Virginie Hélias on being Brave not Perfect | Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Description

In today's episode I interview Virginie Hélias, the chief sustainability officer of the consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, about her leadership journey and the principles that she lives by.

Eight years ago Virginie decided that she was going to make sustainability her job. Two weeks after making this decision she wrote a job description for a corporate sustainability role and booked a 20-minute meetings with the CEO in Cincinnati. The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case her story.

In this interview, recorded in June 2019 she shares her story, and how being clear on what you want, being brave not perfect and being prepared are 3 of the key leadership principles that have enabled her to succeed in work and life.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Welcome to Episode 1 of Your Path to Success with your host Ruth Kearns Wollmann. This podcast is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on leadership journey. In today's episode, I interviewed Virginie Elias, the Chief Sustainability Officer of the consumer goods giant Procter&Gamble, about leadership journey. One day, eight years ago, Virginie decided that she was going to make sustainability her job. Two weeks later... She wrote a job description for a corporate sustainability role and booked a 20-minute meeting with the CEO in Cincinnati. The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case, her story. In this interview, recorded in June, she shares her story and how being clear on what you want, being brave, not perfect, and being prepared are three of the leadership principles that have enabled her to succeed in work and life. Enjoy the interview. Today I'm with Virginie Hélias, Chief Sustainability Officer of P&G. I'm so delighted to be able to interview you, Virginie. Thank you for agreeing to do that. And I remember, I think that you started your first sustainability role about the time I left P&G in 2012. But when you became the Chief Sustainability Officer, which was a new role in P&G, I sent you a note to congratulate you because I was just, wow, Virginie is a good person for this job, but it sure will be a challenge. Because we know what this space is like, what the company is like, huge, different divisions, lots of work to do. Have there been any times over the past few years where you've thought, oh, my goodness, what have I got myself into?
Speaker #1
Oh, yes. Well, thanks for having me. I mean, it hasn't been a straight line at all. Indeed, I started the journey in 2011. And I would say it was more like a trampoline, you know, it's kind of. Ups and downs, ups and downs. And then there was a big acceleration which kind of got us over the hump, which was really the launch of our ambition 2030, a year ago. And now there is no turning back, you know, and everybody knows it. And that's great. But it has required a lot of internal influencing and change management, really. I mean, that's really what the job has been so far. Influence mindset from top to bottom, bottom to top, I mean it's really all levels of the company because we are really talking about cultural change and in the case of sustainability and making sure that it is an integral part of how we innovate, how we build our brands, all the business practices and really the culture of P&G which is known for being very strong and also very codified you know, based on strong values. So when you want to influence that... It's heavy lifting, but also exhilarating when you start seeing some problems.
Speaker #0
Yeah, because you said last year you got to this point of getting over the hump. That was, where are we now, like six years of influencing that took you to get to where you are now.
Speaker #1
And influencing is not just one task. It's made of a multitude of what I call tactics. I like to say that I'm running around with my toolbox of things, because you need to adapt to leadership style. You first need to understand people's motivation, and sometimes they don't even know their motivation for getting into a journey like this. And sometimes it would be, I want to leave the world in a better place for my grandchildren. I mean, that's kind of the high... higher order motivation but sometimes it's just i need to revitalize my business uh you know consumer expectation i've been changing i need new ideas and that's great i'm taking all the kind of motivation you know as long as people embrace this new idea of um uh business growth and uh doing good for the planet and society and and uh so it has been a lot of um uh Identifying what I call my one person, you know, because I knew from the beginning that I would not get the 95,000 P&G employees into that. And I needed to start with the passionate people. It would have been too much energy and frankly, probably too little results to go with the skeptics, you know. And so I started with my coalition of the willing and people who... knew there was something there, they wanted to be part of it, they didn't know how. And we started small, you know, it's the concept of the pilot. You start small, you prove success with very little risk, and then when you prove success in one part of the business, in one region, one country, When you showcase it, you know, I started and all I had was my own internal story of when I was on the business on Ariel and developed the Turn to 30 campaign, which was the most successful commercially. But at the same time, it was the best thing I could have done for the environment, because what I learned after having done it, which is that 80% of the carbon footprint of a detergent is the temperature of the washing machine. So when I encourage people to watch their call. Clothes in low temperature, it was a huge success commercially, but also the best thing for the environment. And this is really when my whole journey started, because I realized that you could actually be a force for good and a force for both at the same time. And all my challenge has been to find in all our businesses this sweet spot, when you can do both be a force for both and a force for good. And so what... You know what I worked with is with all these people who also were supportive of this concept and wanted to prove it in their business. And once you have a few examples, you know one of the high points was in 2017 when in Davos at the World Economic Forum we had a press conference where we announced the first head and shoulders bottle made with recycled plastic collected on the French beaches. And that was a very, very high moment, actually. Huge coverage externally, but for me the most interesting was the impact it had internally. And I literally cried reading the email that I received from employees. I mean, some of them telling me that they wanted to quit P&G, and after seeing that, they would stay, because they understood the commitment we had in being a force for good.
Speaker #0
And you were really a pioneer, because, you know, I work with some people who are at P&G, and there's such a... hunger and thirst to do something which is meaningful, you know, to do something where people really feel that they're making a difference. Like you said, whatever that motivation is for them, whether it's about the planet or whether it's about something else, to really make a difference. And it sometimes feels in such a big company that you're just a small cog in a huge wheel. What's your experience of, you know, making your voice heard and changing people's minds?
Speaker #1
I mean the first condition is to really believe in what you do, you know. Not that I was a sustainability fan from day one, because actually I didn't even know how to spell the word, so I had to educate myself, you know. But learning more about it, I grew totally convinced that that was the only way. to have a sustainable business in the financial economics standpoint, you know, and we needed to integrate this dimension. And what's very interesting is that as I talk more with people, even the so-called skeptics, you know, the more they learn, the more they believe into it. So, you know, being, and it could apply to anything, being fundamentally convinced that what you are doing is right, And then... being brave, you know, be brave, not perfect is one of leadership mantra because, and it's especially applies to women who wants to be perfect in many cases. And here it's, you know, dare to go out without makeup, the way I call it, you know, and because it's really who you are that will convince people and how you say it in a way that is authentic. your own integrity, you know, if it fits with what you believe, with your personal values, you will always be right, quote unquote, because you will be authentic. And so, so for me, that's the key. And people tell me, you know, your passion, and I don't really like that when people put my passion first, because it's,
Speaker #0
it sounds a bit irrational you know for me is more the authenticity and the integrity of of acting on what i believe yeah and that takes courage that's what i'm hearing and that's definitely brave not perfect absolutely do you have a little story for us of how that's happened for you? Because I know you've several times, we were talking about it, you've had to go and ask permission for things. You've had to do many firsts in this journey.
Speaker #1
So I think that the story of the creation of my job is a prime example of this. And so I was saying that after this... Serendipitous experience on Ariel, really, where I stumbled on something that was great commercially and at the same time environmentally. I decided to further educate myself seriously and I went to this training called One Planet Leader by the WWF. In partnership with IMD in Lausanne. And for a week I was surrounded with sustainability practitioners, people whose job was to lead sustainability and master the science of it. And for me it was still a dead job. I mean I was leading innovation for AER in Europe. And at the end, I learned a lot during that week, but the most important, you know, is at the end when people kind of share their learning and commitment. I committed to the people there that I would make sustainability my job, and I had absolutely no idea. idea how I would do that. But because I had committed externally, which became afterwards a key lesson for my job, actually, I had to be congruent with what I had committed. And so I decided to act on it. And so two weeks after this... this training, I went to Cincinnati to ask a meeting with the CEO. And I had done a bit of research and understood that many companies were starting to staff sustainability from the business, with business people. And so I wrote a job description and I got 20 minutes with the CEO and those 20 minutes I explained to him why it made sense to create a commercial position that would bridge between science and sustainability. and business because we had a big environmental group mastering the science toxicologists biologists scientists but they had very loose connection with the business and i said there is an opportunity to create a role which can bridge business and sustainability and i said and by the way that's the job i want and he said okay and so i started from scratch absolutely no expectation because he really had no idea what i should be doing and i had one single mission which was to makes sustainability an integral part of how we do business. and to make it easier for him to say yes I said I want a job no team but it was just for us not just to make it easier it was part of the mission because when you have a sustainability team and the business has an issue they say go as the team and there is no accountability so I started alone with a very clear vision of what I wanted to do but absolutely no idea how to do it and I learned by doing it right so another thing that I'm picking up from what you're saying one of your keys to creating your own path because that's what we're talking about your journey is
Speaker #0
You said being clear on what you want, but then you kind of put it out there in the world. You kind of said, you committed to these people you've been on the course with. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make sustainability my job. And then you went and asked for it.
Speaker #1
Yes, I mean, one of my deep beliefs is that when you have absolute clarity, on what you want and this is not easy because you know many people don't have that clarity they never ask themselves the question and it's uh it's very hard work to uh to have absolute clarity on what is important for you and what you want out of life once you have that something extraordinary happens which is that the universe gather itself to give it to you. And it starts with one thing which leads to another, which leads to another. I have seen that over and over in that job. I knew exactly my mission and I knew exactly why I wanted to do it. I didn't know how, but little by little, I was introduced to people who gave me the first step, which gave me the second step. And I never had a moment of, now I don't know what to do. Because each time there was something that came to me, which gave me part of the answer. And I've experienced that in other fields. But it starts with being absolutely clear.
Speaker #0
Know what you really want. And it's interesting because we talked about coaching before. And it's one of the questions that coaches love to ask. What do you really want? But not in the kind of just off the cuff. No, what do you really want? And it does take people time to kind of... You know, find it and express it out loud what they really want. Absolutely. Because we're all living with expectations of other people, or what we think we should want, or so on.
Speaker #1
And very often we think that what we want is the expectation people put on ourselves.
Speaker #0
Right.
Speaker #1
