Former Newell Brands CEO Michael Polk built a distinguished 40-year career in consumer goods by rejecting the traditional approach to leadership. During his eight-year tenure transforming Newell Brands from 2011 to 2019, Polk demonstrated that authentic communication and accessibility drive better business results than positional authority alone.
“Today, employees expect to be able to get to know you, to be engaged with you, and to hear how you think,” Polk explained in a recent interview. His leadership approach reflects broader shifts in executive expectations, where followership must be earned rather than assumed.
Building trust through transparency and communication
Michael Polk’s transformation of Newell Brands from a $5.4 billion holding company to a $9.4 billion consumer goods powerhouse required extensive organizational change. The company completed 35 transactions during his tenure—half divestitures and half acquisitions—while fundamentally restructuring from a loose conglomerate into a focused operating company.
Such sweeping change demanded exceptional communication skills. Despite describing himself as “an introvert by nature,” Polk instituted monthly global town halls throughout his time at Newell Brands and continues the practice at Implus LLC, where he currently serves as CEO. “Getting in front of 250 people every month for global townhalls is a learned behavior for me,” he acknowledged, yet he recognized its critical importance for organizational alignment.
The communication strategy proved effective. Under Polk’s leadership, Newell Brands met or exceeded external earnings guidance in 30 of 32 quarters, while enterprise value nearly tripled from approximately $5 billion in 2011 to $15 billion by 2019.
Leading through change requires emotional intelligence
Polk’s approach to transformation extends beyond financial metrics to human dynamics. When restructuring Newell Brands required difficult personnel decisions—including eliminating 50% of vice president positions—he emphasized providing context for organizational changes rather than simply issuing directives.
“You have to be really clear with what your intentions are,” Polk noted regarding change management. “You have to bring the organization with you. You’re never going to do it on your own.”
This philosophy influenced his tactical decisions at Newell Brands, including creating strategy-on-a-page documents that every employee received to maintain alignment during periods of uncertainty. The approach helped the company navigate three major external disruptions between 2017 and 2018, including retailer bankruptcies and supply chain force majeure events.
Accessibility drives performance in modern business
The evolution from hierarchical to accessible leadership reflects broader generational and technological shifts. Polk observed significant changes from his early career at companies like Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods, where executives maintained physical and social distance from employees.
“I looked up to my leaders and gave them respect based on their position of authority,” Polk recalled of traditional leadership models. “I had no expectation that they needed to earn my followership.”
Contemporary leadership requires different skills. “If you want to engender followership, which I think is super important to get things done, then you have to be present and make yourself more accessible and perhaps more vulnerable than leaders in the past have done,” Polk explained.
This accessibility principle extends to his current role at Implus LLC, where he works directly with marketing and commercial teams rather than managing primarily through organizational layers. The hands-on approach allows him to model behaviors for younger team members while maintaining the strategic oversight necessary for business transformation.
Michael Polk’s leadership philosophy demonstrates that authentic connection and transparent communication create more sustainable organizational change than traditional authority-based approaches. His successful transformation of Newell Brands and ongoing work at Implus LLC provide practical evidence that accessible leadership drives superior business performance in contemporary markets.
