Industry leaders seeking to advance their careers and build stronger teams can benefit from shifting their focus from pleasing others to influencing outcomes, according to Yvonne Hsu, president of Hill's Pet Nutrition, who shared her leadership journey during a recent Ask the Petfood Pro fireside chat hosted by Women in Petfood Leadership.
Yvonne HsuHill's Pet Nutrition
This shift from seeking approval to driving change proved transformational. "You want to think about less pleasing and more about how are you influencing," Hsu said. "I think it shifts the focal point to yourself versus the other person. It's not what the other person wants, it's how can I use data, the arguments that I can make ... to get an outcome that I think is best for the business."
Hsu acknowledged this remains an ongoing practice, noting she still works on this approach whenever entering a new role. She also recognized it as a common challenge for women in leadership, many of whom feel pressure to please rather than influence strategic direction.
The psychology major turned marketer credited her parents, serial entrepreneurs who ran seven businesses before finding success, with instilling her leadership foundations. Working in their businesses taught her to lead with empathy, listen actively and understand the value people bring to organizations.
Here are five more leadership strategies from Hsu's Ask the Petfood Pro chat:
1. Risk-taking and transparency
Hsu shared a pivotal lesson about risk-taking from a product launch that resulted in the lowest simulated market test score she'd ever received. After investing a year in the project, the CEO's willingness to move on taught her an important principle. "You can take risks, you should be transparent about the risk you're taking and the potential outcomes, but always learn from those," she said. "Don't think about them as failures, think about them as learnings."
2. Active listening and preparation
Throughout the conversation, Hsu returned repeatedly to the importance of active listening as a leadership skill. "I don't like to speak just to have a share of voice. I like to speak when I can add value," she said. She recommended doing homework, understanding issues thoroughly and actively engaging in discussions rather than simply waiting to make a prepared point.
For women navigating male-dominated environments, Hsu suggested building alliances before important meetings. "Don't be afraid to have those hallway conversations," she said, noting that understanding different perspectives helps leaders make better contributions and demonstrates genuine interest in colleagues' viewpoints.
3. Work-life integration
Hsu reframed the concept of work-life balance as integration, emphasizing the importance of setting clear boundaries and managing expectations. With three children and a working spouse, she stressed identifying non-negotiables in both professional and personal life.
"I didn't want to miss out on the big moments in my children's lives," Hsu said, recalling when she declined to miss her youngest child's first day of kindergarten for a business meeting. She emphasized being fully present whether at work or home, noting that clarity about priorities enables better decision-making across all life areas.
4. Data-driven decisions with purpose
When asked about balancing data-driven approaches with customer focus, Hsu insisted the two aren't mutually exclusive. "Your data, your facts, they should help you to be more customer-centric," she said. She recommended a practice of asking "what's the data behind that?" when evaluating recommendations or making decisions.
Hsu also highlighted Hill's Clear the Shelters program, which she championed over seven years, as an example of aligning purpose with business. The program has helped more than one million pets find homes, with hundreds of employees volunteering their time. "When you can have your purpose and business come together in that way, everybody feels good about that," she said.
5. Empowerment and accountability
Hsu described empowerment as a two-way relationship between managers and employees, requiring clarity about decision-making authority and accountability. "With the decision comes accountability," she said. "There are two sides of it — having the freedom to do that, but also the accountability component."
For aspiring leaders, Hsu advised viewing careers as marathons rather than sprints, focusing on building diverse experiences that create well-rounded leadership capabilities. She encouraged early-career professionals to ask for help, seek mentors and leverage company resources for skill development.
Hsu's advice for anyone considering the pet food industry was straightforward. "It's dynamic, it's fun, it's purposeful," she said, encouraging people to adopt more pets to better understand the human-animal bond that drives innovation in the sector.
For more information or to view other chats, visit Ask the Petfood Pro at Petfood Forum event.