Which is basically how I led my life up to a point. which was, you know, it was kind of a path defined by others. You know, I went in a very good school. I went to the, in France, went to the best preparatory school for business school, which is kind of typical French curriculum. Then I went to, I should say, Paris, you know, to do my master. And then I wanted to do marketing. I majored in marketing at HSC, so naturally I went to P&G, which was seen as the marketing school. And then, you know, assistant bond manager, bond manager, marketing director. The path was there, I just followed it. It was not mine. And then I... And then two things happened. This thing on the business, which kind of opened me up to the world of sustainability. And at the same time, I was leading a training at P&G, which is called Corporate Athletes.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I know it.
Speaker #1
You know it. which is quite amazing was designed for athletes to help them manage their energy but what I really like with this training is it was totally holistic and it would look that the the physical energy the emotional energy the intellectual energy and the spirit spiritual energy, and it looked for alignment. And it started with this big question, what do you really want? What matters to you? And so, and, you know, I trained so many years. And the more I trained, the more I learned about myself. So it was an amazing catalyst to force myself to recommit to what I was saying was important to me. And on the back of it, I also started some coaching class and became a certified coach.
Speaker #0
coach which also helps me tremendously uh in the job i have today yeah i use corporate athlete quite a lot with people all the concepts behind that you know the the energy and how we have the right energy. You talked before about, which is definitely a concept I learned in Corporate Athlete, about preparing. So there's a certain amount of unknown in your job. Like you said, there's some things you don't know what's going to happen, but you still very much believe in preparing. Will you share a little bit about what that looks like for you?
Speaker #1
Yeah. You know somebody said, I don't know how the name escapes me, but I believe in luck, but I realize that the more I work, the luckier I get. I think this is so true and for me it's the same with being prepared. Being prepared takes a lot of work, you know. But then when the... So, I mean, the order of things is first, before being prepared is know what you want. It's always start with that. And then be prepared because you never know... what the universe is going to get you. And the more prepared you are, the more able you are to recognize that it is actually something that you've been asking for, that is part of your overall mission and vision. So it allows you to recognize outside circumstances, which could see, if you are not prepared, would look totally random. If you are prepared, it's obvious that it's part of your project, you know. And so that's kind of the... big preparedness, you know, that's like, but they are smaller one, you know, being prepared when you go to a meeting, because the more prepared you are, the more you get out of it. And so for me, and it's also valid for my personal life, you know, people tend to laugh about this, because my husband, I met him at PNG, and we have the same kind of formatting. And so we used the main The best tool that we use at P&G, we use it for our family because our family is more important than P&G. And so why wouldn't you use the best tool and techniques for your family? And so we have this document that is basically the document that businesses use for their objectives, goals, with measures.
Speaker #0
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker #1
I'm not going to use the acronym for your audience, but you know what I'm talking about. And so we have that for our family. What is important for us? What do we want to accomplish? What are the values? and then a very precise action plan, which is both for our couple, for each of us. parents for each of our children when they are younger now they do their own things but and we had you know relationship for each parent to each child so that you at least you know what would be the best now if you don't achieve everything uh that's okay but we have we review that and we have amazing discussion you know of our glass of wine and it's a very good moment the two of us and we review what we've been doing at least twice a year and and then things that have been there. We haven't done anything. We ask ourselves, why? You know, should we drop it from the list? That's how I started running. Because my husband had put something for the two of us, saying we need to do marathons. And I said, are you crazy or what? So we kept this marathon on the paper for months without doing anything about it. And at some point I said, okay, either we do it or we drop it. And he registered us for the half marathon in Lausanne. This is where I realized that I could run, that I loved it. I was running very fast, and after that, I ran six marathons. But, you know, we were prepared because we had this, we talked about it, and we engaged in it, and it was the most important thing we could do because it's about what matters for us as a family, same in the business.
Speaker #0
I want to ask you something because what I see is the intentionality that is there. And when you have the clarity, then you know. what to say yes and no to in fact when that's what i'm hearing you say when something shows up which before you might have thought oh you know that's that's random you actually think oh that's actually bang on what i want i'm going to go there even though it may seem a little bit strange for other people because you know right that that's showing up for a reason um I want to ask you about this, what seems like a paradox between being prepared and being flexible. Because I know that in your job you have to be very flexible and adapt. I mean the world is changing, the business is changing, the business is changing. is changing and the needs of consumers and their awareness is changing. How do you manage that, which seems like something to paradox?
Speaker #1
That's a great question, Ruth, and that's my secret. I think that's one of the reasons why. I've been able to have it all, both the career and the family. And I can touch in words saying that I have a wonderful family, three grown-up kids who are amazing, a strong marriage, my husband has a career as successful as mine. And so, you know, and so why? Because Beyond all what I said in terms of intentionality, this idea that if you want to say yes to what matters, you need to say no to what doesn't. And I am so strong about this idea that you need to have very, very strong boundaries because you need to keep inside what really matters. and be ruthless about it and if you do that then you will leave some space for the unexpected but you and working my calendar has been the key yeah i i probably am the only uh leader png who manage my own calendar i don't i don't let my peer do that because it is the most important I have, it's my time. And I am the only one who knows exactly how I want to manage it. I have so many external demands that if I don't do that, I will drown and I will sacrifice what's really important. So that's my weekend activity, is to manage my week. Very, very difficult. And I say no to many, and I say yes to the few that I believe are really important for the mission. And it includes my personal life. So I do a lot of sports. I spend many hours doing sports. That's both physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual energy.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
It's all the four. And they're connected,
Speaker #0
right? Absolutely.
Speaker #1
And so I build my week around that. Right. This is the absolute boundary.
Speaker #0
That's the first rope.
Speaker #1
If I don't have enough time for my... for my physical exercise, which is much more than physical. So, yeah, you need to be ruthless. So, obviously, it's probably a bit easier the more you grow in a company. You know, you can do that more. The job I'm in allows me to... to do that, but you can do it. I truly believe that if there's something that I should have done earlier, that that would be that things,
Speaker #0
you know? And the other thing I heard was the reviewing because, um, actually I'm going to go through that exercise now it's halfway through the year reviewing the goals. And for me, the first half of the year has not worked out how I expected. And I can feel myself like I need to go back and look at it. You know, what has changed? What do I need to drop now? What do I need to shift? What do I need to, you know, where do I need to focus. And I hear that you do that. It's so encouraging that, you know, that makes such a difference.
Speaker #1
Yes. And also make it very concrete.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
You know, it's not about, you say, I'm not going to talk three hours with my husband about the big goals we want. No, it's about, okay, if that is important, and we don't review our values twice a year. I mean, those do not change. Yeah. What we review is how are we going to nurture them. What are the things that we are going to do that show that it is important? Let's look at our week. Does that reflect what's important? And so it's really about the small things. And all the things that we've done as a family and same for the job, but it's a result of this. I mean, we went and climbed Mont Blanc because our personal motto is higher together. We said, how can we, you know, nurture this? Well, let's go and climb Mont Blanc, you know. And that was a beautiful, symbolic adventure that we did together, you know. And again, this is absolutely, you can do it in the job and in your private life. It's the same principles.
Speaker #0
So as we draw to a close, and you think about you talked about people's motivations would you share a bit about your motivation and the legacy that you want to leave for the next generation of leaders i have written as
Speaker #1
part of being prepared uh i didn't do it just for this podcast but i have written my manifesto for the future and if that's okay i can read it to you because it really captures what is my the legacy I want to live. So I dream of a world where resources are abundant and shared by all. Where people consume based on their needs, not their greed. And I've discovered the secret of a good life, simplicity, fraternity and longevity. I dream of a world where me first and egology are replaced by we first and ecology. Where life is protected in all its forms, especially the most vulnerable ones, and nature's beauty sought and protected. I dream of a world where the desirable is sustainable, where people with power have embraced servant leadership, and where all of us have reconnected to ourselves, others, and nature. I dream of a world where today's children will thrive.
Speaker #0
Wow. So what's next for you in this journey?
Speaker #1
You know, I've always been thinking about what's next. I think now I have arrived, quote unquote, because what I'm doing exactly corresponds to what I've always been wanting to do without articulating it, obviously, but corresponds to... All the things I value and where I have joy all the time, a little bit of stress added to the joy obviously, but this is just the perfect place for me. So continue to do what I'm doing, continue to have an impact because I always say the day I'm not having an impact anymore, I will retire and have an impact somewhere else. But this is for me... the right place at the right time.
Speaker #0
Well I wish you all the very best because it's wonderful to watch a little bit from the outside how your influence is impacting not just P&G but the whole industry and the way people are doing business so I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much Ruth.
Speaker #0
Thank you so much for listening to your path to success with me Ruth Kearns Wollmann. One of the things I loved about interviewing Virginie was hearing the story of how she stepped off the conventional career path and stepped up to take a risk for the sake of something that she believed in. I believe that the world needs more people to step up like Virginie did and risk being brave, not perfect. Because that's how we're going to change the world for the better. When each of us shows up at our best for the sake of something that goes beyond our personal success and makes a real difference in the world. So as we come to the end of the year and the end of the decade, I want to encourage you to take a little bit of time out to reflect on two questions. The first is, what is really important to me? Sometimes the clues to this are in the things which make us laugh, or the things which drive us crazy, or the things which make us deeply sad, that move us to tears. Those things can point to values or causes or people that we're willing to step up and take a risk for? The second question is the following. How will I step up to honor these things in the coming year? Because it's as we start to step up and honor what's truly important to us that we start to feel alive and have more and more impact. If you're interested in hearing more about my work as leadership coach, please do visit my website, yourpathtosuccess.ch. And if you enjoyed today's podcast, don't miss the next one, because you'll hear me interview social entrepreneur Simon Gilbo. Simon left a job in the city of London in 1999 to go to Burundi, when it was considered to be one of the most dangerous places on the planet. 20 years later, he has come back, having built schools, orphanages, and even the hotel and conference center. with the best rating on TripAdvisor. Not only that, but he leaves behind him an organization in the hands of local leaders that is helping well over 100,000 of the neediest people every year. In the interview, Simon talks about leadership in particular, the importance of relationships, staying true to your values and moving from success to significance. So why not subscribe now so you don't miss that episode. So until next time, take care and... Why not give yourself permission to be brave, not perfect?

