235 Leena Nair: Raise Your Hand for the Hardest Job

Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

We all have jobs to pay the bills, but what is your purpose? And what's your company's purpose? Leena Nair asks these questions every day. She's the chief human resources officer at Unilever. She's also the first female, first Asian, and youngest CHRO in the company's history. "Companies with purpose last. And people with purpose thrive," Leena explains. And she has the data to back it up. Ensuring the well-being of 150,000 employees is a monumental endeavor, but her success stems from spending time with people to understand their motivations. And she rejects outdated business models that only view employees as a cost, rather than a company's greatest asset. Leena's made huge investments in purpose workshops and mental health programs. It's not only good for people; it's good for the bottom line, too. "For every $1 I invest in human well-being, we get $2.50 back." Whitney and Leena discuss why raising your hand for the most difficult jobs is one of the most important things you can do. "When was the last time you did something for the first time in your life? That's the last time you grew." We're conducting a quick, anonymous survey to understand our audience better! It takes less than 1 minute, and is enormously helpful. Take it here: href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021&source=gmail&ust=1632857829554000&usg=AFQjCNHNyY4m1QsTDalKt01s9GQDbqQ9OQ">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DisruptYourselfPodcast2021