June 30, 2025 • 17 mins
Learn how General Mills takes strategy from concept into reality—all while standing for good.
General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening had the company pick 10 areas where it would “stand for good” and deliver meaningful impact, including regenerative agriculture and packaging reductions. What can other businesses learn about executing a strategy that delivers sustainable results for shareholders, customers, and the planet?
Join David Young and guest Jeff Harmening, CEO of General Mills, to find out why General Mills builds purpose into its strategy, how the company maintains its culture, and why Harmening didn’t always dream of being a CEO.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
David K. Young (00:00):
Welcome to C-Suite Perspectives, a signature
series by The Conference Board.
I'm David Young, the president of theCommittee for Economic Development,
the public policy center here at TheConference Board, and delighted to
say guest host of today's episode.
In today's conversation, we'll discussLeadership in Challenging Times, where
(00:21):
we feature the outstanding CEOs who arethe recipients of CED's Distinguished
Leadership Awards for corporatecitizenship and business stewardship.
Today, I have the privilegeof speaking with one of our
2025 honorees, Jeff Harmening.
Jeff is the chairman andthe CEO of General Mills.
(00:43):
Under Jeff's leadership, GeneralMills is guided by its mission.
Making food the world loves for decades,General Mills has been focused on
and having significant impact in thecommunities in which they operate,
standing for good, if you will.
Today, we will talk about how thatwork comes to life through their
(01:07):
focus on planet and the people.
Jeff, welcome.
Great to have you here with us today.
Jeff Harmening (01:14):
Thank you, Davy.
It's great to be here.
I appreciate you having me.
David K. Young (01:17):
Our pleasure.
So, Jeff, you joinedGeneral Mills in 1994.
You were then named the CEO in 2017.
Tell us about your careerand your path to leadership.
And what are some of the core values thatare key to being a successful leader?
Jeff Harmening (01:37):
Yeah, well, I think my professional journey really started
at DePaul University, and right aftergraduation, where I joined Eli Lilly
& Company in finance and accounting.
And I spent three years at Lilly.
It's a great company, great values.
I went back to business school, and Irealized even though I had an offer to
go back to Lilly after business school,I realized that finance and accounting
(01:59):
was probably not going to be my future.
And marketing at a pharmaceuticalcompany in 1994 was pretty nascent.
And so as I looked around, I lookedaround for organizations that had the
same sort of values and commitmentto good that I saw on Lilly, and
I found that in General Mills.
And so I came to General Mills in1994 for the reason that most people
(02:19):
come to General Mills, which is thatI came for the people and I came for
the brands, and kind of in that order.
And General Mills has some of the mosticonic brand food brands in the world.
Betty Crocker and Pillsbury andBlue Buffalo, Cheerios and so forth.
And so that's why I came.
I spent 31 years at the company througha variety of roles, including mostly
(02:41):
in marketing, but a little bit insales, where I realized that I'm a
really good marketer, but maybe notso much in the sales organization.
Some time in our food service business.
And then some time in Switzerland atour joint venture with Nestle before
heading to the C-suite, if you will, andrunning our US business and becoming CEO.
David K. Young (03:01):
Did you ever think you would become CEO in your early days?
Jeff Harmening (03:04):
I didn't, no.
The idea of becoming CEO really didn'thit me until I was probably running our
cereal business about 15 years ago.
And it only hit me because I wasworking with an executive coach who
asked me if I wanted to be the CEO.
And I told him no.
And the look on his face was priceless.
(03:27):
And when he picked himself off the floor,I said, "I don't want to be a CEO, but
if I'm going to be one, I want to bea really good one." The idea of just
getting there is not very appealing to me.
The idea of being a CEO who can do a lotof good for the company shareholders,
the world, that's pretty appealing.
So I don't want to be a CEO, but if I'mgoing to be one, I want to be a good one.
David K. Young (03:48):
As a company, Jeff, General Mills is focused on driving
sustainable growth through thepillars of your Accelerate strategy.
Can you share a little bit more aboutGeneral Mills' Accelerate strategy and
what that means and how it's defined?
Jeff Harmening (04:05):
Yeah, so our Accelerate strategy was, on
its own, one sheet of paper.
But our Accelerate strategywas born in February of 2020,
so our timing was impeccable.
