In the five years he was Gillette’s head of innovation for the Oral-B brand, Gary Cohen and his team doubled the size of the business, developed a billion-dollar brand, ideated 30 new products many of which went on to be $100 million product lines, and 15 years later they are still seen on supermarket shelves. The brands were instrumental in the valuation of Gillette when it was sold to Proctor & Gamble.
In Episode 8 of the Being Human is Good For Business Podcast we talk to Gary Cohen, CEO at Qualitor Automotive Inc.
Over the course of his 32-year career, Mr. Cohen has held leadership roles at top consumer products and companies, such as Timex, Playtex, Proctor & Gamble and Gillette.
In the five years he was Gillette’s head of innovation for the Oral-B brand, Gary and his team doubled the size of the business, developed a billion-dollar brand, ideated 30 new products many of which went on to be $100 million product lines, and 15 years later they are still seen on supermarket shelves. The brands were instrumental in the valuation of Gillette when it was sold to Proctor & Gamble.
“Without a doubt, building emotional intelligence in our leaders fueled this innovation,” says Gary. “Only by listening generously can you thoroughly understand where someone is coming from so that together you can overcome challenges. By having real empathy for your colleagues and your customers, you can generate truly great ideas.”
His executive coach, Trilogy Effect Managing Partner Heather Marasse says, “It doesn’t matter if you’re the smartest person in the world, if you don’t constantly practice your leadership skills, nothing changes. That’s why I appreciate the way Gary continually works on his own development as a leader. I admire the way he successfully links the ‘soft stuff’ of emotional intelligence to real world innovation and business success.”
In this podcast, Gary breaks down the leadership tools and techniques he uses to build successful teams and outstanding businesses. Learn how:
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