Leadership means different things depending on where you sit. For someone running a public company with tens of thousands of employees, success often shows up in stock performance, earnings calls, and organizational metrics. For Michael Polk, leading Implus LLC as its CEO, success has taken on a more personal dimension.

Trading Scale for Depth

Polk arrived at Implus in 2020 after a long career at companies including Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, Unilever, and Newell Brands, where he served as CEO from 2011 to 2019. His work at Newell involved transforming a holding company into a streamlined operating company while managing a staff of more than 50,000 people. It was consequential work at significant scale. But when Berkshire Partners approached him to lead transformation efforts at Implus, a fitness accessories portfolio company, Polk saw something different on offer.

The structure of a smaller, privately owned company puts leaders in direct contact with their teams and with the actual work of the business. Michael Polk Newell Brands has spoken about spending far more time at Implus doing brand and business development directly with his team, rather than managing resources through layers of an organization. He describes it as being right there in the crucible, shaping decisions in real time.

Accountability and Satisfaction

Michael Polk is quick to clarify that private company leadership does not mean freedom from accountability. He answers to a board and to Implus’s owners, just as he answered to Newell Brands shareholders. The expectation to create value is a constant. What has changed is the nature of the engagement.

He has described witnessing the professional growth of his team as one of the most rewarding aspects of his tenure. Younger employees take on more responsibility earlier. Senior leaders operate as coaches with real skin in the game. For Polk, that is what good leadership looks like in practice. Refer to this article for related information.

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