Several years ago, I interviewed Todd Tillemans in an interview originally published in Thrive Global. Todd is the Chief Commercial Officer of Perdue Farms and was the U.S. President of The Hershey Company at the time of the interview. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Adam: What is something about you that would surprise people?

Todd: I’ve run five marathons for charity. The act of doing good for others was motivation for the mind-over-body discipline a marathon takes.

Adam: What are your hobbies and how have they shaped you?

Todd: My biggest hobby is adventure travel with my family. Seeing the world while learning and growing together is invaluable. Experiencing the world as a family helps us all to see it through different eyes and perspectives. In a small family dynamic, you see how the same event can be internalized and viewed in different ways, which helps to lead with empathy.

Adam: How did you get here? What failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Todd: My mother raised my brother and me on her own. We were on food stamps, and at that time, a jar of peanut butter was something we really looked forward to. This experience gave me the drive to accomplish big things, to lead with empathy, and has been at the heart of everything I have done – from being in the military to business school to my career today. I have always given my best.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Todd: Leaders can take their skills to the next level by building trust and practicing servant leadership, or serving employees and others. The more you advance as a leader, the more your achievement is the result of the work and success of others.

Take care of people. You lead through a balance of empathy and challenging people to reach their full potential. Point your passion and support into helping people get to new levels. Encourage them to look ahead to where they want to be in 3-5 years. As a leader, take the time to reflect with employees on what they’ve learned, where they grew, what they achieved, and where they want to go next. Acknowledge that what got us to this point won’t necessarily get us where we want to go next is helpful for the future of the business and important for employee’s career trajectory.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Todd:

1.Be clear about your own purpose. It should be authentic, meaningful, grounded, and foundational to your values. And then be clear about how your role connects to your organization’s goals.

2.Be bold. Look at business through the lens of the insurgent. This approach will make you more effective and compelling and push you to stay relevant.

3.Be a team player. Power comes from people within the organization. Sharing values and winning behaviors between employees will drive high-performing teams.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Todd: When I worked in Europe, I was responsible for marketing across fifty countries. My boss told me to go a day early to each country when I had business travel so that I could spend a half day at retail and a half day in people’s homes. If you consistently immerse yourself where the real choices are made, it changes the materialization of your work. This perspective will give you a palpable feel of the experience of those in the market you are trying to reach and a depth of inquiry that you will never get from the meeting room alone.

Adam: How can anyone pay it forward?

Todd: Anyone can do little things to pay it forward. What is important is to think about where you spend your time and where you give your presence. Your time is your most valuable asset. Whether it is volunteering at your child’s school, scouting, or a food pantry – be mindful of where you spend the most time as that reflects in what is most meaningful to you, and the recipient. It is a double reward.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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