It was about three weeks beforethe global pandemic really came
into full force, and it wasreally to accelerate growth in
both our sales and profitability.
And strategy is a fancy businessschool term for prioritization.
(04:28):
And so really, our Accelerate strategyis, where are we going to prioritize our
resources in order to accelerate growth?
And it's a pretty basic strategy, butI think basic strategies are the best.
And it really talks aboutwhere we're going to compete
and how we're going to win.
And so, where we're going to compete.
We have five globalplatforms for us to grow.
(04:49):
Things like cereal and Mexicanfood, snack bars, Häagen-Dazs
ice cream, and pet food.
Those are our five global platforms,as well as some really big iconic
local brands like Pillsbury orTotino's or Wanchai Ferry in China.
And so that's kind ofwhere we're going to play.
And then it also talks about howwe're going to win using our scale
(05:10):
for advantage, or relentlesslyinnovating, or boldly building brands,
and something you already talkedabout, which is standing for good.
And so the Accelerate strategy is aboutwhere we're going to play, how we're
going to win, and kind of bookendingthat strategy, and something we can
certainly get into later, is ourpurpose: Making food the world loves,
which is kind of the beacon, and thevalues, is how do we keep ourself
(05:33):
tethered when the winds start blowing.
And over the last seven years or so,if they've really blown hard through
pandemics and inflation and supply chaindisruptions and geopolitical turmoil.
And so that's really the base of ourAccelerate strategy, and it is really
meant to be a guidepost and whatwe prioritize in order to grow.
David K. Young (05:55):
It's fascinating how you mentioned the Accelerate
strategy, and it's also morethan just sales and growth.
And you mentioned one of the pillars thereof the strategy is standing for good.
Why is it important to have purposebuilt into your business strategy?
Jeff Harmening (06:14):
Yeah.
So as I said, we talk aboutpurpose and company values.
It's really important because theseare things that are really never
changing, and in a world that's changingaround us—and we need to change as a
business, we need to change where wego to market and how we go to market.
But things that keep us tetheredare where we're going, which is our
purpose as a company, and our values.
And if we think about one of the legs ofthe pillar being standing for good, the
(06:39):
importance of I can't really overstate.
General Mills has been around since 1866.
It was formed on the banks of theMississippi River here in the Twin
Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
And it has a long history, the companyhas a long history for standing for good.
I'll give you a couple of examples.
The main flour mill that GeneralMills operated exploded in 1878.
(07:01):
And there were a couple thingsthat were remarkable about that.
First is, flour is very flammable,it's very combustible, and it's
very dangerous when it's milled.
And so there were 18 peoplewho lost their lives.
But the company then, the companyfounder, set up an orphanage
for the children who wereorphaned during that disaster.
He also decided to rebuild the plant,and as importantly, he said, look,
(07:24):
we can't let this happen again.
And so he literally scoured theworld for technology, much of which
he found in Europe, by the way, formilling flour more safely, and they
brought that back to their plant.
Not only did they bring that back to theGeneral Mills plant, he actually gave
that technology to all of his competitors.
And the reason he gave it tohis competitors was because he
(07:44):
said, we're going to competeon the base of product quality.
We'll compete on the base ofprice, we'll compete on the base
of availability and branding, butwe will not compete on food safety.
And the people we serve, as wellas every other flour maker, the
people they serve, deserve to havesafe manufacturing facilities.
And so kind of starting from then, goinginto the First World War, where General
Mills provided flour for our troopsin World War I. But not only that, as
(08:11):
we were looking to rebuild Europe afterWorld War I, provided product for them.
In the 1970s, General Mills helpedfound Feeding America, which is
a national food bank, to servethose who face food insecurity.
And so for many, many decades, GeneralMills has really stood for good.
And it's important for us to knowwhat we stand for because as times get
(08:32):
challenging, it's easy to lose your wayif you don't know what you're about.
David K. Young (08:38):
Pretty impressive history and legacy, Jeff.
No pressure running the organization.
Jeff Harmening (08:43):
No pressure.
No pressure at all.
David K. Young (08:46):
You mentioned Feeding America, you mentioned
earlier standing for good.
General Mills does a wide varietyof things beyond just kind of
making cereal and pet food.
