Ethan Minkel’s Post

This CEO wrote 30,000 hand-written thank you notes. You've probably heard of his company. You're probably a customer too. Doug Conant is the former CEO of Campbell Soup. Here's Doug Conant in his words: "I have sent roughly 30,000 handwritten notes to employees, from maintenance people to senior executives. He goes on to say: "I let them know that I am personally paying attention and celebrating their accomplishments." You don't have to write 30,000 notes like Doug Conant. Start with one. Because one is better than none.

Little things make a big difference

Last week, I did an appreciation post for Jim Jenkins, former General Counsel at John Deere. As previously expressed, Jim was a great leader, but he didn’t do it by himself. He had a right hand in Michael A. Harring who is a leader in his own right. As Deputy General Counsel, Mike managed many of the endeavors and initiatives that made the department run efficiently and partner with our business counterparts. He spearheaded the implementation of massive multilayered strategies that cascaded through the department and business. I remember him leading the crises tabletop exercises to ensure that we were vigilant in remaining ready, and his efforts around diversifying our outside counsel partners. People management was another one of his main responsibilities. Navigating division of work amongst varying perspectives and personalities is a difficult charge that he handled gracefully. He listened to staff ideas and, whenever possible, put them into action. Mike was also a teacher. He taught me how to deploy staff. When I first arrived at Deere, I had never had an assistant. One of the first things he taught me was how to effectively work with my assistant. This stratification of work was expected from internal staff and outside counsel alike. From an efficiency and productivity perspective, he wanted to be sure that all work was being managed at the right levels. At first I didn’t understand it. I thought no big deal I can just do those administrative tasks. I was so used to doing everything myself, but I quickly realized how it optimized my work time. It freed me to be at my best as I could fire on all cylinders for a greater percentage of my time, and I got to spend more time doing the parts of the work that I enjoyed most. It just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention the notes that he kept. He created a meeting notes template that captured summary of meeting, date/time, purpose, outcomes, and takeaways. He had those templates and his personalized notes handy at all times. I borrowed that template and used it for many years. It may seem small but it went a long way in tracking and organizing a large amount of work. I’m sure that there are others who benefited from your leadership, but I wanted to express my gratitude for your leadership and how it has impacted my leadership style today. #nothingrunslikeadeerelawyer #johndeere #theexecutivescounsel

Three Questions Leaders Must Ask About Their Company by John Baldoni, Havard Business Review “Do people know what the organization stands for? Take the lofty vision or mission statements. Are they nice sounding words that describe what the organization does? Or are they nice-sounding words that look good on posters but not in real life? If there is a disconnect between vision and values then it is hard for people to believe that the company stands for anything. When that happens, people go through the motions on matters of character. They do not automatically cheat or lie, but do not go out of their way to serve their customers or even each other.”

A company ghosted me on my first day. THE FIRST DAY. I received my equipment 48 hours before but never received a link for orientation and heard from no one the first day. I followed up and heard back on the 3rd day from the manager. The answer? They forgot, and time got away from them. ❌ I asked for a return label and returned the equipment before the label ink was dry. They asked if I’d reconsider, and I declined. If time got away from you, so did my interest in working with your company. If a company treats you like 💩 , believe them the first time and plan your exit. It will not get better. To my fellow employers and leaders: know better and do better for your teams. #leadershipdevelopment #hiringpractices #abnormallogic #recruitingtips #talentacquisition #talentmanagement

Is there more space now to talk about soft skills and empathetic qualities in your professional brand? I just wrapped up a project for a client where we captured her professional brand principles, feelings, and narrative for her new business. Soft skills and empathetic qualities – including the ability to connect with others and build relationships and trust across an organization – are pivotal to how she does her work and the mission of her consulting practice. And yet, while we know these attributes are key to the future of work and leadership, many still struggle with how to talk about them when marketing to more traditional organizations and C-suite roles. If you’re walking this line, you’re not alone – and I’d argue there are a number of important ways to capture these values without having to spell them. And here’s a blog post with five of them… https://lnkd.in/ek7Bdsz3 What are your thoughts? Where are we in this conversation? 

As I was working through some organizational challenges for a client, my dog was napping beside me. That’s when it hit me: she’s the real CEO of our household. She’s established a clear North Star for the organization (getting all the attention) and successfully cascaded it down to her team. She’s also mastered strategic positioning—always securing the perfect spot to observe everything (from on top of the couch). When a crisis arises—like the Amazon delivery guy coming too close—she doesn’t waste time forming a committee. She charges to the door, leading from the front with a confident fury of barks. And delegation? She’s nailed that too. Why handle mundane tasks like fetching food and water when she’s got me for that? Plus, she never misses a meeting—our 1:1s are rock solid: two walks daily, rain or shine. That’s consistency. She’s got a clear North Star, well-defined objectives, delegates effectively, and is a master at driving organizational consensus. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY I WORK HERE! (I bet she even knows that dog photos get lots of likes) #LeadershipLessons #DogLeadership #CEOInTraining #LeadByExample #ManagementTips #CEOInAction #LeadershipGoals Hi, I’m Steve! I specialize in helping businesses scale and drive growth through tailored consulting services. Whether you need to refine your go-to-market strategy or optimize operations for maximum impact, I’m here to help. Shoot me a message and let’s explore how we can take your business to the next level!

Here’s one reason why you should consider what your learning journey would look like. #longevity #worldclass #researchbased #leadership #leadershipdevelopment

Getting a promotion is easy. When you know this. I've compiled 5 tactics my clients have used this year to successfully land promotions into my Promotion Playbook. And I'm giving it away for free. Just click here >> https://lnkd.in/gGVTB_mZ #PromotionAdvice #LeadershipCoaching #WomenInLeadership #WomenInConstruction #CareerAdvice

It doesn’t take long to write/type a “thank you” to a client, candidate, co worker, competitor (yes, I said competitor!), potential employer, mentor, family member or even a friend! I could not agree more - being gracious goes a long way. Relationships develop and grow with graciousness! Article is a great reminder!