Page 47 - HBR Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organization, and Get to the Next Level

Building a Unifying Vision 37

flavor and reflect the perspective of the user, customer, or recipient
of the organization’s services, so we encourage you to bring your
customers (internal or external) into the process. Take, for exam-
ple, ConAgra Foods. When Gary Rodkin became the CEO in 2005,
the firm was largely a holding company for prominent brands
that it had acquired over the years (such as Hunt’s, Orville Reden-
bacher, Hebrew National, Chef Boyardee, Marie Calendar, Butter-
ball, and many others). As he stepped into the role, Rodkin talked
extensively with its customers and realized that they really didn’t
view ConAgra as one company. Because it was dealing with each
brand in a fragmented way, it was difficult for ConAgra to leverage
its size in selling to large grocery retailers and outlets like Wal-
mart. Rodkin’s interactions with customers informed his vision to
turn ConAgra into an $18 billion “integrated operating company”
with a basket of brands that could negotiate with Walmart and
others from a much stronger position.
As you consider the engagement of customers, however, remem-
ber that you may already have all the input you need from ongoing
contacts and listening sessions, satisfaction surveys, and day-to-
day relationships developed over time. If that’s the case, getting
more input from them might have diminishing returns. Toward
the end of the process, however, you should share the emerging vi-
sion with some key customers to get their reactions, and use their
feedback as a litmus test for whether you are on the right track.

What should the process be?
What’s the process for engaging people, creating ownership, and coming
up with a vision that meets the criteria we’ve discussed?
As with the types of people you involve, it’s up to you to determine the
right plan for your situation. There are some common approaches. One is
to trigger the process with a rough first draft. Another is to provide a team
with some key principles and then let team members sketch out a first
draft (as Wolfensohn did at the World Bank). Another is to develop