It has some very big ambitionsand philanthropic initiatives.
How have you set your philanthropicpriorities for the initiatives that
(09:08):
you support, and what are some ofthe key initiatives that you've
prioritized through those initiatives?
Jeff Harmening (09:15):
Yeah.
So you know, as we think about,I'll start the conversation about
an initiative we prioritize with.
It all starts withdelivering shareholder value.
And so while we stand for good, I mean,it starts with delivering shareholder
value, which General Mills has reallydone through our Accelerate strategy.
And we've reshaped ourportfolio for growth.
We've added data and technology.
We're kind of an industry leader nowin the use of data and technology,
(09:37):
and so we've really rewardedshareholders over the last five years.
And as a result of that, andpartially attributed to that,
we're able to do a lot of good.
When I took over as CEO, so you canimagine a company I just talked about,
with such a multi-century traditionof doing good in the community.
When I took over as CEO, we hada lot of initiatives in place
(09:58):
to show that we stood for good.
In fact, we had 70.
And that sounds like a really good thing,but really, the problem is, is when you
try to do 70 things really well, you endup doing none of them as well as you want.
And so, one of the first things Idid as the CEO in accordance with
our Accelerate strategy was cutdown the number of initiatives we
(10:18):
have in the Standing for Good to 10.
And so as you say, they rangefrom regenerative agriculture to
greenhouse gas emission reduction toplastic recycling to animal welfare.
10 different areas that we focus on.
And so we found that actually byfocusing our area on what we're
(10:40):
doing, we could actually do moregood than we were doing with 70.
And of those 10, there are three that havebecome really, really important to us.
One is regenerative agriculture.
So we use a lot of wheat,we use a lot of oats.
We grow a lot of things from the ground.
And so regenerative agriculture reallyis about restoring soil health, which
has a tremendous number of benefits,not only to the planet, but also to us.
(11:03):
Great soil health sequesters water better.
It has greater biodiversity, so it createsan ecosystem that is more sustainable.
And as the climate continues to change,that's more important for our business,
but it's also really good for the Earth.
And so we set a goal of having amillion acres under regenerative
agriculture practices by 2030.
That's about 25% of our total land usage.
(11:24):
So it's not insignificant.
And we're over 600,000 acres of the waythere already, and we set this target
only a couple of years ago, and sowe're well on our way to achieving that.
Greenhouse gas reductions, wewere, General Mills was the first
company—not the first food company,the first any company—to have a
science-based target initiative ofreducing greenhouse gas emissions.
(11:46):
And we said we would reduce it by 30%by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050.
Then we also set a packaging reduction,which is our third big pillar.
And so almost 95% of our packagingis now recyclable, with a goal
to get to 100%—again, by 2030.
(12:07):
And so one of the things I'm proud ofis that we talk about strategies, but
they're not just strategies on a page.
They're things we actually do.
And we do these things, we measure them,we report back how successful we are.
And so, because it's a part ofour strategy, it's important.
Our shareholders know it's important.
Our employees know it's important.
Our retail partners know it's important.
Our consumers know it's important.
(12:29):
And so, one of the things I'mreally proud of is how we've been
able to make progress on the thingsthat are most important to us.
And we've done it by cuttingdown and by focusing.
David K. Young (12:39):
Jeff, you mentioned earlier delivering shareholder value,
then you've just alluded to the employeesthat you work alongside at General Mills.
And one of the final questions I'vegot for you is about your employees.
and this statistic I'm going togive you, I find amazing: 90% of
employees at General Mills sayit's a great place to work, 90%.
(13:03):
And the company has obviouslyreceived numerous honors and rewards
over time, including being one ofFortune's most admired companies.
There's clearly a very strongcompany culture and focus,
especially from your point of view,at General Mills on employees.
Why do you think a strong company cultureand a value-based system is so important
(13:28):
for the business and for your success?
And what are the keys to nurturing aninnovative culture that can respond
rapidly to change, especially these dayswhere we're seeing change, and the need
to respond, being critically important?
Jeff Harmening (13:44):
I mean, you answered part of the question, which, first
of all, is incredibly important.
I mean, culture eats strategyfor breakfast, and we should
know we're a breakfast cerealcompany, so we should know this.
But anything you try to do strategically,if you don't have a culture that backs
it up, you're only going to get so far.
