Taking on a new leadership role is challenging under “normal” circumstances, but stepping up in March of 2020 came with an entirely uncharted landscape. Kofi Bruce (Finance Leaders Fellow), was one of those leaders navigating a new role, as six weeks after he was named Chief Financial Officer at General Mills, the pandemic forced changes on how the company operated. Now, having served in the role for more than a year, we asked him: What were your biggest learnings?
- It’s okay to not have all the answers.
- Dropping the “veneer of professionalism” helps build relationships. People are hungry for connection on a human level.
- To get through compounding challenges, it’s best to, “wear that hat that’s heaviest.”
Watch to hear Kofi share more of his biggest #LeadershipLessons.
Kofi Bruce is CFO of General Mills, Inc. In this role, he leads the $17 billion consumer packaged foods company’s finance, accounting, treasury, M&A and audit activities. Kofi is a Fellow of the 2018 class of the Aspen Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
The Finance Leaders Fellowship develops a community of effective and enlightened leaders in the global finance industry and challenges them to advance the positive impact of finance on society.
Leadership Lessons – a Video Series from the Aspen Global Leadership Network
The impacts of COVID-19 continue to challenge our communities. However, through these challenges, there’s a lot to be learned. In “Leadership Lessons” hear from leaders who have stepped up in new ways and remained steadfast in their values through this crisis. How did they make the tough decisions? How have they changed as leaders? Tune in and gain top insights from values-driven leaders – Fellows in the Aspen Global Leadership Network – who are battling trade-offs, creating rapid responses to community needs, sharpening new skills, and more.
New episodes are released every week on the AGLN’s social media handles. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to watch in real-time.