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

On this podcast you'll hear:
💡 Personal stories and life lessons from accomplished leaders
💡 Honest conversations about the moments that tested them — and what they learned
💡 Practical, evidence-based ways to grow your own leadership impact and presence, from the inside out

Ruth Kearns Wollmann is an ICF-accredited professional coach and leadership development facilitator with a background as a cognitive psychologist, business executive and organisational leader in corporate and non-profit organisations.

She believes the leaders who make the greatest impact are those who lead from a centred, integrated place — understanding their own patterns, hopes and fears deeply enough to respond rather than react under pressure.

Ruth partners with established and emerging leaders ready to lead differently: breaking through their own ceiling, becoming a secure base for others, and making their greatest impact yet from a place of strength, authenticity and purpose.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

In today's episode I interview Virginie Hélias, the chief sustainability officer of the consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, about her leadership journey and the principles that she lives by.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Welcome to Episode 1 of Your Path to Success with your host Ruth Kearns Wollmann. This podcast is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on leadership journey. In today's episode, I interviewed Virginie Elias, the Chief Sustainability Officer of the consumer goods giant Procter&Gamble, about leadership journey. One day, eight years ago, Virginie decided that she was going to make sustainability her job. Two weeks later... She wrote a job description for a corporate sustainability role and booked a 20-minute meeting with the CEO in Cincinnati. The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case, her story. In this interview, recorded in June, she shares her story and how being clear on what you want, being brave, not perfect, and being prepared are three of the leadership principles that have enabled her to succeed in work and life. Enjoy the interview. Today I'm with Virginie Hélias, Chief Sustainability Officer of P&G. I'm so delighted to be able to interview you, Virginie. Thank you for agreeing to do that. And I remember, I think that you started your first sustainability role about the time I left P&G in 2012. But when you became the Chief Sustainability Officer, which was a new role in P&G, I sent you a note to congratulate you because I was just, wow, Virginie is a good person for this job, but it sure will be a challenge. Because we know what this space is like, what the company is like, huge, different divisions, lots of work to do. Have there been any times over the past few years where you've thought, oh, my goodness, what have I got myself into?
Speaker #1
Oh, yes. Well, thanks for having me. I mean, it hasn't been a straight line at all. Indeed, I started the journey in 2011. And I would say it was more like a trampoline, you know, it's kind of. Ups and downs, ups and downs. And then there was a big acceleration which kind of got us over the hump, which was really the launch of our ambition 2030, a year ago. And now there is no turning back, you know, and everybody knows it. And that's great. But it has required a lot of internal influencing and change management, really. I mean, that's really what the job has been so far. Influence mindset from top to bottom, bottom to top, I mean it's really all levels of the company because we are really talking about cultural change and in the case of sustainability and making sure that it is an integral part of how we innovate, how we build our brands, all the business practices and really the culture of P&G which is known for being very strong and also very codified you know, based on strong values. So when you want to influence that... It's heavy lifting, but also exhilarating when you start seeing some problems.
Speaker #0
Yeah, because you said last year you got to this point of getting over the hump. That was, where are we now, like six years of influencing that took you to get to where you are now.
Speaker #1
And influencing is not just one task. It's made of a multitude of what I call tactics. I like to say that I'm running around with my toolbox of things, because you need to adapt to leadership style. You first need to understand people's motivation, and sometimes they don't even know their motivation for getting into a journey like this. And sometimes it would be, I want to leave the world in a better place for my grandchildren. I mean, that's kind of the high... higher order motivation but sometimes it's just i need to revitalize my business uh you know consumer expectation i've been changing i need new ideas and that's great i'm taking all the kind of motivation you know as long as people embrace this new idea of um uh business growth and uh doing good for the planet and society and and uh so it has been a lot of um uh Identifying what I call my one person, you know, because I knew from the beginning that I would not get the 95,000 P&G employees into that. And I needed to start with the passionate people. It would have been too much energy and frankly, probably too little results to go with the skeptics, you know. And so I started with my coalition of the willing and people who... knew there was something there, they wanted to be part of it, they didn't know how. And we started small, you know, it's the concept of the pilot. You start small, you prove success with very little risk, and then when you prove success in one part of the business, in one region, one country, When you showcase it, you know, I started and all I had was my own internal story of when I was on the business on Ariel and developed the Turn to 30 campaign, which was the most successful commercially. But at the same time, it was the best thing I could have done for the environment, because what I learned after having done it, which is that 80% of the carbon footprint of a detergent is the temperature of the washing machine. So when I encourage people to watch their call. Clothes in low temperature, it was a huge success commercially, but also the best thing for the environment. And this is really when my whole journey started, because I realized that you could actually be a force for good and a force for both at the same time. And all my challenge has been to find in all our businesses this sweet spot, when you can do both be a force for both and a force for good. And so what... You know what I worked with is with all these people who also were supportive of this concept and wanted to prove it in their business. And once you have a few examples, you know one of the high points was in 2017 when in Davos at the World Economic Forum we had a press conference where we announced the first head and shoulders bottle made with recycled plastic collected on the French beaches. And that was a very, very high moment, actually. Huge coverage externally, but for me the most interesting was the impact it had internally. And I literally cried reading the email that I received from employees. I mean, some of them telling me that they wanted to quit P&G, and after seeing that, they would stay, because they understood the commitment we had in being a force for good.
Speaker #0
And you were really a pioneer, because, you know, I work with some people who are at P&G, and there's such a... hunger and thirst to do something which is meaningful, you know, to do something where people really feel that they're making a difference. Like you said, whatever that motivation is for them, whether it's about the planet or whether it's about something else, to really make a difference. And it sometimes feels in such a big company that you're just a small cog in a huge wheel. What's your experience of, you know, making your voice heard and changing people's minds?
Speaker #1
I mean the first condition is to really believe in what you do, you know. Not that I was a sustainability fan from day one, because actually I didn't even know how to spell the word, so I had to educate myself, you know. But learning more about it, I grew totally convinced that that was the only way. to have a sustainable business in the financial economics standpoint, you know, and we needed to integrate this dimension. And what's very interesting is that as I talk more with people, even the so-called skeptics, you know, the more they learn, the more they believe into it. So, you know, being, and it could apply to anything, being fundamentally convinced that what you are doing is right, And then... being brave, you know, be brave, not perfect is one of leadership mantra because, and it's especially applies to women who wants to be perfect in many cases. And here it's, you know, dare to go out without makeup, the way I call it, you know, and because it's really who you are that will convince people and how you say it in a way that is authentic. your own integrity, you know, if it fits with what you believe, with your personal values, you will always be right, quote unquote, because you will be authentic. And so, so for me, that's the key. And people tell me, you know, your passion, and I don't really like that when people put my passion first, because it's,
Speaker #0
it sounds a bit irrational you know for me is more the authenticity and the integrity of of acting on what i believe yeah and that takes courage that's what i'm hearing and that's definitely brave not perfect absolutely do you have a little story for us of how that's happened for you? Because I know you've several times, we were talking about it, you've had to go and ask permission for things. You've had to do many firsts in this journey.
Speaker #1
So I think that the story of the creation of my job is a prime example of this. And so I was saying that after this... Serendipitous experience on Ariel, really, where I stumbled on something that was great commercially and at the same time environmentally. I decided to further educate myself seriously and I went to this training called One Planet Leader by the WWF. In partnership with IMD in Lausanne. And for a week I was surrounded with sustainability practitioners, people whose job was to lead sustainability and master the science of it. And for me it was still a dead job. I mean I was leading innovation for AER in Europe. And at the end, I learned a lot during that week, but the most important, you know, is at the end when people kind of share their learning and commitment. I committed to the people there that I would make sustainability my job, and I had absolutely no idea. idea how I would do that. But because I had committed externally, which became afterwards a key lesson for my job, actually, I had to be congruent with what I had committed. And so I decided to act on it. And so two weeks after this... this training, I went to Cincinnati to ask a meeting with the CEO. And I had done a bit of research and understood that many companies were starting to staff sustainability from the business, with business people. And so I wrote a job description and I got 20 minutes with the CEO and those 20 minutes I explained to him why it made sense to create a commercial position that would bridge between science and sustainability. and business because we had a big environmental group mastering the science toxicologists biologists scientists but they had very loose connection with the business and i said there is an opportunity to create a role which can bridge business and sustainability and i said and by the way that's the job i want and he said okay and so i started from scratch absolutely no expectation because he really had no idea what i should be doing and i had one single mission which was to makes sustainability an integral part of how we do business. and to make it easier for him to say yes I said I want a job no team but it was just for us not just to make it easier it was part of the mission because when you have a sustainability team and the business has an issue they say go as the team and there is no accountability so I started alone with a very clear vision of what I wanted to do but absolutely no idea how to do it and I learned by doing it right so another thing that I'm picking up from what you're saying one of your keys to creating your own path because that's what we're talking about your journey is
Speaker #0
You said being clear on what you want, but then you kind of put it out there in the world. You kind of said, you committed to these people you've been on the course with. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make sustainability my job. And then you went and asked for it.
Speaker #1
Yes, I mean, one of my deep beliefs is that when you have absolute clarity, on what you want and this is not easy because you know many people don't have that clarity they never ask themselves the question and it's uh it's very hard work to uh to have absolute clarity on what is important for you and what you want out of life once you have that something extraordinary happens which is that the universe gather itself to give it to you. And it starts with one thing which leads to another, which leads to another. I have seen that over and over in that job. I knew exactly my mission and I knew exactly why I wanted to do it. I didn't know how, but little by little, I was introduced to people who gave me the first step, which gave me the second step. And I never had a moment of, now I don't know what to do. Because each time there was something that came to me, which gave me part of the answer. And I've experienced that in other fields. But it starts with being absolutely clear.
Speaker #0
Know what you really want. And it's interesting because we talked about coaching before. And it's one of the questions that coaches love to ask. What do you really want? But not in the kind of just off the cuff. No, what do you really want? And it does take people time to kind of... You know, find it and express it out loud what they really want. Absolutely. Because we're all living with expectations of other people, or what we think we should want, or so on.
Speaker #1
And very often we think that what we want is the expectation people put on ourselves.
