Lexington, KY - Douglas Conant became CEO of the Campbell Soup Company in 2001. At the time, everything was not "M'm! M'm! Good!" like the catchy slogan of the company's premier product.
Campbell's stock was trailing the S&P 500 and continuing to fall, its core business was in trouble, and the company was the poorest performer of all major food companies in the world. Internally, systems were dysfunctional and employees were disheartened. Conant faced a daunting challenge.
In a relatively short chapter of the company's venerable 130-year history, Conant oversaw extraordinary results. Sales and earnings grew, and global reach expanded. Today, Campbell is the world's largest maker and marketer of soup. Other core businesses were developed and expanded. The company was recognized for its workforce diversity practices and ranked as one of the 10 most socially responsible U.S. companies.
How did he do it? And can his methods be repeated? The answers are found in TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments, coauthored with strategic leadership expert Mette Norgaard.
The recipe for success used by Conant and his team appears initially simplistic: Use a series of positive interactions that fit a strategic framework. Show employees that management cares by giving "tough sequences to establish world-class standards and teaching sequences to develop the leaders around them." These interactions came to be termed "TouchPoints."
What many managers would have seen as ceaseless interruptions in an endless pace of leading an organization, Conant came to view in a different light.
"To me, they're not interruptions," he said. "They're opportunities to touch someone and improve the situation."
While many leaders try to minimize the enormous number of encounters they have every day at work, Conant came to see these encounters as the work. His ability to handle them, converting them to TouchPoints, came to define his ability to be a leader.
Together with Norgaard, he developed his ideas into a dynamic approach to leadership. To "touch" someone is defined as "to influence, guide, provide clarity, inspire, create a sense of urgency, and shape the course of events." TouchPoints can happen any time individuals get together to problem solve or deal with an issue.
"Mastering the touch" is achieved by a three-step process of "listen-frame-advance."
The authors compare this to a musical triad where three tones make a harmonious chord. The first note, listening, enables the leader to understand what is really going on. The second note, framing the issue, makes sure everyone is on the same page. The third note, advancing the agenda, means not only deciding the next steps but also who is responsible for taking them.
While TouchPoints may differ depending upon issues and individuals, they all contain three variables: the issue, the other people and the leader. The issue, simply put, is the question or problem. Other people are the stakeholders involved - both internal and external. The leader is one who listens carefully, frames the issue and presents it with urgency and creates confidence about next steps.
This is not a feel-good philosophy but a process for converting every conversation into a reality check to either inspire new possibilities or make changes. The authors never deny the difficulties of leadership or the toughness of today's work environment.
"You can be tough on the issues and still be caring with people," Conant says. To build sustainable results, leaders must build strong relationships with the people around them.
While even the book is wrapped in the red and white classic Campbell colors, its reach expands beyond one company. The authors draw from a broad range of organizations from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to Fortune 500 companies that have instituted these ideas.
Their goal is to illustrate that it is not only corporate leaders who can benefit from greater TouchPoint mastery, but leaders at every level in any organization. Among the examples is that of a principal at a magnet school in Utah who uses the TouchPoint process. In a normal day, this principal sees a constant flow of parents, teachers and students. Using the TouchPoint process he listens, clarifies expectations and moves them to make decisions. As a result, people are in and out of his office in 10 minutes and don't feel rushed.
At a time when leadership appears increasingly complex and difficult, TouchPoints provides optimism and energy to being an effective leader. This remarkable book shows how leadership is an art form that can be learned and revitalized. Not only will readers gain the potential to change organizations, but to change themselves as well.