Lancefield on the Line

Paul Polman: Creating companies that give more than they take


Listen Later

Time is running out for our planet. We are taking more than we are giving. CSR targets don’t go far enough. And societal inequality is on the rise. It requires a rethink of how we do business, how we lead organisations, how we measure impact.

Who better to set out the manifesto for change than Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and co founder of Imagine One. He’s done what he’s advocated; turned a global company into a force for good whilst still delivering exceptional shareholder value. He’s now become an advocate, catalyst, ambassador, writing a book called ‘Net Positive: with Andrew Winston. It sets our how businesses should and can give back more to the world than they take, and why it matters.

We talk about:

  • What Net Positive means and why it’s a better concept that Net Zero.
  • What stops CEOs from taking the necessary action.
  • What it takes to learn and unlearn new leadership and business practices.
  • Whether it’s possible to develop a new mindset of systemic leadership if you’ve been a short-term, mercenary leader.
  • The three characteristics of CEOs he would look for.
  • Critical moments in a CEO’s tenure that can make or break their contribution to addressing these systemic issues.
  • His own personal habits that help him do extraordinary work.

About Paul:

Paul works to accelerate action by business to achieve the UN Global Goals, which he helped develop. As CEO of Unilever (2009-2019), he demonstrated that a long-term, multi-stakeholder model goes hand-in-hand with excellent financial performance, and has been described by the Financial Times as "a standout CEO of the past decade." 

Paul’s new book, “Net Positive”, is a call to arms to courageous business leaders, setting out how to build net positive companies which profit by fixing the world’s problems rather than creating them. He Chairs IMAGINE and Saïd Business School, and is Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact as well as B Team Leader. Paul is Honorary Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, which he led for two years.

  • Visit the website at https://netpositive.world/#join and learn the way to join the movement.  
  • Follow co-authors Paul Polman on Twitter and LinkedIn and keep up with the Net Positive movement. 
  • Order your copy of Net Positive at your favourite retailer at https://netpositive.world/#order-window

My resources:

Sign up to my newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
 
If you're not subscribed already do subscribe to my youtube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
 
Take the Extraordinary Essentials test (https://bit.ly/3EhSKY5) to identify your strengths and development areas.
 
For more details about me:
 
★Services (https://bit.ly/373jctk) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
★About me (https://bit.ly/3LFsfiO) - my background, experience and philosophy.
★Examples of my writing (https://bit.ly/3O7jkc7).
★Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
★Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

My equipment:

★ Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone: https://amzn.to/3AB9Xfz
★ Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface : https://amzn.to/3AFeA8u
★ 2M XLR Cable: https://amzn.to/3GGxkbf
★ Logitech Brio Stream webcam. https://amzn.to/3EsWt6C
★ Elgato Key Light: https://amzn.to/3Xhiqyh
★ Elgato Light Strip: https://amzn.to/3gyZF8P
★ Riverside.fm for recording podcasts. bit.ly/3AE

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Lancefield on the LineBy David Lancefield

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

21 ratings


More shows like Lancefield on the Line

View all
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

402 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

59 Listeners

TRIGGERnometry by TRIGGERnometry

TRIGGERnometry

2,241 Listeners

Today in Focus by The Guardian

Today in Focus

1,043 Listeners

Giles Coren Has No Idea by The Times

Giles Coren Has No Idea

65 Listeners

The High Performance Podcast by High Performance

The High Performance Podcast

600 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

10,231 Listeners

A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

A Bit of Optimism

2,230 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

58,497 Listeners

Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Coaching Real Leaders

670 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,558 Listeners

Ukraine: The Latest by The Telegraph

Ukraine: The Latest

1,869 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

1,163 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

817 Listeners

Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

13,375 Listeners