And so, while I feel great about ourculture and it's nice to do, it actually
(14:04):
rewards shareholders in the end ofthe day because employees who are
engaged—I mean, effort's discretionary.
People get to decide how mucheffort they're going to give you.
You can't make them give you effort.
And so this idea of company cultureis really, really important.
And the way we've gotten to 90%,really, of people saying, look, they
feel as if they're engaged at GeneralMills and belong, is we've established
(14:26):
what we call a culture of belonging.
Where everybody feels, atleast 90% of people feel, as
if they belong at the company.
And I love this idea of belongingbecause a lot of times we talk about
diversity, and we talk about inclusion,and in some sense, these can be kind
(14:46):
of a "fixed pie" kind of discussion.
Diversity is who sits around thetable, inclusion is do you have
a voice, but belonging is how youfeel when you sit at the table.
And feeling is so much more importantthan any kind of intellectual construct.
And it's not fixed pie.
Everybody can feel as if theybelong, and it's a team sport.
One of the values of General Mills iswinning as a team, and it's one of the
(15:10):
values that I hold most dear, and it's oneof those things that's most energizing.
There's nothing more energizing to me.
I'm fairly competitive.
One of the things that is soenergizing is winning as a team, and
you can't do that if you don't haveemployees feeling as they belong.
And the thing about belonging that'simportant is that you can't make
yourself feel as if you belong.
Somebody else has tomake you feel that way.
(15:30):
This culture of belonging ismore than words on a page.
It's a team sport.
And so the reason why I am proud ofit is because 90% of General Mills
employees feel as if they belong.
If you belong, you feel more engaged.
If you're more engaged, you're going todrive the outcomes that we're looking for.
And so, while it makes me feelgood, it's very clear to me that
this idea and the strong culturewe have drives shareholder value.
David K. Young (15:54):
Well, Jeff, absolutely inspiring, and a delight to hear
your thoughts and reflections.
And sadly, that wraps up our time today.
But again, from The ConferenceBoard and the Committee for Economic
Development, our deepest appreciationagain for your thoughts and insights
and just sharing a bit of yourpersonal story at General Mills.
(16:15):
Thank you, sir.
Jeff Harmening (16:16):
Yeah, thank you.
David K. Young (16:17):
And thanks to all of you for listening to C-Suite Perspectives.
I'm David Young, and this series has beenbrought to you by The Conference Board.
Welcome to C-Suite Perspectives, a signature
series by The Conference Board.
I'm David Young, the president of theCommittee for Economic Development,
the public policy center here at TheConference Board, and delighted to
say guest host of today's episode.
In today's conversation, we'll discussLeadership in Challenging Times, where
(00:21):
we feature the outstanding CEOs who arethe recipients of CED's Distinguished
Leadership Awards for corporatecitizenship and business stewardship.
Today, I have the privilegeof speaking with one of our
2025 honorees, Jeff Harmening.
Jeff is the chairman andthe CEO of General Mills.
(00:43):
Under Jeff's leadership, GeneralMills is guided by its mission.
Making food the world loves for decades,General Mills has been focused on
and having significant impact in thecommunities in which they operate,
standing for good, if you will.
Today, we will talk about how thatwork comes to life through their
(01:07):
focus on planet and the people.
Jeff, welcome.
Great to have you here with us today.
Jeff Harmening (01:14):
Thank you, Davy.
It's great to be here.
I appreciate you having me.
David K. Young (01:17):
Our pleasure.
So, Jeff, you joinedGeneral Mills in 1994.
You were then named the CEO in 2017.
Tell us about your careerand your path to leadership.
And what are some of the core values thatare key to being a successful leader?
Jeff Harmening (01:37):
Yeah, well, I think my professional journey really started
at DePaul University, and right aftergraduation, where I joined Eli Lilly
& Company in finance and accounting.
And I spent three years at Lilly.
It's a great company, great values.
I went back to business school, and Irealized even though I had an offer to
go back to Lilly after business school,I realized that finance and accounting
(01:59):
was probably not going to be my future.
And marketing at a pharmaceuticalcompany in 1994 was pretty nascent.
And so as I looked around, I lookedaround for organizations that had the
same sort of values and commitmentto good that I saw on Lilly, and
I found that in General Mills.
