At P&G, we have an unwavering commitment to helping our people learn and grow. Developing our people to their full potential is so important that it is one of the four vectors of our employee value equation, P&G + Me = Mutual Success.
“We are proud of our heritage of leadership development,” said Chief Learning Officer Ann Schulte. “We believe our approach to learning and development is a point of differentiation at P&G.”
And she is not the only one. A recent story from the Cincinnati Business Courier cited P&G as a “foddering ground for entrepreneurs,” highlighting four former P&Gers who now run their own businesses.
“P&G is the best place in the world to learn how to run a business,” said one former P&Ger.
Like many companies, we follow the 70-20-10 model of learning, where 70% happens on the job, 20% from colleagues and 10% from training and curricula. What makes the P&G environment so unique, Ann says, is that at P&G, employees can have multiple careers or jobs within a career.
“We can move around and have different experiences within the same company, learning new and different skills with each assignment,” she said.
“Furthermore, employees must do meaningful work – take on large levels of responsibility regardless of level. When you put these things together — a lot of responsibility and the ability to work in different roles — it’s very powerful in facilitating growth.”
Mentoring goes virtual during the pandemic
P&G executives are also committed to mentoring and coaching to develop the next generation of talent.
Corner Cube: This series of virtual leadership tips started during the pandemic when mentors and mentees couldn’t meet face-to-face. Check out P&G’s social channels – LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram – for these tips from P&G executives.
A small example of our commitment to helping our people learn and grow – called the Corner Cube – began during the pandemic. The leadership tip series was created by Jason Duff, P&G Vice President, Oral Care Ventures.
Before the pandemic, leaders typically shared their advice and lessons learned during 1:1 coffee chats with their mentees and peers. But the pandemic made it more difficult for P&G executives to travel or connect in person with team members who wanted their advice.
That’s when Jason found another way and asked senior executives to provide their answers to the top 10 questions that mentors often ask. He then shared their responses widely within the Company.
The initiative proved a good way to support our unwavering commitment to helping our people learn and grow, even when we can’t always be face to face.
“Less time in the office means less time to make new, authentic connections,” says Duff. “Of course, this isn’t a replacement for having a mentor, but I hope this can help democratize mentoring advice, if only a little.