Speaker #0
Right.
Speaker #1
Which is basically how I led my life up to a point. which was, you know, it was kind of a path defined by others. You know, I went in a very good school. I went to the, in France, went to the best preparatory school for business school, which is kind of typical French curriculum. Then I went to, I should say, Paris, you know, to do my master. And then I wanted to do marketing. I majored in marketing at HSC, so naturally I went to P&G, which was seen as the marketing school. And then, you know, assistant bond manager, bond manager, marketing director. The path was there, I just followed it. It was not mine. And then I... And then two things happened. This thing on the business, which kind of opened me up to the world of sustainability. And at the same time, I was leading a training at P&G, which is called Corporate Athletes.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I know it.
Speaker #1
You know it. which is quite amazing was designed for athletes to help them manage their energy but what I really like with this training is it was totally holistic and it would look that the the physical energy the emotional energy the intellectual energy and the spirit spiritual energy, and it looked for alignment. And it started with this big question, what do you really want? What matters to you? And so, and, you know, I trained so many years. And the more I trained, the more I learned about myself. So it was an amazing catalyst to force myself to recommit to what I was saying was important to me. And on the back of it, I also started some coaching class and became a certified coach.
Speaker #0
coach which also helps me tremendously uh in the job i have today yeah i use corporate athlete quite a lot with people all the concepts behind that you know the the energy and how we have the right energy. You talked before about, which is definitely a concept I learned in Corporate Athlete, about preparing. So there's a certain amount of unknown in your job. Like you said, there's some things you don't know what's going to happen, but you still very much believe in preparing. Will you share a little bit about what that looks like for you?
Speaker #1
Yeah. You know somebody said, I don't know how the name escapes me, but I believe in luck, but I realize that the more I work, the luckier I get. I think this is so true and for me it's the same with being prepared. Being prepared takes a lot of work, you know. But then when the... So, I mean, the order of things is first, before being prepared is know what you want. It's always start with that. And then be prepared because you never know... what the universe is going to get you. And the more prepared you are, the more able you are to recognize that it is actually something that you've been asking for, that is part of your overall mission and vision. So it allows you to recognize outside circumstances, which could see, if you are not prepared, would look totally random. If you are prepared, it's obvious that it's part of your project, you know. And so that's kind of the... big preparedness, you know, that's like, but they are smaller one, you know, being prepared when you go to a meeting, because the more prepared you are, the more you get out of it. And so for me, and it's also valid for my personal life, you know, people tend to laugh about this, because my husband, I met him at PNG, and we have the same kind of formatting. And so we used the main The best tool that we use at P&G, we use it for our family because our family is more important than P&G. And so why wouldn't you use the best tool and techniques for your family? And so we have this document that is basically the document that businesses use for their objectives, goals, with measures.
Speaker #0
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker #1
I'm not going to use the acronym for your audience, but you know what I'm talking about. And so we have that for our family. What is important for us? What do we want to accomplish? What are the values? and then a very precise action plan, which is both for our couple, for each of us. parents for each of our children when they are younger now they do their own things but and we had you know relationship for each parent to each child so that you at least you know what would be the best now if you don't achieve everything uh that's okay but we have we review that and we have amazing discussion you know of our glass of wine and it's a very good moment the two of us and we review what we've been doing at least twice a year and and then things that have been there. We haven't done anything. We ask ourselves, why? You know, should we drop it from the list? That's how I started running. Because my husband had put something for the two of us, saying we need to do marathons. And I said, are you crazy or what? So we kept this marathon on the paper for months without doing anything about it. And at some point I said, okay, either we do it or we drop it. And he registered us for the half marathon in Lausanne. This is where I realized that I could run, that I loved it. I was running very fast, and after that, I ran six marathons. But, you know, we were prepared because we had this, we talked about it, and we engaged in it, and it was the most important thing we could do because it's about what matters for us as a family, same in the business.
Speaker #0
I want to ask you something because what I see is the intentionality that is there. And when you have the clarity, then you know. what to say yes and no to in fact when that's what i'm hearing you say when something shows up which before you might have thought oh you know that's that's random you actually think oh that's actually bang on what i want i'm going to go there even though it may seem a little bit strange for other people because you know right that that's showing up for a reason um I want to ask you about this, what seems like a paradox between being prepared and being flexible. Because I know that in your job you have to be very flexible and adapt. I mean the world is changing, the business is changing, the business is changing. is changing and the needs of consumers and their awareness is changing. How do you manage that, which seems like something to paradox?
Speaker #1
That's a great question, Ruth, and that's my secret. I think that's one of the reasons why. I've been able to have it all, both the career and the family. And I can touch in words saying that I have a wonderful family, three grown-up kids who are amazing, a strong marriage, my husband has a career as successful as mine. And so, you know, and so why? Because Beyond all what I said in terms of intentionality, this idea that if you want to say yes to what matters, you need to say no to what doesn't. And I am so strong about this idea that you need to have very, very strong boundaries because you need to keep inside what really matters. and be ruthless about it and if you do that then you will leave some space for the unexpected but you and working my calendar has been the key yeah i i probably am the only uh leader png who manage my own calendar i don't i don't let my peer do that because it is the most important I have, it's my time. And I am the only one who knows exactly how I want to manage it. I have so many external demands that if I don't do that, I will drown and I will sacrifice what's really important. So that's my weekend activity, is to manage my week. Very, very difficult. And I say no to many, and I say yes to the few that I believe are really important for the mission. And it includes my personal life. So I do a lot of sports. I spend many hours doing sports. That's both physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual energy.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
It's all the four. And they're connected,
Speaker #0
right? Absolutely.
Speaker #1
And so I build my week around that. Right. This is the absolute boundary.
Speaker #0
That's the first rope.
Speaker #1
If I don't have enough time for my... for my physical exercise, which is much more than physical. So, yeah, you need to be ruthless. So, obviously, it's probably a bit easier the more you grow in a company. You know, you can do that more. The job I'm in allows me to... to do that, but you can do it. I truly believe that if there's something that I should have done earlier, that that would be that things,
Speaker #0
you know? And the other thing I heard was the reviewing because, um, actually I'm going to go through that exercise now it's halfway through the year reviewing the goals. And for me, the first half of the year has not worked out how I expected. And I can feel myself like I need to go back and look at it. You know, what has changed? What do I need to drop now? What do I need to shift? What do I need to, you know, where do I need to focus. And I hear that you do that. It's so encouraging that, you know, that makes such a difference.
Speaker #1
Yes. And also make it very concrete.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
You know, it's not about, you say, I'm not going to talk three hours with my husband about the big goals we want. No, it's about, okay, if that is important, and we don't review our values twice a year. I mean, those do not change. Yeah. What we review is how are we going to nurture them. What are the things that we are going to do that show that it is important? Let's look at our week. Does that reflect what's important? And so it's really about the small things. And all the things that we've done as a family and same for the job, but it's a result of this. I mean, we went and climbed Mont Blanc because our personal motto is higher together. We said, how can we, you know, nurture this? Well, let's go and climb Mont Blanc, you know. And that was a beautiful, symbolic adventure that we did together, you know. And again, this is absolutely, you can do it in the job and in your private life. It's the same principles.
Speaker #0
So as we draw to a close, and you think about you talked about people's motivations would you share a bit about your motivation and the legacy that you want to leave for the next generation of leaders i have written as
Speaker #1
part of being prepared uh i didn't do it just for this podcast but i have written my manifesto for the future and if that's okay i can read it to you because it really captures what is my the legacy I want to live. So I dream of a world where resources are abundant and shared by all. Where people consume based on their needs, not their greed. And I've discovered the secret of a good life, simplicity, fraternity and longevity. I dream of a world where me first and egology are replaced by we first and ecology. Where life is protected in all its forms, especially the most vulnerable ones, and nature's beauty sought and protected. I dream of a world where the desirable is sustainable, where people with power have embraced servant leadership, and where all of us have reconnected to ourselves, others, and nature. I dream of a world where today's children will thrive.
Speaker #0
Wow. So what's next for you in this journey?
Speaker #1
You know, I've always been thinking about what's next. I think now I have arrived, quote unquote, because what I'm doing exactly corresponds to what I've always been wanting to do without articulating it, obviously, but corresponds to... All the things I value and where I have joy all the time, a little bit of stress added to the joy obviously, but this is just the perfect place for me. So continue to do what I'm doing, continue to have an impact because I always say the day I'm not having an impact anymore, I will retire and have an impact somewhere else. But this is for me... the right place at the right time.
Speaker #0
Well I wish you all the very best because it's wonderful to watch a little bit from the outside how your influence is impacting not just P&G but the whole industry and the way people are doing business so I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much Ruth.
Speaker #0
Thank you so much for listening to your path to success with me Ruth Kearns Wollmann. One of the things I loved about interviewing Virginie was hearing the story of how she stepped off the conventional career path and stepped up to take a risk for the sake of something that she believed in. I believe that the world needs more people to step up like Virginie did and risk being brave, not perfect. Because that's how we're going to change the world for the better. When each of us shows up at our best for the sake of something that goes beyond our personal success and makes a real difference in the world. So as we come to the end of the year and the end of the decade, I want to encourage you to take a little bit of time out to reflect on two questions. The first is, what is really important to me? Sometimes the clues to this are in the things which make us laugh, or the things which drive us crazy, or the things which make us deeply sad, that move us to tears. Those things can point to values or causes or people that we're willing to step up and take a risk for? The second question is the following. How will I step up to honor these things in the coming year? Because it's as we start to step up and honor what's truly important to us that we start to feel alive and have more and more impact. If you're interested in hearing more about my work as leadership coach, please do visit my website, yourpathtosuccess.ch. And if you enjoyed today's podcast, don't miss the next one, because you'll hear me interview social entrepreneur Simon Gilbo. Simon left a job in the city of London in 1999 to go to Burundi, when it was considered to be one of the most dangerous places on the planet. 20 years later, he has come back, having built schools, orphanages, and even the hotel and conference center. with the best rating on TripAdvisor. Not only that, but he leaves behind him an organization in the hands of local leaders that is helping well over 100,000 of the neediest people every year. In the interview, Simon talks about leadership in particular, the importance of relationships, staying true to your values and moving from success to significance. So why not subscribe now so you don't miss that episode. So until next time, take care and... Why not give yourself permission to be brave, not perfect?

