Change Management

For years, the biggest players in CPG and FMCG—Unilever, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz—built their empires on food. But now? They’re making a massive pivot..if you had told me 5 years ago that these brands would be pulling back from food, I would’ve raised an eyebrow. -Unilever is cutting loose its $8 billion ice cream division, choosing to focus on higher-margin beauty and wellness. -Nestlé is doubling down on health-science-based nutrition as food brands struggle with pricing power. - #CPG giants are seeing stronger growth in self-care, supplements, and skincare than in traditional food categories. The global personal care market is expected to hit $758 billion by 2030, while processed food growth slows. Why This Shift? 1. Margins in food are shrinking. Consumers are trading down, private labels are winning, and inflation-wary shoppers aren’t absorbing cost hikes like they used to. 2. Health & wellness are driving premiumization. Customers will pay more for skincare, supplements, and functional beverages—but not for basic pantry staples. 3. Brand loyalty in food is eroding. Over 50% of consumers are comfortable switching food brands based on price, but loyalty remains strong in beauty, healthcare, and wellness. Winning Brands Are Already Moving: -L'Oréal’s skincare division posted 9.1% revenue growth last year, while traditional CPG food brands saw single-digit declines. -The Coca-Cola Company is investing in functional drinks and non-carbonated wellness categories to stay relevant. -PepsiCo’s biggest success? Gatorade’s expansion into hydration and performance-based drinks, not soda. CPG Leaders: ✅ Stop thinking of food as the core driver of growth. Instead, align with evolving consumer behavior. ✅ Invest in personalization, self-care, and functional health. That’s where demand (and pricing power) is strongest. ✅ Rethink your brand mix. Is your portfolio weighted toward categories that will still be relevant in 5-10 years? So, here’s my question to FMCG execs: Are you future-proofing your brand strategy—or just managing decline? Let’s talk. #FMCG #CPG #ConsumerTrends #GrowthStrategy #Beauty #Wellness #RevenueShift #BrandEvolution "

Just out in Harvard Business Review, summary of the Hybrid Experiment results and lessons on how to make hybrid succeed. Experiment: randomize 1600 graduate employees in marketing, finance, accounting and engineering at Trip.com into 5-days a week in office, or 3-days a week in office and 2-days a week WFH. Analyzed 2 years of data. Two key results A) Hybrid and fully-in-office showed no differences in productivity, performance review grade, promotion, learning or innovation. B) Hybrid had a higher satisfaction rate, and 35% lower attrition. Quit-rate reductions were largest for female employees. Four managerial lessons 1) Hybrid needs a strong performance management system so managers don’t need to hover over employees at their desks to check their progress. Trip.com had an extensive performance review process every six months. 2) Coordinate in-office days at the team or company level. Schedule clarity prevents the frustration of coming to an empty office only to participate in Zoom calls. Trip.com coordinated WFH on Wednesday and Friday. 3) Having leadership buy-in is critical (as with most management practices). Trip.com’s CEO and C-suite all support the hybrid policy. 4) A/B test new policies (as well as products) if possible. Often new policies turn out to be unexpectedly profitable. Trip.com made millions of dollars more profits from hybrid by cutting expensive turnover.

A cheat code to unlock professional growth in 2024. The 4 Types of Professional Time: There are 4 types of professional time: 1. Management: Meetings, calls, emails, etc. 2. Creation: Writing, coding, building, preparing. 3. Consumption: Reading, listening, studying. 4. Ideation: Brainstorming, journaling, reflecting. To make improvements to your balance of time, first assess your starting point: Starting on a Monday, at the end of each weekday, color code the events from that day according to this key: • Red: Management • Green: Creation • Blue: Consumption • Yellow: Ideation At the end of the week, look at the overall mix of colors on the calendar. The image in this post is an illustrative example of how it might look. This simple exercise should give you a clear picture of your current baseline mix of professional time. With your baseline mix in mind, here are three tips for a more optimal balance: 1. Batch Management Time Create discrete blocks of time each day when you will handle major Management Time activities. 1-3 email processing blocks per day. 1-3 call and meeting blocks per day. The goal here is to avoid a schedule where the red bleeds out everywhere across every single day. We are trying to keep the Management Time windows as discrete as possible to create space for the other types of time. 2. Increase Creation Time Creation is what propels us forward, with more interesting projects and opportunities. We all need more Creation Time in our days. As you batch Management Time, carve out distinct windows for Creation Time. Block them on your calendar. Don't check your email or messages during them. Focus on creation during your Creation Time. 3. Create Space for Consumption & Ideation Time Consumption and Ideation are the forgotten types of time because we rarely create space for them, but they are critical to long-term, compounding progress. History's most successful people have all made a practice out of creating space for reading, listening, learning, and thinking. We can draw a lesson from this. To start, schedule one short block per week for Consumption and one short block per week for Ideation. Stay true to the purpose of the block. Own that before increasing the presence of these types of time in your schedule. With these three tips in mind, you're well on your way to building a more optimal balance across the four types of professional time. *** You can join 650,000+ others who receive these actionable insights in my 2x weekly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/esGsF85Q Enjoy this? Share the post with your network and follow me Sahil Bloom for more in future!