And so I came to General Mills in1994 for the reason that most people
(02:19):
come to General Mills, which is thatI came for the people and I came for
the brands, and kind of in that order.
And General Mills has some of the mosticonic brand food brands in the world.
Betty Crocker and Pillsbury andBlue Buffalo, Cheerios and so forth.
And so that's why I came.
I spent 31 years at the company througha variety of roles, including mostly
(02:41):
in marketing, but a little bit insales, where I realized that I'm a
really good marketer, but maybe notso much in the sales organization.
Some time in our food service business.
And then some time in Switzerland atour joint venture with Nestle before
heading to the C-suite, if you will, andrunning our US business and becoming CEO.
David K. Young (03:01):
Did you ever think you would become CEO in your early days?
Jeff Harmening (03:04):
I didn't, no.
The idea of becoming CEO really didn'thit me until I was probably running our
cereal business about 15 years ago.
And it only hit me because I wasworking with an executive coach who
asked me if I wanted to be the CEO.
And I told him no.
And the look on his face was priceless.
(03:27):
And when he picked himself off the floor,I said, "I don't want to be a CEO, but
if I'm going to be one, I want to bea really good one." The idea of just
getting there is not very appealing to me.
The idea of being a CEO who can do a lotof good for the company shareholders,
the world, that's pretty appealing.
So I don't want to be a CEO, but if I'mgoing to be one, I want to be a good one.
David K. Young (03:48):
As a company, Jeff, General Mills is focused on driving
sustainable growth through thepillars of your Accelerate strategy.
Can you share a little bit more aboutGeneral Mills' Accelerate strategy and
what that means and how it's defined?
Jeff Harmening (04:05):
Yeah, so our Accelerate strategy was, on
its own, one sheet of paper.
But our Accelerate strategywas born in February of 2020,
so our timing was impeccable.
It was about three weeks beforethe global pandemic really came
into full force, and it wasreally to accelerate growth in
both our sales and profitability.
And strategy is a fancy businessschool term for prioritization.
(04:28):
And so really, our Accelerate strategyis, where are we going to prioritize our
resources in order to accelerate growth?
And it's a pretty basic strategy, butI think basic strategies are the best.
And it really talks aboutwhere we're going to compete
and how we're going to win.
And so, where we're going to compete.
We have five globalplatforms for us to grow.
(04:49):
Things like cereal and Mexicanfood, snack bars, Häagen-Dazs
ice cream, and pet food.
Those are our five global platforms,as well as some really big iconic
local brands like Pillsbury orTotino's or Wanchai Ferry in China.
And so that's kind ofwhere we're going to play.
And then it also talks about howwe're going to win using our scale
(05:10):
for advantage, or relentlesslyinnovating, or boldly building brands,
and something you already talkedabout, which is standing for good.
And so the Accelerate strategy is aboutwhere we're going to play, how we're
going to win, and kind of bookendingthat strategy, and something we can
certainly get into later, is ourpurpose: Making food the world loves,
which is kind of the beacon, and thevalues, is how do we keep ourself
(05:33):
tethered when the winds start blowing.
And over the last seven years or so,if they've really blown hard through
pandemics and inflation and supply chaindisruptions and geopolitical turmoil.
And so that's really the base of ourAccelerate strategy, and it is really
meant to be a guidepost and whatwe prioritize in order to grow.
David K. Young (05:55):
It's fascinating how you mentioned the Accelerate
strategy, and it's also morethan just sales and growth.
And you mentioned one of the pillars thereof the strategy is standing for good.
Why is it important to have purposebuilt into your business strategy?
Jeff Harmening (06:14):
Yeah.
So as I said, we talk aboutpurpose and company values.
It's really important because theseare things that are really never
changing, and in a world that's changingaround us—and we need to change as a
business, we need to change where wego to market and how we go to market.
But things that keep us tetheredare where we're going, which is our
purpose as a company, and our values.
And if we think about one of the legs ofthe pillar being standing for good, the
(06:39):
importance of I can't really overstate.
General Mills has been around since 1866.
It was formed on the banks of theMississippi River here in the Twin
Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
And it has a long history, the companyhas a long history for standing for good.
I'll give you a couple of examples.
