National Post - Financial Post Magazine
SHARON MACLEOD
UNILEVER CANADA
Sharon MacLeod believes that the power of brands can be extended to positively impact the lives of people everywhere. Thanks to her vision and stewardship on the Canadian Leadership Team, Unilever has risen to global recognition and recordbreaking success.
“Building Dove into an iconic brand by helping women see beauty as a source of happiness, not anxiety.”
“Maya Angelou is a great inspiration; she came from nothing and became one of the most admired women in the world for her ability to express her wisdom in words: ‘Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.’” “1. Courage. Theodore Roosevelt said it best, ‘Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure ... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.’ 2. Integrity. Say what we mean and mean what we say. 3. Belief in people. As Alan Watts once described Mahatma Gandhi, ‘He changed people by treating them as if they were who they wished to be, as if the best of them was all of them.’”
“As a member of Unilever’s Global Personal Care Leadership Team comprised of men and women from Africa, India, Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East and North America, I’ve seen first-hand the power that comes from a diverse team. Senior leaders need to experience and understand the incredible power that comes from diversity.”
“Attitude is everything. If you have a great attitude and work hard, people will help you — and you’ll learn everything you need to be a great success.” male-dominated and engineering-focused organization as a woman and marketer and gaining credibility as a valued executive member has been one of the most gratifying professional achievements to date.”
“Golda Meir, who was the prime minister of Israel and often took unpopular positions, has always been a maverick leader in my eyes. She was strong, compassionate and an unwavering, tough politician, builder, daughter, wife and mother. Personally, my mother, Shirley Marcus, has been an inspiring leader, demonstrating independence, adaptability and collaboration with others.”
“Breathe, exercise, avoid insecurity, learn to golf and find a mentor.” “Biases need to drop, both in the workplace for women and in the home for men, who may choose to stay home or take on a bigger role supporting the family unit to enable and support an aspiring woman leader. The support system for men who choose this role is not yet well-established or widely accepted in some areas. Women also need to find their assertive and confident voice to ask for consideration on roles for which they are competing.” ness, driving strategy, managing strategic programs, supporting its cultural evolution and spearheading the development of the company’s leadership pipeline. “Women need to want roles with large responsibilities that are demanding and will consume lots of time and energy. Sometimes senior roles don’t look as rewarding to women as they could, and we need to signal that we can create the right environment for women to be successful in a way that perhaps is unconventional; redefine what success looks like to make it more attractive to a broader pipeline. Two, we need to all work on our biases and create organizational cultures that welcome diversity of thought versus having everyone at the CEO table think more or less the same way.”
“Make sure you love what you do and have an intrinsic motivation that drives you every day and focus on that, instead of title and pay. Working hard, doing what you love and understanding the ‘why’ of your work is key. The reward, however you choose to define it, will come.”
“Act with integrity, listen a lot and create constructive action.”
“There needs to be a corporate Canada recognition that there are many capable and talented women in the business arena today poised to create and unlock corporate value once the opportunities to advance are made available.”
“Recognize that women have a very different leadership style, embrace it and be proud. Know your business and company end-to-end and create positive macro-level impact and value for the company. Have the courage to ask for those opportunities to build and earn your career into the C-suite.”