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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In today's episode I interview Virginie Hélias, the chief sustainability officer of the consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, about her leadership journey and the principles that she lives by.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Welcome to Episode 1 of Your Path to Success with your host Ruth Kearns Wollmann. This podcast is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on leadership journey. In today's episode, I interviewed Virginie Elias, the Chief Sustainability Officer of the consumer goods giant Procter&Gamble, about leadership journey. One day, eight years ago, Virginie decided that she was going to make sustainability her job. Two weeks later... She wrote a job description for a corporate sustainability role and booked a 20-minute meeting with the CEO in Cincinnati. The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case, her story. In this interview, recorded in June, she shares her story and how being clear on what you want, being brave, not perfect, and being prepared are three of the leadership principles that have enabled her to succeed in work and life. Enjoy the interview. Today I'm with Virginie Hélias, Chief Sustainability Officer of P&G. I'm so delighted to be able to interview you, Virginie. Thank you for agreeing to do that. And I remember, I think that you started your first sustainability role about the time I left P&G in 2012. But when you became the Chief Sustainability Officer, which was a new role in P&G, I sent you a note to congratulate you because I was just, wow, Virginie is a good person for this job, but it sure will be a challenge. Because we know what this space is like, what the company is like, huge, different divisions, lots of work to do. Have there been any times over the past few years where you've thought, oh, my goodness, what have I got myself into?
Speaker #1
Oh, yes. Well, thanks for having me. I mean, it hasn't been a straight line at all. Indeed, I started the journey in 2011. And I would say it was more like a trampoline, you know, it's kind of. Ups and downs, ups and downs. And then there was a big acceleration which kind of got us over the hump, which was really the launch of our ambition 2030, a year ago. And now there is no turning back, you know, and everybody knows it. And that's great. But it has required a lot of internal influencing and change management, really. I mean, that's really what the job has been so far. Influence mindset from top to bottom, bottom to top, I mean it's really all levels of the company because we are really talking about cultural change and in the case of sustainability and making sure that it is an integral part of how we innovate, how we build our brands, all the business practices and really the culture of P&G which is known for being very strong and also very codified you know, based on strong values. So when you want to influence that... It's heavy lifting, but also exhilarating when you start seeing some problems.
Speaker #0
Yeah, because you said last year you got to this point of getting over the hump. That was, where are we now, like six years of influencing that took you to get to where you are now.
Speaker #1
And influencing is not just one task. It's made of a multitude of what I call tactics. I like to say that I'm running around with my toolbox of things, because you need to adapt to leadership style. You first need to understand people's motivation, and sometimes they don't even know their motivation for getting into a journey like this. And sometimes it would be, I want to leave the world in a better place for my grandchildren. I mean, that's kind of the high... higher order motivation but sometimes it's just i need to revitalize my business uh you know consumer expectation i've been changing i need new ideas and that's great i'm taking all the kind of motivation you know as long as people embrace this new idea of um uh business growth and uh doing good for the planet and society and and uh so it has been a lot of um uh Identifying what I call my one person, you know, because I knew from the beginning that I would not get the 95,000 P&G employees into that. And I needed to start with the passionate people. It would have been too much energy and frankly, probably too little results to go with the skeptics, you know. And so I started with my coalition of the willing and people who... knew there was something there, they wanted to be part of it, they didn't know how. And we started small, you know, it's the concept of the pilot. You start small, you prove success with very little risk, and then when you prove success in one part of the business, in one region, one country, When you showcase it, you know, I started and all I had was my own internal story of when I was on the business on Ariel and developed the Turn to 30 campaign, which was the most successful commercially. But at the same time, it was the best thing I could have done for the environment, because what I learned after having done it, which is that 80% of the carbon footprint of a detergent is the temperature of the washing machine. So when I encourage people to watch their call. Clothes in low temperature, it was a huge success commercially, but also the best thing for the environment. And this is really when my whole journey started, because I realized that you could actually be a force for good and a force for both at the same time. And all my challenge has been to find in all our businesses this sweet spot, when you can do both be a force for both and a force for good. And so what... You know what I worked with is with all these people who also were supportive of this concept and wanted to prove it in their business. And once you have a few examples, you know one of the high points was in 2017 when in Davos at the World Economic Forum we had a press conference where we announced the first head and shoulders bottle made with recycled plastic collected on the French beaches. And that was a very, very high moment, actually. Huge coverage externally, but for me the most interesting was the impact it had internally. And I literally cried reading the email that I received from employees. I mean, some of them telling me that they wanted to quit P&G, and after seeing that, they would stay, because they understood the commitment we had in being a force for good.
Speaker #0
And you were really a pioneer, because, you know, I work with some people who are at P&G, and there's such a... hunger and thirst to do something which is meaningful, you know, to do something where people really feel that they're making a difference. Like you said, whatever that motivation is for them, whether it's about the planet or whether it's about something else, to really make a difference. And it sometimes feels in such a big company that you're just a small cog in a huge wheel. What's your experience of, you know, making your voice heard and changing people's minds?
Speaker #1
I mean the first condition is to really believe in what you do, you know. Not that I was a sustainability fan from day one, because actually I didn't even know how to spell the word, so I had to educate myself, you know. But learning more about it, I grew totally convinced that that was the only way. to have a sustainable business in the financial economics standpoint, you know, and we needed to integrate this dimension. And what's very interesting is that as I talk more with people, even the so-called skeptics, you know, the more they learn, the more they believe into it. So, you know, being, and it could apply to anything, being fundamentally convinced that what you are doing is right, And then... being brave, you know, be brave, not perfect is one of leadership mantra because, and it's especially applies to women who wants to be perfect in many cases. And here it's, you know, dare to go out without makeup, the way I call it, you know, and because it's really who you are that will convince people and how you say it in a way that is authentic. your own integrity, you know, if it fits with what you believe, with your personal values, you will always be right, quote unquote, because you will be authentic. And so, so for me, that's the key. And people tell me, you know, your passion, and I don't really like that when people put my passion first, because it's,
Speaker #0
it sounds a bit irrational you know for me is more the authenticity and the integrity of of acting on what i believe yeah and that takes courage that's what i'm hearing and that's definitely brave not perfect absolutely do you have a little story for us of how that's happened for you? Because I know you've several times, we were talking about it, you've had to go and ask permission for things. You've had to do many firsts in this journey.
Speaker #1
So I think that the story of the creation of my job is a prime example of this. And so I was saying that after this... Serendipitous experience on Ariel, really, where I stumbled on something that was great commercially and at the same time environmentally. I decided to further educate myself seriously and I went to this training called One Planet Leader by the WWF. In partnership with IMD in Lausanne. And for a week I was surrounded with sustainability practitioners, people whose job was to lead sustainability and master the science of it. And for me it was still a dead job. I mean I was leading innovation for AER in Europe. And at the end, I learned a lot during that week, but the most important, you know, is at the end when people kind of share their learning and commitment. I committed to the people there that I would make sustainability my job, and I had absolutely no idea. idea how I would do that. But because I had committed externally, which became afterwards a key lesson for my job, actually, I had to be congruent with what I had committed. And so I decided to act on it. And so two weeks after this... this training, I went to Cincinnati to ask a meeting with the CEO. And I had done a bit of research and understood that many companies were starting to staff sustainability from the business, with business people. And so I wrote a job description and I got 20 minutes with the CEO and those 20 minutes I explained to him why it made sense to create a commercial position that would bridge between science and sustainability. and business because we had a big environmental group mastering the science toxicologists biologists scientists but they had very loose connection with the business and i said there is an opportunity to create a role which can bridge business and sustainability and i said and by the way that's the job i want and he said okay and so i started from scratch absolutely no expectation because he really had no idea what i should be doing and i had one single mission which was to makes sustainability an integral part of how we do business. and to make it easier for him to say yes I said I want a job no team but it was just for us not just to make it easier it was part of the mission because when you have a sustainability team and the business has an issue they say go as the team and there is no accountability so I started alone with a very clear vision of what I wanted to do but absolutely no idea how to do it and I learned by doing it right so another thing that I'm picking up from what you're saying one of your keys to creating your own path because that's what we're talking about your journey is
Speaker #0
You said being clear on what you want, but then you kind of put it out there in the world. You kind of said, you committed to these people you've been on the course with. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make sustainability my job. And then you went and asked for it.
Speaker #1
Yes, I mean, one of my deep beliefs is that when you have absolute clarity, on what you want and this is not easy because you know many people don't have that clarity they never ask themselves the question and it's uh it's very hard work to uh to have absolute clarity on what is important for you and what you want out of life once you have that something extraordinary happens which is that the universe gather itself to give it to you. And it starts with one thing which leads to another, which leads to another. I have seen that over and over in that job. I knew exactly my mission and I knew exactly why I wanted to do it. I didn't know how, but little by little, I was introduced to people who gave me the first step, which gave me the second step. And I never had a moment of, now I don't know what to do. Because each time there was something that came to me, which gave me part of the answer. And I've experienced that in other fields. But it starts with being absolutely clear.
Speaker #0
Know what you really want. And it's interesting because we talked about coaching before. And it's one of the questions that coaches love to ask. What do you really want? But not in the kind of just off the cuff. No, what do you really want? And it does take people time to kind of... You know, find it and express it out loud what they really want. Absolutely. Because we're all living with expectations of other people, or what we think we should want, or so on.
Speaker #1
And very often we think that what we want is the expectation people put on ourselves.
Speaker #0
Right.
Speaker #1
Which is basically how I led my life up to a point. which was, you know, it was kind of a path defined by others. You know, I went in a very good school. I went to the, in France, went to the best preparatory school for business school, which is kind of typical French curriculum. Then I went to, I should say, Paris, you know, to do my master. And then I wanted to do marketing. I majored in marketing at HSC, so naturally I went to P&G, which was seen as the marketing school. And then, you know, assistant bond manager, bond manager, marketing director. The path was there, I just followed it. It was not mine. And then I... And then two things happened. This thing on the business, which kind of opened me up to the world of sustainability. And at the same time, I was leading a training at P&G, which is called Corporate Athletes.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I know it.
