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Once I sat down with Scott Clawson, CEO of Culligan, there was no pomp, no buzzwords and definitely no ego. He isn’t attempting to promote you on something. Culligan is a virtually 90-year-old water firm based mostly in suburban Chicago, and underneath Scott’s management, it is grown from $400 million to over $3.3 billion in income, now serving greater than 14 million households and two million companies throughout 90 international locations — and I had by no means heard of him! However Scott would not come throughout like a typical “massive firm” CEO. He was grounded, considerate and deeply mission-driven.
We met on the United Middle, the place Culligan is the official hydration accomplice. It was becoming. Sports activities have performed a giant position in Scott’s life, and he credit a lot of his management fashion to classes from his highschool basketball staff in small-town Indiana. There is not any star participant mentality — only a group of individuals working along with clear roles and shared targets. That philosophy appears to underpin his complete method to enterprise: Construct a powerful staff, keep centered on function, and lead with consistency over flash.
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Culligan’s function is simple: to supply wholesome, protected, sustainable water to folks world wide. It is a mission that issues greater than most individuals notice. Greater than two billion folks lack entry to protected consuming water. Within the U.S., points round outdated infrastructure and chemical contamination in areas like Michigan, Texas and elements of the Midwest are much more prevalent than many assume. Scott and his staff try to repair that — not simply by higher filtration, however by decreasing reliance on single-use plastics and increasing entry in underserved areas like Latin America and Southeast Asia.
What stood out most to me wasn’t simply the mission, although. It was Scott’s readability of thought and real sense of duty. He isn’t attempting to be a social media character. He isn’t chasing headlines. Whenever you lead an organization for 10+ years with that kind of efficiency, he simply could possibly be. However he is constructing one thing with long-term influence, and that tone appears to permeate Culligan’s tradition. It is uncommon to listen to a CEO say he wakes up day by day and loves going to work — not as a result of it is easy, however as a result of it is significant.
Scott additionally made it clear that management would not need to be short-sighted. He advocates for extra enterprise leaders to prioritize sustainability, long-term worth and the human aspect of enterprise. In a time when CEO turnover is at an all-time excessive and worker disengagement continues to rise, leaders like Scott function a reminder that humility, consistency and function nonetheless win over the lengthy haul.
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That is why I do The CEO Sequence. To not promote firms or CEOs. To not grill executives on quarterly efficiency. However to higher perceive the folks behind the titles — and to focus on management that is not pushed by ego or revenue alone. Scott Clawson is a type of leaders, and I am glad we obtained to inform a bit of little bit of his story. Hope you loved the video.
Once I sat down with Scott Clawson, CEO of Culligan, there was no pomp, no buzzwords and definitely no ego. He isn’t attempting to promote you on something. Culligan is a virtually 90-year-old water firm based mostly in suburban Chicago, and underneath Scott’s management, it is grown from $400 million to over $3.3 billion in income, now serving greater than 14 million households and two million companies throughout 90 international locations — and I had by no means heard of him! However Scott would not come throughout like a typical “massive firm” CEO. He was grounded, considerate and deeply mission-driven.
We met on the United Middle, the place Culligan is the official hydration accomplice. It was becoming. Sports activities have performed a giant position in Scott’s life, and he credit a lot of his management fashion to classes from his highschool basketball staff in small-town Indiana. There is not any star participant mentality — only a group of individuals working along with clear roles and shared targets. That philosophy appears to underpin his complete method to enterprise: Construct a powerful staff, keep centered on function, and lead with consistency over flash.
Associated: 2 Tech CEOs Speak Cyber Threats, House Flights and the Darkish Aspect of AI — Here is How They’re Getting ready for the Future
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