The Candy Man on Quakers, Downsizing, and Talent Wars
As head of the world’s largest confectioner, Cadbury CEO Todd Stitzer has plenty of challenges, not least of which is leading a multinational corporation that retains some of its Quaker culture. In this interview with INSEAD, Stitzer discusses his own leadership journey, managing through a “de-merger” and downsizing, waging a war for talent, and maintaining your sanity.
Go straight to the 4:20 mark, where Stitzer talks about the split between Cadbury and Schweppes.
At 6:38 he explains his messaging to employees going through a major downsizing.
At 8:50 he discusses the still prevalent Quaker culture, and the tension between high performance and social responsibility.
At 10:12 Stitzer reveals the Cadbury approach to talent management. Factoid: over the past five years, about 30 percent of the top 150 employees changed positions.
At the 12:00 mark he discusses the qualities he looks for in a leader: selflessness and high engagement (a willingness to “invest in accomplishment”).
And at 14:15 Stitizer gives his recipe for work-life balance: not playing golf with the boys on Saturday mornings.