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Nestl\u00e9 has been around for 160 years<\/a>. The company\u2019s CEO, Philipp Navratil, joined in 2001 and held various positions at the $240 billion<\/a> food and drink giant before taking the top job<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Now Navratil is offering a sneak peek into his leadership style. According to a recent report<\/a> from Business Insider, the CEO changed how he managed direct reports early in his career after realizing that he needed to give candid feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n Overseeing the company behind dozens of billion-dollar brands<\/a>, including Gerber and KitKat, requires difficult conversations behind closed doors. But for Navratil, delivering feedback didn\u2019t come naturally. He struggled to tell employees when their work wasn\u2019t meeting expectations. He wasn\u2019t able to go beyond encouragement and clearly explain where they needed to improve.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to tell someone \u2018Great job, well done,’\u201d Navratil said in an interview with Business Insider.\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the real test of leadership comes when performance slips and a manager has to address it. Navratil tries to be \u201cas direct as possible\u201d in those conversations, leaving little room for confusion about what isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n He said that softening the message too much may result in employees walking away without understanding the problem or recognizing that something needs to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s much more valuable for them to receive it that way because it\u2019s clear,\u201d Navratil said.<\/p>\n He now views feedback as an integral part of a leader\u2019s job because it\u2019s an opportunity to strengthen the business while helping employees develop.\u00a0<\/p>\n The conversation starts with Navratil pointing out where someone is falling short. After explaining the problem, he devotes more time to what comes next: how the employee can improve and the support he can provide. The goal is to make the issue clear, then give the person a practical way forward.<\/p>\n Navratil also shared with Business Insider<\/a> how workers can respond to candid feedback and get promoted. He said several traits set overperforming employees apart from the rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first quality is curiosity, or a willingness to keep building knowledge. That could mean learning a skill on their own or turning to colleagues, managers and mentors for advice on what to do next.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reaching the top hasn\u2019t stopped Navratil from learning from people earlier in their careers. He said a junior colleague now serves as his \u201creverse-mentor,\u201d teaching him how to program AI agents.<\/p>\n Navratil\u2019s commitment to learning stretches back to his years as a Nestl\u00e9 sales representative in Panama, where he worked from 2005 to 2009. During that period, he recognized that he had grown too comfortable in his job. His manager urged him to take a different role and go beyond familiar work, and he did.\u00a0<\/p>\n Navratil said another trait that gets employees promoted is drive, or the determination to improve things rather than simply do the job as it stands. An employee who is eager to make a difference has a better chance of success than someone with the right skills but little motivation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHumbleness, be hungry, and be curious,\u201d Navratil said. \u201cJust keep learning every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Nestl\u00e9 has been around for 160 years<\/a>. The company\u2019s CEO, Philipp Navratil, joined in 2001 and held various positions at the $240 billion<\/a> food and drink giant before taking the top job<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Now Navratil is offering a sneak peek into his leadership style. According to a recent report<\/a> from Business Insider, the CEO changed how he managed direct reports early in his career after realizing that he needed to give candid feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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