Attracting, Developing, and Retaining the Best People is Essential to Building Kellanova's Culture of Best

By Steve Cahillane, Chairman, President and CEO, Kellanova

CHICAGO, June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- I'm often asked what's the enduring lesson gleaned as CEO of the iconic Kellogg Company, and now Kellanova. It's simple: the crucial role of an organization's culture, including its values, vision, and vitality. The best cultures drive a company's strategy, feed its purpose, and play a pivotal role in recruiting and retaining talent – and that's especially true in today's red hot job market.

Don't believe me? Fresh research commissioned by Kellanova as we developed and rolled out our own aspiration to build a Culture of Best underscores it. Nearly all – 94% – of job seekers in six countries said that while strong compensation packages are foundational, they pursue workplaces that clearly demonstrate how they can thrive and become their best. And 95% want to be rewarded for their accomplishments.

That's not all. Workplace flexibility continues to reign supreme, with nearly two-thirds of respondents rating paid time off and leave policies as a must-have. Thirty-seven percent consider a hybrid office environment a differentiator.

This backdrop helped us as we developed Kellanova's culture aspiration. We knew we were starting from a position of strength, and we could have carried forward the vision, purpose, and ideals that helped Kellogg and its culture be recognized as a great place to work. But as we began our new era as Kellanova – with an ambitious vision to be the world's best-performing snacks-led powerhouse – we took the opportunity to reexamine our ways of working, starting with our company culture and values. (And without losing the vision of our founder W.K. Kellogg, the original wellbeing visionary.) 

Our Culture of Best challenges us to bring our best to all that we do as we pursue our vision, our purpose, and our sharpened strategy to Differentiate, Drive & Deliver. And it captures what makes our company special: our passion, energy, and ability to collaborate to make extraordinary advances.  

Bringing our Culture of Best to life starts with our values. They articulate who we are as a company – how we show up in the world, how we engage with each other, and how we do business. Kellanova's new values are Integrity, Accountability, and Courage.

Integrity captures our commitment to acting ethically and our desire to foster inclusion and belonging for our people. Accountability reflects a long history of taking and driving initiatives that remain central to our culture, and Courage – a new value – encourages our people to have a voice and to feel empowered to take action. We know if we want to be best in the industry, we must make courageous behaviors a more consistent element of our daily interactions.

But most importantly, we know that culture can't just be words. It's each of us. It's how we conduct ourselves and our business 24/7. It's how we support and positively challenge each other to reach for our individual and collective Best. It's how we live our values and show up ready to win.

At Kellanova, we're driven to be the Best.

SOURCE Kellanova