If you have people who are high-performing working for you, it's so easy to do your job. Otherwise, you can't even agree on the time of the meeting or who will bring the coffee. Douglas Conant More Quotes by Douglas Conant More Quotes From Douglas Conant I would assert that highly effective leaders are made more than they're born. Every leader I know who's been highly effective has worked hard at it, and they've been students of it. The more you're a student of leadership, the more you figure out what works for you and the more effective you're going to be. Douglas Conant you born leader leadership You have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact on the lives of the people with whom you work and live. Make the most of it. Douglas Conant you work opportunity people There's no evidence that large, diversified food companies win over time. Douglas Conant over win time food When I arrived at Campbell on January 8, 2001, the company had lost half its market value in the prior year. They had to cut costs to the point where they were literally taking the chicken out of chicken noodle soup and the product was no longer competitive. Douglas Conant chicken value soup lost I have a foundational belief that business results start with culture and your people. Douglas Conant start business culture people The packaged food business environment is very Darwinian. You're fighting for survival every year; you evolve and grow or you die. It's really that simple. Douglas Conant you business simple food I strongly believe that you can't win in the marketplace unless you win first in the workplace. If you don't have a winning culture inside, it's hard to compete in the very tough world outside. Douglas Conant you believe culture world On a personal level, I send out about 20 thank-you notes a day to staffers, on all levels. And every six weeks I have lunch with a group of a dozen or so employees, to get their perspective on the business, to address problems and to get feedback. Douglas Conant day perspective lunch business All of us introverts aspire to be more outgoing, but it's not in our nature. When I was nearly 50, I discovered that the best thing to do was to tell everyone I worked with that I'm just shy. People are not mind readers - you need to let them know. Douglas Conant best you nature people I've met so many leaders who realize that telling your colleagues something that is on your mind is so much easier than keeping it in. Sometimes the things we make up in our heads are not nearly as big a deal as we think. Douglas Conant think colleagues mind sometimes Extroverts may get places faster, but for introverts it's all about working at the pace you need and, at the end of the day, performing at your best. Douglas Conant end-of-the-day best day you