075 Colleen Soukup - Leading by Embracing Change

Create New Futures | How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World through Conversation

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5y ago 53:54

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Colleen Soukup is the Chief Procurement Officer and supply-chain transformation leader at General Mills. Colleen is responsible for global sourcing of all categories and, in her second role, she leads the transformation of supply chain to make it as agile and as future-ready as can be. Colleen is both a focused operational leader and a great people leader. She has a way of bringing best ideas out of her people, and creating an environment that fosters creativity and focus. Colleen is also a mother and wife and is grateful to work for an organization that has allowed her to remain a successful businessperson while balancing her personal life.

In this episode, Aviv and Colleen reflect on her role at General Mills and what she enjoys most about her work. Colleen shares how she’s leveraged opportunities to grow and evolve as a leader and, specifically, as a CPO. Colleen talks glowingly about the culture at General Mills and the company’s commitment to always doing the right thing. She describes her early inspirations and how these impacted her approach to her career. Finally, Colleen expounds on the importance of community when it comes to building a high-intensity career and raising a family.

00:52 – Introducing today’s guest, Colleen Soukup
02:43 – What Colleen enjoys most about her work
09:21 – Colleen shares some key learnings from her career journey
14:07 – How Colleen’s current role as CPO changed her as a leader
19:25 – Colleen speaks to directional clarity and her evolution as a CPO
24:23 – Other guiding principles that shaped Collen’s approach to developing her organization
29:41 – The culture at General Mills
32:13 – Colleen speaks to early inspirations from her childhood and her approach to starting her career
36:27 – A seminal moment from Colleen’s journey
40:09 – A deep-seated belief in the General Mills organization
45:40 – The Irish dog trainer story
47:05 – Advice Colleen would give her younger self and two learnings she values above all others
49:05 – Parting words of wisdom and insights from Colleen
50:43 – Now it’s your turn, identify ways to become a self-learner and grow, embody and lead change, and invest in your personal community

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.avivconsulting.com/cnf75

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