The main flour mill that GeneralMills operated exploded in 1878.
(07:01):
And there were a couple thingsthat were remarkable about that.
First is, flour is very flammable,it's very combustible, and it's
very dangerous when it's milled.
And so there were 18 peoplewho lost their lives.
But the company then, the companyfounder, set up an orphanage
for the children who wereorphaned during that disaster.
He also decided to rebuild the plant,and as importantly, he said, look,
(07:24):
we can't let this happen again.
And so he literally scoured theworld for technology, much of which
he found in Europe, by the way, formilling flour more safely, and they
brought that back to their plant.
Not only did they bring that back to theGeneral Mills plant, he actually gave
that technology to all of his competitors.
And the reason he gave it tohis competitors was because he
(07:44):
said, we're going to competeon the base of product quality.
We'll compete on the base ofprice, we'll compete on the base
of availability and branding, butwe will not compete on food safety.
And the people we serve, as wellas every other flour maker, the
people they serve, deserve to havesafe manufacturing facilities.
And so kind of starting from then, goinginto the First World War, where General
Mills provided flour for our troopsin World War I. But not only that, as
(08:11):
we were looking to rebuild Europe afterWorld War I, provided product for them.
In the 1970s, General Mills helpedfound Feeding America, which is
a national food bank, to servethose who face food insecurity.
And so for many, many decades, GeneralMills has really stood for good.
And it's important for us to knowwhat we stand for because as times get
(08:32):
challenging, it's easy to lose your wayif you don't know what you're about.
David K. Young (08:38):
Pretty impressive history and legacy, Jeff.
No pressure running the organization.
Jeff Harmening (08:43):
No pressure.
No pressure at all.
David K. Young (08:46):
You mentioned Feeding America, you mentioned
earlier standing for good.
General Mills does a wide varietyof things beyond just kind of
making cereal and pet food.
It has some very big ambitionsand philanthropic initiatives.
How have you set your philanthropicpriorities for the initiatives that
(09:08):
you support, and what are some ofthe key initiatives that you've
prioritized through those initiatives?
Jeff Harmening (09:15):
Yeah.
So you know, as we think about,I'll start the conversation about
an initiative we prioritize with.
It all starts withdelivering shareholder value.
And so while we stand for good, I mean,it starts with delivering shareholder
value, which General Mills has reallydone through our Accelerate strategy.
And we've reshaped ourportfolio for growth.
We've added data and technology.
We're kind of an industry leader nowin the use of data and technology,
(09:37):
and so we've really rewardedshareholders over the last five years.
And as a result of that, andpartially attributed to that,
we're able to do a lot of good.
When I took over as CEO, so you canimagine a company I just talked about,
with such a multi-century traditionof doing good in the community.
When I took over as CEO, we hada lot of initiatives in place
(09:58):
to show that we stood for good.
In fact, we had 70.
And that sounds like a really good thing,but really, the problem is, is when you
try to do 70 things really well, you endup doing none of them as well as you want.
And so, one of the first things Idid as the CEO in accordance with
our Accelerate strategy was cutdown the number of initiatives we
(10:18):
have in the Standing for Good to 10.
And so as you say, they rangefrom regenerative agriculture to
greenhouse gas emission reduction toplastic recycling to animal welfare.
10 different areas that we focus on.
And so we found that actually byfocusing our area on what we're
(10:40):
doing, we could actually do moregood than we were doing with 70.
And of those 10, there are three that havebecome really, really important to us.
One is regenerative agriculture.
So we use a lot of wheat,we use a lot of oats.
We grow a lot of things from the ground.
And so regenerative agriculture reallyis about restoring soil health, which
has a tremendous number of benefits,not only to the planet, but also to us.
(11:03):
Great soil health sequesters water better.
It has greater biodiversity, so it createsan ecosystem that is more sustainable.
And as the climate continues to change,that's more important for our business,
but it's also really good for the Earth.
And so we set a goal of having amillion acres under regenerative
agriculture practices by 2030.
That's about 25% of our total land usage.
(11:24):
So it's not insignificant.
And we're over 600,000 acres of the waythere already, and we set this target
only a couple of years ago, and sowe're well on our way to achieving that.
Greenhouse gas reductions, wewere, General Mills was the first
company—not the first food company,the first any company—to have a
science-based target initiative ofreducing greenhouse gas emissions.
