CEOs Drop Warm and Fuzzy in ‘Ruthless’ Push to Squeeze Workers

The way Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Fernando Fernandez starts every meeting at the consumer products maker says a lot about the mindset of corporate bosses who fear their companies have lost their edge.

“Before saying hello, I say: ‘Volume growth, positive mix, consistent growth margin expansion for profit growth in hard currency,’” the CEO told an industry analyst in a recorded appearance last year.

Fernandez acknowledged it’s a strange way to greet people, but it’s how he ensures employees understand what’s important: He wants results and he’s holding people accountable for them.

High-performance mode: activated.

Photographer: Jesse Untracht-Oakner/Bloomberg

While hardly a new mantra in the ...