General Mills CEO: 'Perfection is not the goal'
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Testing a product on the public can help move it along or ensure bad products come to a halt, said General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening.
"We've put a lot of mechanisms in place to help us fail fast," said Harmening.
He spoke with host Kerri Miller on Monday, Oct. 8, as part of a week-long conference for members of the food and agriculture business. They spoke about the importance of fostering a creative environment.
General Mills has a process called "consumer first design." Teams come up with an idea and then attempt to sell it in a store. Usually they fail, but that speeds up the innovation process. Everyone from Harmening to the employees producing the products learn quickly what works and what doesn't. This process produced "Oui," a French-style Yoplait yogurt that comes in a glass container and is made one cup at a time.
Harmening also talked about his leadership style, the difficulties fostering innovation in a large corporation, and General Mills' climate change action plans.
Use the audio player above to listen to more of their conversation.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