Speaker #1
You know it. which is quite amazing was designed for athletes to help them manage their energy but what I really like with this training is it was totally holistic and it would look that the the physical energy the emotional energy the intellectual energy and the spirit spiritual energy, and it looked for alignment. And it started with this big question, what do you really want? What matters to you? And so, and, you know, I trained so many years. And the more I trained, the more I learned about myself. So it was an amazing catalyst to force myself to recommit to what I was saying was important to me. And on the back of it, I also started some coaching class and became a certified coach.
Speaker #0
coach which also helps me tremendously uh in the job i have today yeah i use corporate athlete quite a lot with people all the concepts behind that you know the the energy and how we have the right energy. You talked before about, which is definitely a concept I learned in Corporate Athlete, about preparing. So there's a certain amount of unknown in your job. Like you said, there's some things you don't know what's going to happen, but you still very much believe in preparing. Will you share a little bit about what that looks like for you?
Speaker #1
Yeah. You know somebody said, I don't know how the name escapes me, but I believe in luck, but I realize that the more I work, the luckier I get. I think this is so true and for me it's the same with being prepared. Being prepared takes a lot of work, you know. But then when the... So, I mean, the order of things is first, before being prepared is know what you want. It's always start with that. And then be prepared because you never know... what the universe is going to get you. And the more prepared you are, the more able you are to recognize that it is actually something that you've been asking for, that is part of your overall mission and vision. So it allows you to recognize outside circumstances, which could see, if you are not prepared, would look totally random. If you are prepared, it's obvious that it's part of your project, you know. And so that's kind of the... big preparedness, you know, that's like, but they are smaller one, you know, being prepared when you go to a meeting, because the more prepared you are, the more you get out of it. And so for me, and it's also valid for my personal life, you know, people tend to laugh about this, because my husband, I met him at PNG, and we have the same kind of formatting. And so we used the main The best tool that we use at P&G, we use it for our family because our family is more important than P&G. And so why wouldn't you use the best tool and techniques for your family? And so we have this document that is basically the document that businesses use for their objectives, goals, with measures.
Speaker #0
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker #1
I'm not going to use the acronym for your audience, but you know what I'm talking about. And so we have that for our family. What is important for us? What do we want to accomplish? What are the values? and then a very precise action plan, which is both for our couple, for each of us. parents for each of our children when they are younger now they do their own things but and we had you know relationship for each parent to each child so that you at least you know what would be the best now if you don't achieve everything uh that's okay but we have we review that and we have amazing discussion you know of our glass of wine and it's a very good moment the two of us and we review what we've been doing at least twice a year and and then things that have been there. We haven't done anything. We ask ourselves, why? You know, should we drop it from the list? That's how I started running. Because my husband had put something for the two of us, saying we need to do marathons. And I said, are you crazy or what? So we kept this marathon on the paper for months without doing anything about it. And at some point I said, okay, either we do it or we drop it. And he registered us for the half marathon in Lausanne. This is where I realized that I could run, that I loved it. I was running very fast, and after that, I ran six marathons. But, you know, we were prepared because we had this, we talked about it, and we engaged in it, and it was the most important thing we could do because it's about what matters for us as a family, same in the business.
Speaker #0
I want to ask you something because what I see is the intentionality that is there. And when you have the clarity, then you know. what to say yes and no to in fact when that's what i'm hearing you say when something shows up which before you might have thought oh you know that's that's random you actually think oh that's actually bang on what i want i'm going to go there even though it may seem a little bit strange for other people because you know right that that's showing up for a reason um I want to ask you about this, what seems like a paradox between being prepared and being flexible. Because I know that in your job you have to be very flexible and adapt. I mean the world is changing, the business is changing, the business is changing. is changing and the needs of consumers and their awareness is changing. How do you manage that, which seems like something to paradox?
Speaker #1
That's a great question, Ruth, and that's my secret. I think that's one of the reasons why. I've been able to have it all, both the career and the family. And I can touch in words saying that I have a wonderful family, three grown-up kids who are amazing, a strong marriage, my husband has a career as successful as mine. And so, you know, and so why? Because Beyond all what I said in terms of intentionality, this idea that if you want to say yes to what matters, you need to say no to what doesn't. And I am so strong about this idea that you need to have very, very strong boundaries because you need to keep inside what really matters. and be ruthless about it and if you do that then you will leave some space for the unexpected but you and working my calendar has been the key yeah i i probably am the only uh leader png who manage my own calendar i don't i don't let my peer do that because it is the most important I have, it's my time. And I am the only one who knows exactly how I want to manage it. I have so many external demands that if I don't do that, I will drown and I will sacrifice what's really important. So that's my weekend activity, is to manage my week. Very, very difficult. And I say no to many, and I say yes to the few that I believe are really important for the mission. And it includes my personal life. So I do a lot of sports. I spend many hours doing sports. That's both physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual energy.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
It's all the four. And they're connected,
Speaker #0
right? Absolutely.
Speaker #1
And so I build my week around that. Right. This is the absolute boundary.
Speaker #0
That's the first rope.
Speaker #1
If I don't have enough time for my... for my physical exercise, which is much more than physical. So, yeah, you need to be ruthless. So, obviously, it's probably a bit easier the more you grow in a company. You know, you can do that more. The job I'm in allows me to... to do that, but you can do it. I truly believe that if there's something that I should have done earlier, that that would be that things,
Speaker #0
you know? And the other thing I heard was the reviewing because, um, actually I'm going to go through that exercise now it's halfway through the year reviewing the goals. And for me, the first half of the year has not worked out how I expected. And I can feel myself like I need to go back and look at it. You know, what has changed? What do I need to drop now? What do I need to shift? What do I need to, you know, where do I need to focus. And I hear that you do that. It's so encouraging that, you know, that makes such a difference.
Speaker #1
Yes. And also make it very concrete.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
You know, it's not about, you say, I'm not going to talk three hours with my husband about the big goals we want. No, it's about, okay, if that is important, and we don't review our values twice a year. I mean, those do not change. Yeah. What we review is how are we going to nurture them. What are the things that we are going to do that show that it is important? Let's look at our week. Does that reflect what's important? And so it's really about the small things. And all the things that we've done as a family and same for the job, but it's a result of this. I mean, we went and climbed Mont Blanc because our personal motto is higher together. We said, how can we, you know, nurture this? Well, let's go and climb Mont Blanc, you know. And that was a beautiful, symbolic adventure that we did together, you know. And again, this is absolutely, you can do it in the job and in your private life. It's the same principles.
Speaker #0
So as we draw to a close, and you think about you talked about people's motivations would you share a bit about your motivation and the legacy that you want to leave for the next generation of leaders i have written as
Speaker #1
part of being prepared uh i didn't do it just for this podcast but i have written my manifesto for the future and if that's okay i can read it to you because it really captures what is my the legacy I want to live. So I dream of a world where resources are abundant and shared by all. Where people consume based on their needs, not their greed. And I've discovered the secret of a good life, simplicity, fraternity and longevity. I dream of a world where me first and egology are replaced by we first and ecology. Where life is protected in all its forms, especially the most vulnerable ones, and nature's beauty sought and protected. I dream of a world where the desirable is sustainable, where people with power have embraced servant leadership, and where all of us have reconnected to ourselves, others, and nature. I dream of a world where today's children will thrive.
Speaker #0
Wow. So what's next for you in this journey?
Speaker #1
You know, I've always been thinking about what's next. I think now I have arrived, quote unquote, because what I'm doing exactly corresponds to what I've always been wanting to do without articulating it, obviously, but corresponds to... All the things I value and where I have joy all the time, a little bit of stress added to the joy obviously, but this is just the perfect place for me. So continue to do what I'm doing, continue to have an impact because I always say the day I'm not having an impact anymore, I will retire and have an impact somewhere else. But this is for me... the right place at the right time.
Speaker #0
Well I wish you all the very best because it's wonderful to watch a little bit from the outside how your influence is impacting not just P&G but the whole industry and the way people are doing business so I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much Ruth.
Speaker #0
Thank you so much for listening to your path to success with me Ruth Kearns Wollmann. One of the things I loved about interviewing Virginie was hearing the story of how she stepped off the conventional career path and stepped up to take a risk for the sake of something that she believed in. I believe that the world needs more people to step up like Virginie did and risk being brave, not perfect. Because that's how we're going to change the world for the better. When each of us shows up at our best for the sake of something that goes beyond our personal success and makes a real difference in the world. So as we come to the end of the year and the end of the decade, I want to encourage you to take a little bit of time out to reflect on two questions. The first is, what is really important to me? Sometimes the clues to this are in the things which make us laugh, or the things which drive us crazy, or the things which make us deeply sad, that move us to tears. Those things can point to values or causes or people that we're willing to step up and take a risk for? The second question is the following. How will I step up to honor these things in the coming year? Because it's as we start to step up and honor what's truly important to us that we start to feel alive and have more and more impact. If you're interested in hearing more about my work as leadership coach, please do visit my website, yourpathtosuccess.ch. And if you enjoyed today's podcast, don't miss the next one, because you'll hear me interview social entrepreneur Simon Gilbo. Simon left a job in the city of London in 1999 to go to Burundi, when it was considered to be one of the most dangerous places on the planet. 20 years later, he has come back, having built schools, orphanages, and even the hotel and conference center. with the best rating on TripAdvisor. Not only that, but he leaves behind him an organization in the hands of local leaders that is helping well over 100,000 of the neediest people every year. In the interview, Simon talks about leadership in particular, the importance of relationships, staying true to your values and moving from success to significance. So why not subscribe now so you don't miss that episode. So until next time, take care and... Why not give yourself permission to be brave, not perfect?

