To the Desert and Back

Dove, Lipton, Knorr, Ben & Jerry's, and Slim*Fast are a few of the brands that are part of the $66 billion global empire known as Unilever. When the story opens, one of its divisions is in deep trouble— declining volume, eroding margins, critical quality problems— and is close to being sold off. Then Tex Gunning, its visionary new division chairman, takes the stage, an expanding circle of young leaders takes charge, and once-skeptical workers embrace a challenging message of growth. The result? The division grows by double digits, year in and year out, and energizes Unilever's path to thrive around the globe. To the Desert and Back tells the inside story of the transformation in the words of the people in all quarters of the company who made it happen. It documents five years of personal soul-searching, teamwork, companywide learning conferences, memorable journeys to the mountains and desert, and inspired promotions that show how these efforts produced a remarkable top-to-bottom turnaround. This story delivers authentic and convincing proof that a revitalized business is about personal growth. The lessons learned from this dramatic business turnaround provide unexpected insights and encouraging inspiration for other companies and leaders ready to embark on their own remarkable journey of transformation, growth, and success.

Preview: The View from the Desert ix Part I: Turnaround 1. Wake-Up Call 3 2. Rebuilding the Business 15 Part II: Takeover 3. Merger or Takeover? 31 4. Going into Therapy 41 5. Revolution and Chaos 55 Part III: Transforming the Organization 6. 180 Leaders in Charge 67 7. Community or Cult? 79 8. The McVan den Bergh Clan 89 Part IV: Transforming the Business 9. Growing a Market: Foods 103 10. Growing a Brand: Fats 117 11. Cascading Change: Uniquisine, Calvé, Royco, and Nassaukade 129 Part V: Transfer 12. To the Desert 145 13. The Legacy of Growth 155 Part VI: Takeaways for Leading Change 14. Change Models and Methods 169 15. Change as Theater 183 16. Holistic Integration 195 Appendix 1: Cast of Characters—Then and Now 207 Appendix 2: Learning History 211 Notes and Sources 221 Acknowledgments 243 About the Authors 247 Index 251