70% of change initiatives fail. (And it's rarely because the idea was bad.) Here's what actually kills transformation: You picked the wrong change model for the job. It's like performing surgery with a hammer. Sure, you're using a tool. But it's the wrong one. I've watched brilliant CEOs tank their companies this way: Using individual coaching (ADKAR) for company-wide transformation. Result: 200 people change. 2,000 don't. Running a massive 8-step program for a simple process fix. Result: 6 months wasted. Team exhausted. Nothing changes. Forcing top-down mandates when they needed subtle nudges. Result: Rebellion. Resentment. Resignation letters. Here's what nobody tells you about change: The size of your change determines your approach. Real examples from the field: 💡 Startup pivoting product: → Used Lewin's 3-stage (unfreeze old way, change, refreeze) → 3 months. Clean transition. Team aligned. 💡 Enterprise going digital: → Used Kotter's 8-step process → Created urgency first. Built coalition. Enabled action. → 18 months later: $50M in new revenue. 💡 Sales team adopting new CRM: → Used Nudge Theory → Made old system harder to access → Put new system as browser homepage → 95% adoption in 2 weeks. Zero complaints. The expensive truth: Wrong model = wasted months + burned budgets + broken trust Right model = faster adoption + sustained results + energized teams Warning signs you're using the wrong model: • High activity, low progress • People comply but don't commit • Changes revert within weeks • Energy drops as you push harder • "This too shall pass" becomes the motto Match your medicine to your ailment: Small behavior change? Nudge it. Individual performance? ADKAR it. Cultural shift? Influence it. Full transformation? Kotter it. Enterprise overhaul? BCG it. Stop treating every change like a nail. Start choosing the right tool for the job. Your next change initiative depends on it. Your team's trust demands it. Your company's future requires it. Save this. Share it with your leadership team. Because the next time someone says "people resist change," you'll know the truth: People don't resist change. They resist the wrong approach to change. P.S. Want a PDF of my Change Management cheat sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dv7biXUs ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more operational insights. — 📢 Want to lead like a world-class CEO? Join my FREE TRAINING: "The 8 Qualities That Separate World-Class CEOs From Everyone Else" Thu Jul 3rd, 12 noon Eastern / 5pm UK time https://lnkd.in/dy-6w_rx 📌 The CEO Accelerator starts July 23rd. 20+ Founders & CEOs have already enrolled. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dwndXMAk

The $4.7M Email That Should Have Been a Phone Call I watched a CEO destroy a decade-long partnership with 147 words. The email was perfect. Professional and polite. Every concern addressed. Every detail covered. It also cost them their biggest client. Here's what happened: Their key account was struggling. Revenue down 30% and team morale was tanking. The CEO crafted a thoughtful email outlining a new strategy. Bullet points. Clear action items. Flawless logic. The client interpreted it as abandonment. "We're in crisis and you send me a PDF?" The relationship died that day. $4.7M in annual revenue. Gone. Meanwhile, I know a VP who saved a $2M deal with a 10-minute call. No agenda. No deck. Just: "I heard things are tough. How can we help?" Here's what I've learned after 200+ executive placements: Email is for confirmation. Not conversation. Email is for logistics. Not leadership. Email is for documentation. Not connection. The deals that die? They're suffocated by perfect emails. The partnerships that thrive? They're built on imperfect phone calls. Your most important conversations can't hide behind a keyboard. When stakes are high, your voice matters more than your words. I've seen executives lose: • Key talent because they emailed feedback • Board support because they emailed bad news • Major clients because they emailed concerns Pick up the phone. Especially when you don't want to. What's the most expensive email you've ever sent?