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

In today's episode I interview Virginie Hélias, the chief sustainability officer of the consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, about her leadership journey and the principles that she lives by.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Welcome to Episode 1 of Your Path to Success with your host Ruth Kearns Wollmann. This podcast is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on leadership journey. In today's episode, I interviewed Virginie Elias, the Chief Sustainability Officer of the consumer goods giant Procter&Gamble, about leadership journey. One day, eight years ago, Virginie decided that she was going to make sustainability her job. Two weeks later... She wrote a job description for a corporate sustainability role and booked a 20-minute meeting with the CEO in Cincinnati. The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case, her story. In this interview, recorded in June, she shares her story and how being clear on what you want, being brave, not perfect, and being prepared are three of the leadership principles that have enabled her to succeed in work and life. Enjoy the interview. Today I'm with Virginie Hélias, Chief Sustainability Officer of P&G. I'm so delighted to be able to interview you, Virginie. Thank you for agreeing to do that. And I remember, I think that you started your first sustainability role about the time I left P&G in 2012. But when you became the Chief Sustainability Officer, which was a new role in P&G, I sent you a note to congratulate you because I was just, wow, Virginie is a good person for this job, but it sure will be a challenge. Because we know what this space is like, what the company is like, huge, different divisions, lots of work to do. Have there been any times over the past few years where you've thought, oh, my goodness, what have I got myself into?
Speaker #1
Oh, yes. Well, thanks for having me. I mean, it hasn't been a straight line at all. Indeed, I started the journey in 2011. And I would say it was more like a trampoline, you know, it's kind of. Ups and downs, ups and downs. And then there was a big acceleration which kind of got us over the hump, which was really the launch of our ambition 2030, a year ago. And now there is no turning back, you know, and everybody knows it. And that's great. But it has required a lot of internal influencing and change management, really. I mean, that's really what the job has been so far. Influence mindset from top to bottom, bottom to top, I mean it's really all levels of the company because we are really talking about cultural change and in the case of sustainability and making sure that it is an integral part of how we innovate, how we build our brands, all the business practices and really the culture of P&G which is known for being very strong and also very codified you know, based on strong values. So when you want to influence that... It's heavy lifting, but also exhilarating when you start seeing some problems.
Speaker #0
Yeah, because you said last year you got to this point of getting over the hump. That was, where are we now, like six years of influencing that took you to get to where you are now.
Speaker #1
And influencing is not just one task. It's made of a multitude of what I call tactics. I like to say that I'm running around with my toolbox of things, because you need to adapt to leadership style. You first need to understand people's motivation, and sometimes they don't even know their motivation for getting into a journey like this. And sometimes it would be, I want to leave the world in a better place for my grandchildren. I mean, that's kind of the high... higher order motivation but sometimes it's just i need to revitalize my business uh you know consumer expectation i've been changing i need new ideas and that's great i'm taking all the kind of motivation you know as long as people embrace this new idea of um uh business growth and uh doing good for the planet and society and and uh so it has been a lot of um uh Identifying what I call my one person, you know, because I knew from the beginning that I would not get the 95,000 P&G employees into that. And I needed to start with the passionate people. It would have been too much energy and frankly, probably too little results to go with the skeptics, you know. And so I started with my coalition of the willing and people who... knew there was something there, they wanted to be part of it, they didn't know how. And we started small, you know, it's the concept of the pilot. You start small, you prove success with very little risk, and then when you prove success in one part of the business, in one region, one country, When you showcase it, you know, I started and all I had was my own internal story of when I was on the business on Ariel and developed the Turn to 30 campaign, which was the most successful commercially. But at the same time, it was the best thing I could have done for the environment, because what I learned after having done it, which is that 80% of the carbon footprint of a detergent is the temperature of the washing machine. So when I encourage people to watch their call. Clothes in low temperature, it was a huge success commercially, but also the best thing for the environment. And this is really when my whole journey started, because I realized that you could actually be a force for good and a force for both at the same time. And all my challenge has been to find in all our businesses this sweet spot, when you can do both be a force for both and a force for good. And so what... You know what I worked with is with all these people who also were supportive of this concept and wanted to prove it in their business. And once you have a few examples, you know one of the high points was in 2017 when in Davos at the World Economic Forum we had a press conference where we announced the first head and shoulders bottle made with recycled plastic collected on the French beaches. And that was a very, very high moment, actually. Huge coverage externally, but for me the most interesting was the impact it had internally. And I literally cried reading the email that I received from employees. I mean, some of them telling me that they wanted to quit P&G, and after seeing that, they would stay, because they understood the commitment we had in being a force for good.
Speaker #0
And you were really a pioneer, because, you know, I work with some people who are at P&G, and there's such a... hunger and thirst to do something which is meaningful, you know, to do something where people really feel that they're making a difference. Like you said, whatever that motivation is for them, whether it's about the planet or whether it's about something else, to really make a difference. And it sometimes feels in such a big company that you're just a small cog in a huge wheel. What's your experience of, you know, making your voice heard and changing people's minds?
Speaker #1
I mean the first condition is to really believe in what you do, you know. Not that I was a sustainability fan from day one, because actually I didn't even know how to spell the word, so I had to educate myself, you know. But learning more about it, I grew totally convinced that that was the only way. to have a sustainable business in the financial economics standpoint, you know, and we needed to integrate this dimension. And what's very interesting is that as I talk more with people, even the so-called skeptics, you know, the more they learn, the more they believe into it. So, you know, being, and it could apply to anything, being fundamentally convinced that what you are doing is right, And then... being brave, you know, be brave, not perfect is one of leadership mantra because, and it's especially applies to women who wants to be perfect in many cases. And here it's, you know, dare to go out without makeup, the way I call it, you know, and because it's really who you are that will convince people and how you say it in a way that is authentic. your own integrity, you know, if it fits with what you believe, with your personal values, you will always be right, quote unquote, because you will be authentic. And so, so for me, that's the key. And people tell me, you know, your passion, and I don't really like that when people put my passion first, because it's,
Speaker #0
it sounds a bit irrational you know for me is more the authenticity and the integrity of of acting on what i believe yeah and that takes courage that's what i'm hearing and that's definitely brave not perfect absolutely do you have a little story for us of how that's happened for you? Because I know you've several times, we were talking about it, you've had to go and ask permission for things. You've had to do many firsts in this journey.
Speaker #1
So I think that the story of the creation of my job is a prime example of this. And so I was saying that after this... Serendipitous experience on Ariel, really, where I stumbled on something that was great commercially and at the same time environmentally. I decided to further educate myself seriously and I went to this training called One Planet Leader by the WWF. In partnership with IMD in Lausanne. And for a week I was surrounded with sustainability practitioners, people whose job was to lead sustainability and master the science of it. And for me it was still a dead job. I mean I was leading innovation for AER in Europe. And at the end, I learned a lot during that week, but the most important, you know, is at the end when people kind of share their learning and commitment. I committed to the people there that I would make sustainability my job, and I had absolutely no idea. idea how I would do that. But because I had committed externally, which became afterwards a key lesson for my job, actually, I had to be congruent with what I had committed. And so I decided to act on it. And so two weeks after this... this training, I went to Cincinnati to ask a meeting with the CEO. And I had done a bit of research and understood that many companies were starting to staff sustainability from the business, with business people. And so I wrote a job description and I got 20 minutes with the CEO and those 20 minutes I explained to him why it made sense to create a commercial position that would bridge between science and sustainability. and business because we had a big environmental group mastering the science toxicologists biologists scientists but they had very loose connection with the business and i said there is an opportunity to create a role which can bridge business and sustainability and i said and by the way that's the job i want and he said okay and so i started from scratch absolutely no expectation because he really had no idea what i should be doing and i had one single mission which was to makes sustainability an integral part of how we do business. and to make it easier for him to say yes I said I want a job no team but it was just for us not just to make it easier it was part of the mission because when you have a sustainability team and the business has an issue they say go as the team and there is no accountability so I started alone with a very clear vision of what I wanted to do but absolutely no idea how to do it and I learned by doing it right so another thing that I'm picking up from what you're saying one of your keys to creating your own path because that's what we're talking about your journey is
Speaker #0
You said being clear on what you want, but then you kind of put it out there in the world. You kind of said, you committed to these people you've been on the course with. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make sustainability my job. And then you went and asked for it.
Speaker #1
Yes, I mean, one of my deep beliefs is that when you have absolute clarity, on what you want and this is not easy because you know many people don't have that clarity they never ask themselves the question and it's uh it's very hard work to uh to have absolute clarity on what is important for you and what you want out of life once you have that something extraordinary happens which is that the universe gather itself to give it to you. And it starts with one thing which leads to another, which leads to another. I have seen that over and over in that job. I knew exactly my mission and I knew exactly why I wanted to do it. I didn't know how, but little by little, I was introduced to people who gave me the first step, which gave me the second step. And I never had a moment of, now I don't know what to do. Because each time there was something that came to me, which gave me part of the answer. And I've experienced that in other fields. But it starts with being absolutely clear.
Speaker #0
Know what you really want. And it's interesting because we talked about coaching before. And it's one of the questions that coaches love to ask. What do you really want? But not in the kind of just off the cuff. No, what do you really want? And it does take people time to kind of... You know, find it and express it out loud what they really want. Absolutely. Because we're all living with expectations of other people, or what we think we should want, or so on.
Speaker #1
And very often we think that what we want is the expectation people put on ourselves.
Speaker #0
Right.
Speaker #1
Which is basically how I led my life up to a point. which was, you know, it was kind of a path defined by others. You know, I went in a very good school. I went to the, in France, went to the best preparatory school for business school, which is kind of typical French curriculum. Then I went to, I should say, Paris, you know, to do my master. And then I wanted to do marketing. I majored in marketing at HSC, so naturally I went to P&G, which was seen as the marketing school. And then, you know, assistant bond manager, bond manager, marketing director. The path was there, I just followed it. It was not mine. And then I... And then two things happened. This thing on the business, which kind of opened me up to the world of sustainability. And at the same time, I was leading a training at P&G, which is called Corporate Athletes.
