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When you look at Beth Ford’s resume, you probably didn’t know the Land O’ Lakes CEO started out detasseling corn for $2 an hour and cleaning toilets as a janitor. And Beth told us she wouldn’t have ever become CEO without those jobs. Because being successful in business comes from learning about people – and celebrating wins at every level.
On Humility in Leadership
Beth: The best way you can be a good leader is to trust that you've got people much smarter than you in these particular areas that are there to work with you and work together to drive success. I give a speech on leadership as a team sport. And it's a team sport because if you're smart, you hire great people. Or you're smart enough to be humble and ask.
On Why You Should Take the Field Job
Beth: If you're offered a job between the company's headquarters and on the shop floor, go to the shop floor. Learn the business that way. Learn people. Don't say, “I'm not ever going to do this,” or, “I'm only going to live here”. Be open to all of life's experiences. I've worked for seven companies in six industries. Certainly I didn't know them before I started. But you have to have intellectual curiosity, a willingness to fail, resilience, and an understanding that your success comes because you're helping somebody else's success
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