Performance Management in the Age of AI: the new 3‑Dimensional Model For decades, the 9‑box grid shaped how organizations assessed talent—mapping individuals along two familiar axes: ✔ Business performance (“what”) ✔ Behaviors or potential (“how”) Over time, many companies moved away from this model, concluding it oversimplified the complexity of human performance and sometimes reinforced bias more than it reduced it. AI is fundamentally reshaping work, shortening the lifecycle of skills and creating new capability demands at a pace conventional frameworks were never designed to keep up with. As a result, a new paradigm for performance management is emerging. Organizations are starting to consider a three‑dimensional approach to performance—one that integrates not just what people deliver and how they behave, but also how they grow. The new 3D model consists of three axis: 1. Business Results: Measures impact, delivery, and contribution to outcomes. 2. Behaviors / Ways of Working: Captures collaboration, leadership etc. and.. 3. Skills Development: Assesses capability building, learning velocity, and readiness for future roles. The third axis reflects a simple reality: In an AI‑driven workforce, continuous skills development is no longer optional—it’s strategic. IBM has begun to formalize this multidimensional view in its talent and rewards model. Their approach includes: 1. Integrating skills into pay: Base pay and equity linked to skill progression. 2. Balancing objectives: Business and skills goals carry equal weight 3. Future skills visibility: Regular communication on evolving skill requirements see: https://lnkd.in/eTDE-XmE Not every organization can replicate this model at scale, but it illustrates where performance management is heading. The central questions are shifting. Not just: “Did someone deliver results?” But also: “Are they developing the skills the organization will need next?” and “Are they learning at the speed the environment requires?” The move from a 2D grid to a 3D, capability‑driven framework may become one of the most consequential shifts in performance management in the age of AI—signaling a future where growth, adaptability, and skill relevance stand on equal footing with results.

We analyzed 4 million recruiting emails sent through Gem. Most get opened. But only 22.6% get replies. Half those replies are "thanks, but no thanks." We dug into what actually works. Here are 8 factors that drive REAL responses: 1. Strategic timing beats everything else - 8am gets 68% open rates. 4pm hits 67.3%. 10am lands at 67% - Most recruiters blast at 9am when inboxes are flooded - Avoiding peak times alone can boost your opens by 7-10% 2. Weekend outreach is criminally underused - Saturday/Sunday emails get ≥66% open rates consistently - Why? Empty inboxes. Zero competition. Candidates actually have time - Yet few recruiters send on weekends. Their loss is your gain 3. Keep messages between 101-150 words - Shorter feels spammy. Longer gets skimmed - You need exactly 10 sentences to nail the essentials - Every word beyond 150 drops performance 4. Generic templates kill response rates - Generic templates: 22% reply rate - Personalized outreach: 47% increased response rate - Even adding name + company to subject lines boosts opens by 5% 5. Subject lines need 3-9 words - Include company name + job title for highest opens - "Senior Engineer Role at [Company]" beats clever wordplay - 11+ words can work if genuinely intriguing, but why risk it? 6. The 4-stage sequence is optimal - One-off emails are dead. Send exactly 4 follow-up messages - You'll see 68% higher "interested" rates with proper sequencing - After stage 4, engagement completely flatlines. Stop there 7. Get the hiring manager involved - Having the hiring manager send ONE follow-up boosts reply rates by 50%+ - Yet most recruiters don't use this tactic - Weekend advantage: Minimal competition for attention 8. Leadership involvement is a cheat code - Role-specific timing (tech vs non-tech) matters - Technical roles: 3 of 4 best send times are weekends - Engineers check email differently than salespeople. Adjust accordingly TAKEAWAY: These aren't opinions. This is what 4 million emails tell us. Most recruiting teams are stuck in 2019 playbooks wondering why their reply rates won't budge. Meanwhile, recruiters who implement these 8 factors see dramatically better results. The data is right there. The patterns are clear. The only question is: will you actually change how you operate? Or will you keep sending the same tired emails at 9am on Tuesday? Your call.