Speaker #0
Yeah, I know it.
Speaker #1
You know it. which is quite amazing was designed for athletes to help them manage their energy but what I really like with this training is it was totally holistic and it would look that the the physical energy the emotional energy the intellectual energy and the spirit spiritual energy, and it looked for alignment. And it started with this big question, what do you really want? What matters to you? And so, and, you know, I trained so many years. And the more I trained, the more I learned about myself. So it was an amazing catalyst to force myself to recommit to what I was saying was important to me. And on the back of it, I also started some coaching class and became a certified coach.
Speaker #0
coach which also helps me tremendously uh in the job i have today yeah i use corporate athlete quite a lot with people all the concepts behind that you know the the energy and how we have the right energy. You talked before about, which is definitely a concept I learned in Corporate Athlete, about preparing. So there's a certain amount of unknown in your job. Like you said, there's some things you don't know what's going to happen, but you still very much believe in preparing. Will you share a little bit about what that looks like for you?
Speaker #1
Yeah. You know somebody said, I don't know how the name escapes me, but I believe in luck, but I realize that the more I work, the luckier I get. I think this is so true and for me it's the same with being prepared. Being prepared takes a lot of work, you know. But then when the... So, I mean, the order of things is first, before being prepared is know what you want. It's always start with that. And then be prepared because you never know... what the universe is going to get you. And the more prepared you are, the more able you are to recognize that it is actually something that you've been asking for, that is part of your overall mission and vision. So it allows you to recognize outside circumstances, which could see, if you are not prepared, would look totally random. If you are prepared, it's obvious that it's part of your project, you know. And so that's kind of the... big preparedness, you know, that's like, but they are smaller one, you know, being prepared when you go to a meeting, because the more prepared you are, the more you get out of it. And so for me, and it's also valid for my personal life, you know, people tend to laugh about this, because my husband, I met him at PNG, and we have the same kind of formatting. And so we used the main The best tool that we use at P&G, we use it for our family because our family is more important than P&G. And so why wouldn't you use the best tool and techniques for your family? And so we have this document that is basically the document that businesses use for their objectives, goals, with measures.
Speaker #0
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker #1
I'm not going to use the acronym for your audience, but you know what I'm talking about. And so we have that for our family. What is important for us? What do we want to accomplish? What are the values? and then a very precise action plan, which is both for our couple, for each of us. parents for each of our children when they are younger now they do their own things but and we had you know relationship for each parent to each child so that you at least you know what would be the best now if you don't achieve everything uh that's okay but we have we review that and we have amazing discussion you know of our glass of wine and it's a very good moment the two of us and we review what we've been doing at least twice a year and and then things that have been there. We haven't done anything. We ask ourselves, why? You know, should we drop it from the list? That's how I started running. Because my husband had put something for the two of us, saying we need to do marathons. And I said, are you crazy or what? So we kept this marathon on the paper for months without doing anything about it. And at some point I said, okay, either we do it or we drop it. And he registered us for the half marathon in Lausanne. This is where I realized that I could run, that I loved it. I was running very fast, and after that, I ran six marathons. But, you know, we were prepared because we had this, we talked about it, and we engaged in it, and it was the most important thing we could do because it's about what matters for us as a family, same in the business.
Speaker #0
I want to ask you something because what I see is the intentionality that is there. And when you have the clarity, then you know. what to say yes and no to in fact when that's what i'm hearing you say when something shows up which before you might have thought oh you know that's that's random you actually think oh that's actually bang on what i want i'm going to go there even though it may seem a little bit strange for other people because you know right that that's showing up for a reason um I want to ask you about this, what seems like a paradox between being prepared and being flexible. Because I know that in your job you have to be very flexible and adapt. I mean the world is changing, the business is changing, the business is changing. is changing and the needs of consumers and their awareness is changing. How do you manage that, which seems like something to paradox?
Speaker #1
That's a great question, Ruth, and that's my secret. I think that's one of the reasons why. I've been able to have it all, both the career and the family. And I can touch in words saying that I have a wonderful family, three grown-up kids who are amazing, a strong marriage, my husband has a career as successful as mine. And so, you know, and so why? Because Beyond all what I said in terms of intentionality, this idea that if you want to say yes to what matters, you need to say no to what doesn't. And I am so strong about this idea that you need to have very, very strong boundaries because you need to keep inside what really matters. and be ruthless about it and if you do that then you will leave some space for the unexpected but you and working my calendar has been the key yeah i i probably am the only uh leader png who manage my own calendar i don't i don't let my peer do that because it is the most important I have, it's my time. And I am the only one who knows exactly how I want to manage it. I have so many external demands that if I don't do that, I will drown and I will sacrifice what's really important. So that's my weekend activity, is to manage my week. Very, very difficult. And I say no to many, and I say yes to the few that I believe are really important for the mission. And it includes my personal life. So I do a lot of sports. I spend many hours doing sports. That's both physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual energy.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
It's all the four. And they're connected,
Speaker #0
right? Absolutely.
Speaker #1
And so I build my week around that. Right. This is the absolute boundary.
Speaker #0
That's the first rope.
Speaker #1
If I don't have enough time for my... for my physical exercise, which is much more than physical. So, yeah, you need to be ruthless. So, obviously, it's probably a bit easier the more you grow in a company. You know, you can do that more. The job I'm in allows me to... to do that, but you can do it. I truly believe that if there's something that I should have done earlier, that that would be that things,
Speaker #0
you know? And the other thing I heard was the reviewing because, um, actually I'm going to go through that exercise now it's halfway through the year reviewing the goals. And for me, the first half of the year has not worked out how I expected. And I can feel myself like I need to go back and look at it. You know, what has changed? What do I need to drop now? What do I need to shift? What do I need to, you know, where do I need to focus. And I hear that you do that. It's so encouraging that, you know, that makes such a difference.
Speaker #1
Yes. And also make it very concrete.
Speaker #0
Yeah.
Speaker #1
You know, it's not about, you say, I'm not going to talk three hours with my husband about the big goals we want. No, it's about, okay, if that is important, and we don't review our values twice a year. I mean, those do not change. Yeah. What we review is how are we going to nurture them. What are the things that we are going to do that show that it is important? Let's look at our week. Does that reflect what's important? And so it's really about the small things. And all the things that we've done as a family and same for the job, but it's a result of this. I mean, we went and climbed Mont Blanc because our personal motto is higher together. We said, how can we, you know, nurture this? Well, let's go and climb Mont Blanc, you know. And that was a beautiful, symbolic adventure that we did together, you know. And again, this is absolutely, you can do it in the job and in your private life. It's the same principles.
Speaker #0
So as we draw to a close, and you think about you talked about people's motivations would you share a bit about your motivation and the legacy that you want to leave for the next generation of leaders i have written as
Speaker #1
part of being prepared uh i didn't do it just for this podcast but i have written my manifesto for the future and if that's okay i can read it to you because it really captures what is my the legacy I want to live. So I dream of a world where resources are abundant and shared by all. Where people consume based on their needs, not their greed. And I've discovered the secret of a good life, simplicity, fraternity and longevity. I dream of a world where me first and egology are replaced by we first and ecology. Where life is protected in all its forms, especially the most vulnerable ones, and nature's beauty sought and protected. I dream of a world where the desirable is sustainable, where people with power have embraced servant leadership, and where all of us have reconnected to ourselves, others, and nature. I dream of a world where today's children will thrive.
Speaker #0
Wow. So what's next for you in this journey?
Speaker #1
You know, I've always been thinking about what's next. I think now I have arrived, quote unquote, because what I'm doing exactly corresponds to what I've always been wanting to do without articulating it, obviously, but corresponds to... All the things I value and where I have joy all the time, a little bit of stress added to the joy obviously, but this is just the perfect place for me. So continue to do what I'm doing, continue to have an impact because I always say the day I'm not having an impact anymore, I will retire and have an impact somewhere else. But this is for me... the right place at the right time.
Speaker #0
Well I wish you all the very best because it's wonderful to watch a little bit from the outside how your influence is impacting not just P&G but the whole industry and the way people are doing business so I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Speaker #1
Thank you very much Ruth.
Speaker #0
Thank you so much for listening to your path to success with me Ruth Kearns Wollmann. One of the things I loved about interviewing Virginie was hearing the story of how she stepped off the conventional career path and stepped up to take a risk for the sake of something that she believed in. I believe that the world needs more people to step up like Virginie did and risk being brave, not perfect. Because that's how we're going to change the world for the better. When each of us shows up at our best for the sake of something that goes beyond our personal success and makes a real difference in the world. So as we come to the end of the year and the end of the decade, I want to encourage you to take a little bit of time out to reflect on two questions. The first is, what is really important to me? Sometimes the clues to this are in the things which make us laugh, or the things which drive us crazy, or the things which make us deeply sad, that move us to tears. Those things can point to values or causes or people that we're willing to step up and take a risk for? The second question is the following. How will I step up to honor these things in the coming year? Because it's as we start to step up and honor what's truly important to us that we start to feel alive and have more and more impact. If you're interested in hearing more about my work as leadership coach, please do visit my website, yourpathtosuccess.ch. And if you enjoyed today's podcast, don't miss the next one, because you'll hear me interview social entrepreneur Simon Gilbo. Simon left a job in the city of London in 1999 to go to Burundi, when it was considered to be one of the most dangerous places on the planet. 20 years later, he has come back, having built schools, orphanages, and even the hotel and conference center. with the best rating on TripAdvisor. Not only that, but he leaves behind him an organization in the hands of local leaders that is helping well over 100,000 of the neediest people every year. In the interview, Simon talks about leadership in particular, the importance of relationships, staying true to your values and moving from success to significance. So why not subscribe now so you don't miss that episode. So until next time, take care and... Why not give yourself permission to be brave, not perfect?

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Your Path to Success with Ruth Kearns Wollmann: Inspirational Leadership Stories

Your Path to Success is here to inspire, encourage and equip you on your leadership journey.

To find out more about Ruth's work with individuals and organisations, visit yourpathtosuccess.ch

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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