Do you love Nutella? Here’s why you should.
Michele Ferrero was the man who invented Nutella.
Already for this alone, the whole world should be grateful to him.
A burst of serotonin at a time, one pimple at a time, Nutella has been so successful as to make Ferrero one of the 50 richest men in the world.
But today’s tip is this:
it is true that behind the success of companies there is always a great product … but a great product alone is not enough.
I want indeed to dwell on another aspect that places Ferrero in the empire of entrepreneurs:
Human Resources management.
In the past few weeks, a local Italian newspaper, the Gazzetta d’Alba, had the great merit of finding and publishing the handbook that was compiled by Michele Ferrero regarding relations with employees.
He sent it to his managers, to adhere to it.
Here is the code of conduct he required (over 40 years ago):
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Code of conduct to follow in contacts with personnel: “When you talk to an individual, remember: he is important too”
1. Put your employees at ease in your contacts:
Give them the time they need, not just… the “crumbs”.
Worry about listening to what they have to say.
Do not give them the impression that you are on tenterhooks.
Never make them feel “small”.
The most comfortable chair in your office is for them.
2. Make clear decisions and get help from your employees, they will believe in the choices they made.
3. Involve the collaborators in the changes, and discuss about them before their implementation with the interested parties.
4. Communicate the favorable comments to the workers. The unfavorable ones, communicate them only when necessary, and in this last case do not limit yourself to criticism, but indicate what must be done in the future because it serves to learn.
5. Your interventions are always timely: “Too late” is as dangerous as “Too early”.
6. Act on causes rather than behavior.
7. Consider the problems in their general appearance and don’t take care of the details, leave your employees a certain margin of tolerance.
8. Always be human.
9. Don’t ask for impossible things.
10. Admit your mistakes serenely, it will help you not repeat them.
11. Worry about what your employees think of you.
12. Do not pretend to be everything for your collaborators: in this case, you would end up being nothing.
13. Be wary of those who flatter you, in the long run, they are more counterproductive than those that contradict you.
14. Always give what you owe and remember that it is often not a question of how much, but how and when.
15. Never make decisions under the influence of anger, concern, disappointment, worry, but ask for it when your judgment can be more peaceful.
16. Remember that a good leader can make a normal man feel like a giant, but a bad leader can turn a giant into a dwarf.
17. If you do not believe in these principles, give up being leaders.
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Every single point is a pearl of wisdom that invites us to reflect, and that deserves to be read and re-read.
Hats off.
In the coming days, I will also talk about the commercial aspect of Ferrero industry history.
As I said at the beginning, for a manufacturing company the product is absolutely key to success. But an excellent product is not enough to make you become one of the richest men in the world. And not even such enlightened human resources management.
You must also sell A LOT of that product …
Talk soon
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