How do you know if you're emotionally intelligent? Well, more than 10 million people have taken my emotional intelligence tests and 500 thousand have attended my trainings, so I have some pretty good data to work from. This list captures the little things that emotionally intelligent people do. And most people are surprised by the degree to which emotional intelligence comes down to the little things you do and say each day. Here's why these little things matter... 1) Emotional intelligence is about emotional pattern recognition, not just emotional awareness. It’s not enough to feel deeply—you must spot recurring emotional themes in your life (e.g., always feeling defensive with authority) and decode what they signal. Growth happens when you connect the dots over time. 2) These behaviors signal internal stability, not just kindness. Apologizing, empathizing, or forgiving may seem outward-facing, but they actually stem from a grounded inner world. You can only give others grace when you’re not ruled by your own emotional chaos. 3) Real emotional intelligence is boring in real time. There’s no drama. It’s the person who pauses, listens more than they speak, and quietly shifts behavior over time. Emotional intelligence often won’t get applause, but it builds trust like nothing else. Give the list another read. How many of the 7 things below do you do CONSISTENTLY? 7 SIGNS THAT YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT 1. You dissect your feelings You reflect on what you’re feeling and seek to understand why. You do the same for others—curiosity builds deeper connections. 2. You stay authentic Being real does not mean oversharing. You speak from your values, you mean what you say and say what you mean. 3. You practice empathy Before judging, you try to understand another person’s perspective. 4. You apologize when you are wrong Saying “I am sorry” isn’t about ego, it is about connection. You own your mistakes because relationships matter. 5. You forgive and let go Holding grudges weighs you down. You let things go, sometimes even before the other person apologizes. 6. You pause before responding You reflect on what you are feeling and seek to understand why. You do the same for others—curiosity builds deeper connections. 7. You learn from your mistakes No one is perfect. When emotions get the best of you, you reflect, identify patterns, and grow from the experience. ------ ♻️ Like, follow, and repost if this resonates. Follow Travis Bradberry and sign up for my weekly newsletter. Do you want more like this? 👇 📖 My new book, "The New Emotional Intelligence" is now 10% off on Amazon and it's already a bestseller.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Sumit Lakhani on The Corner Awfis podcast. We had an honest conversation about how much the commercial real estate space has changed over the last few years - and what those changes mean for developers, occupiers and employees alike. One of the biggest shifts we have seen is how companies now think more carefully about the kind of office spaces they want. There is a growing preference for high-quality buildings in multiple cities, and a clear focus on working with partners who can deliver long-term value. The market has become more selective, and that’s pushing everyone to raise their game. We also spoke about how tenant needs have evolved since the pandemic. Earlier, office design was mainly about fitting in more desks. Now, companies are looking for spaces that help people collaborate better, give them flexibility and make them want to come to the office. Many of our clients are redesigning their workplaces to include more open areas, creative corners, and layouts that feel less rigid and more human. There is also been a big focus on the overall experience we offer. Things like having more food and beverage options, clean and well-designed common areas, wellness zones, and better indoor air quality are no longer optional - they are expected. We did a survey with our clients to understand their top five priorities, and we have started making sure every project meets those needs. Sometimes, small things can make a big difference in how people feel at work. When I think about my 26 years in this industry, I believe the last few years have brought some of the most significant changes I have seen. The only other moment that felt this transformative was in the early 2000s, when India’s IT sector began its rise and brought in a new wave of office demand. What’s happening now may be even more meaningful, because it’s not just about demand - it’s about rethinking how offices function, what they stand for, and how they support the people who use them. A big thank you to Sumit and the team at Awfis Space Solutions Limited for hosting this conversation. It’s important to pause and reflect on how much has changed - and how much opportunity lies ahead.

Your growth isn't just about your effort. It's also about your environment. A shark in a tank will stay small. In the ocean, it thrives. We’re the same. Your growth depends on the environment you’re in - and the people you surround yourself with. The research is clear: ➡️ Kurt Lewin, one of the founders of social psychology, showed that behavior is a direct function of the person and their environment. ➡️ Nicholas Christakis (Yale) and James Fowler (UC San Diego) found that even things like happiness, health habits, and resilience spread through social networks. As Jim Rohn said, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Who you spend time with shapes who you become. Here are a few questions worth asking: ❓ Do the people around me expand or limit my thinking? ❓Am I encouraged to take risks and share ideas? ❓Does this space fuel learning, creativity, and possibility? ❓Am I becoming a better version of myself here? If the answer is no - and you can change your environment - change it. But sometimes change isn’t immediate or possible. In that case, take ownership of your growth where you are: ✅ Curate what you consume → Select books, podcasts, and professional communities that expand your perspective and align with where you want to grow. ✅ Seek out mentors and peers beyond your circle → Build relationships across functions, industries, or levels. Exposure to diverse perspectives sharpens your thinking. ✅ Take on stretch assignments → Volunteer for projects that push your skills and visibility, even if they feel outside your comfort zone. ✅ Build growth rituals → Daily practices like reflection, journaling, or mindfulness help you stay resilient and intentional amid pressure. ✅ Invest in skill-building → Online courses, certifications, or professional workshops create momentum when your immediate role doesn’t. ✅ Set self-directed challenges → Define personal goals (e.g., presenting in meetings, publishing thought leadership, leading a cross-team initiative) that force you to expand. Your environment shapes your growth - but your choices shape your future. Upgrade your environment when you can. Expand your growth when you must. 🌊 Growth always happens in bigger waters. 📚 Explore more ideas on growth in my book The Conscious Choice ♻ Repost to inspire others. 🔔 Follow me, Bhavna Toor, for daily insights on living and leading consciously.