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Guest
Clint Kofford, Global Head of Talent Development at Johnson & Johnson
Details
In this episode, our guest tells us, “My Purpose is to bring hope to every employee of Johnson & Johnson.” We have no doubt he means it—and what makes this even more interesting is that he’s working in an $85 billion enterprise that many see as being one of the very first American brands to publicly commit to Purpose. The company is Johnson & Johnson, a brand founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods, and the individual we’re speaking to about Purpose is its Global Head of Talent Development, Clinton Kofford.
Today, we’re going to delve into what Clint means by his statement—as well as how Johnson & Johnson’s Purpose statement. Their famous Credo feeds into what he and all other 135,000 team members do every day. As you may know, the Credo, written in 1932, lays out how it is “responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world.” That managers must always strive to “provide an inclusive work environment where each person must be considered as an individual”—but just as importantly, “When we operate according to these principles, the stockholders should realize a fair return.” Amazing stuff for 1932; still pretty cool to today—which is why we knew J&J had to be a big part of Season 7, where we’re working to understand Purpose in modern American business… and why Clint is convinced the Credo’s more than just a moral compass, but a recipe for business success. And we do a great dialog with him, not from a line-by-line analysis of any Purpose statement.
This podcast interview covers topics like:
- His day to day role leading of Johnson & Johnson’s management and leadership development work
- What the mechanism is for doing that at the company, the Human Performance Institute, and its roots in sports psychology, and how the Institute is now the new internal J&J ‘brand’
- Purpose and L&D and how new personalized career paths are starting to energize the team
- How, as a Learning professional, he’s doing what every Learning professional wants—harness the unique talents of everyone in the organization to bring out the best
- How he thinks Purpose is the glue that holds Talent together—but how internal paradigms may need to shift around the status of non-full time employees first
Resources
- Clint Kofford LinkedIn profile
- The Human Performance Institute at Johnson & Johnson website
- The Johnson & Johnson Credo in full
- The Purpose of non-full time W2 team members. Clint recommends LinkedIn founder’s Reid Hoffman et al’s The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age
- RedThread’s on-going Purpose work
Webinar
This season will culminate in a live online gated experience (a webcast) where we'll review and debate what we've learned. Seats are limited. Secure your place today, over at www.novoed.com/purpose.
Partner
We're also thrilled to be partnering with Chris Pirie, CEO of Learning Futures Group and voice of the Learning Is the New Work podcast. Check them both out.
Season Sponsor
Global enterprises rely on its collaborative online learning platform to build high-value capabilities that result in real impact, with its customers working to deliver powerful, engaging learning that activates deep skill development, from leadership to design thinking and digital transformation, as well as driving measurable business outcomes.
