Growth is ultimately about asking the consumer, shopper and/or customer to do something differently in the future than they have done in the past.  And doing something differently moving forward naturally requires a new decision altogether, not simply a repeat of one made in the past.  Influencing a behaviour change in others typically starts with a behaviour change in our people.  This is becoming increasingly harder.

Back in the day branded CPGs were magnets for attracting talent that was hungry to learn and develop – they were THE place to develop a career in Marketing and Sales and were at the forefront of cutting edge thinking that engaged and challenged people to continuously improve.  Looking across the CPG landscape today, things are quite different.  Attracting great people has become harder.  Other industries have stepped up their value proposition and purpose beyond a focus on profit, which is hitting the right notes with many.  Getting more out of the current talent pool therefore becomes a necessity.

The good news is that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks by creating momentum led from those with a growth mindset.  They embrace and are the advocates of change, keen to adopt the new behaviours and skills required to be successful in today’s commercial landscape.  These people believe that basic skills are things that you can and should cultivate to stay current.  Everyone has the potential to grow and change through education, exposure and  experiences within the right environment.  The fantastic thing about these employees is that their focus in on improvement and adoption rather than wasting energy on resisting inevitable change.  This becomes infectious in developing the new commercial basics and doing them brilliantly, leading to the ambition being a reality.

Programming your future history through today’s team is most definitely possible.