gamut, and at the end of the day, all I really have to do is deliver my numbers. It'll be interesting, though, to see what the new challenges and opportunities will be based on his leadership! He joins the company on Monday the 21st, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him and hopefully providing him my point of view to positively influence his start up curve.
As for curves, though, the second announcement of the week was wholly unexpected and pretty shocking, as things go in my world of corporate life. Our KCNA President, the guy that's been running the whole shebang here in the U.S. and Canada for the last year, left the company. It was very unexpected and based on what was shared, not really his decision. The fact that K-C was so transparent in explaining that he left due to a culture and style fit mismatch is as shocking as the timing, in my opinion. While I'm sad to see him go, I'm proud to be a part of a company that cares about being a place that holds its culture as high in importance as its business results, and makes very difficult decisions to reflect its values.
One interesting - and for me, exciting - outcome now is that the new KCNA President is a woman. She's coming from another division of K-C, and has been with the company for many years. It's always fantastic to see women at very senior leaders of leadership, and I'm proud to work for a company that overtly values and promotes women.
I don't think K-C is unique in the roller coaster of change in today's business landscape, but what a week for two such major announcements! Still, what I know is that my best course of action will continue to be to focus on the work, focus on results, and make the most positive impact I can on my team and broader organization. It's a great chance for me to think about my own leadership style and whether I need to course correct, too - with every change comes opportunity, so here's to seizing the moment and making the best of it.
This past week, though, was pretty monumental in the journey. First, on Monday, we finally got the formal announcement of who our new President of Sales, U.S., will be. Kurt Laufer will be my new boss, joining K-C from Dean Foods down in Dallas. I haven't run across the guy in my professional life to date, so he's a total unknown to me. There are plenty of people speculating and trying to find out more about him, but I've learned that honestly, it doesn't matter. I can work for styles that run that gamut, and at the end of the day, all I really have to do is deliver my numbers. It'll be interesting, though, to see what the new challenges and opportunities will be based on his leadership! He joins the company on Monday the 21st, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him and hopefully providing him my point of view to positively influence his start up curve.
As for curves, though, the second announcement of the week was wholly unexpected and pretty shocking, as things go in my world of corporate life. Our KCNA President, the guy that's been running the whole shebang here in the U.S. and Canada for the last year, left the company. It was very unexpected and based on what was shared, not really his decision. The fact that K-C was so transparent in explaining that he left due to a culture and style fit mismatch is as shocking as the timing, in my opinion. While I'm sad to see him go, I'm proud to be a part of a company that cares about being a place that holds its culture as high in importance as its business results, and makes very difficult decisions to reflect its values.
One interesting - and for me, exciting - outcome now is that the new KCNA President is a woman. She's coming from another division of K-C, and has been with the company for many years. It's always fantastic to see women at very senior leaders of leadership, and I'm proud to work for a company that overtly values and promotes women.
I don't think K-C is unique in the roller coaster of change in today's business landscape, but what a week for two such major announcements! Still, what I know is that my best course of action will continue to be to focus on the work, focus on results, and make the most positive impact I can on my team and broader organization. It's a great chance for me to think about my own leadership style and whether I need to course correct, too - with every change comes opportunity, so here's to seizing the moment and making the best of it.
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