(11:46):
And we said we would reduce it by 30%by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050.
Then we also set a packaging reduction,which is our third big pillar.
And so almost 95% of our packagingis now recyclable, with a goal
to get to 100%—again, by 2030.
(12:07):
And so one of the things I'm proud ofis that we talk about strategies, but
they're not just strategies on a page.
They're things we actually do.
And we do these things, we measure them,we report back how successful we are.
And so, because it's a part ofour strategy, it's important.
Our shareholders know it's important.
Our employees know it's important.
Our retail partners know it's important.
Our consumers know it's important.
(12:29):
And so, one of the things I'mreally proud of is how we've been
able to make progress on the thingsthat are most important to us.
And we've done it by cuttingdown and by focusing.
David K. Young (12:39):
Jeff, you mentioned earlier delivering shareholder value,
then you've just alluded to the employeesthat you work alongside at General Mills.
And one of the final questions I'vegot for you is about your employees.
and this statistic I'm going togive you, I find amazing: 90% of
employees at General Mills sayit's a great place to work, 90%.
(13:03):
And the company has obviouslyreceived numerous honors and rewards
over time, including being one ofFortune's most admired companies.
There's clearly a very strongcompany culture and focus,
especially from your point of view,at General Mills on employees.
Why do you think a strong company cultureand a value-based system is so important
(13:28):
for the business and for your success?
And what are the keys to nurturing aninnovative culture that can respond
rapidly to change, especially these dayswhere we're seeing change, and the need
to respond, being critically important?
Jeff Harmening (13:44):
I mean, you answered part of the question, which, first
of all, is incredibly important.
I mean, culture eats strategyfor breakfast, and we should
know we're a breakfast cerealcompany, so we should know this.
But anything you try to do strategically,if you don't have a culture that backs
it up, you're only going to get so far.
And so, while I feel great about ourculture and it's nice to do, it actually
(14:04):
rewards shareholders in the end ofthe day because employees who are
engaged—I mean, effort's discretionary.
People get to decide how mucheffort they're going to give you.
You can't make them give you effort.
And so this idea of company cultureis really, really important.
And the way we've gotten to 90%,really, of people saying, look, they
feel as if they're engaged at GeneralMills and belong, is we've established
(14:26):
what we call a culture of belonging.
Where everybody feels, atleast 90% of people feel, as
if they belong at the company.
And I love this idea of belongingbecause a lot of times we talk about
diversity, and we talk about inclusion,and in some sense, these can be kind
(14:46):
of a "fixed pie" kind of discussion.
Diversity is who sits around thetable, inclusion is do you have
a voice, but belonging is how youfeel when you sit at the table.
And feeling is so much more importantthan any kind of intellectual construct.
And it's not fixed pie.
Everybody can feel as if theybelong, and it's a team sport.
One of the values of General Mills iswinning as a team, and it's one of the
(15:10):
values that I hold most dear, and it's oneof those things that's most energizing.
There's nothing more energizing to me.
I'm fairly competitive.
One of the things that is soenergizing is winning as a team, and
you can't do that if you don't haveemployees feeling as they belong.
And the thing about belonging that'simportant is that you can't make
yourself feel as if you belong.
Somebody else has tomake you feel that way.
(15:30):
This culture of belonging ismore than words on a page.
It's a team sport.
And so the reason why I am proud ofit is because 90% of General Mills
employees feel as if they belong.
If you belong, you feel more engaged.
If you're more engaged, you're going todrive the outcomes that we're looking for.
And so, while it makes me feelgood, it's very clear to me that
this idea and the strong culturewe have drives shareholder value.
David K. Young (15:54):
Well, Jeff, absolutely inspiring, and a delight to hear
your thoughts and reflections.
And sadly, that wraps up our time today.
But again, from The ConferenceBoard and the Committee for Economic
Development, our deepest appreciationagain for your thoughts and insights
and just sharing a bit of yourpersonal story at General Mills.
(16:15):
Thank you, sir.
Jeff Harmening (16:16):
Yeah, thank you.
David K. Young (16:17):
And thanks to all of you for listening to C-Suite Perspectives.
I'm David Young, and this series has beenbrought to you by The Conference Board.
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