Eric Schwartz on Turning Unwritten Rules Into Accelerators

What I’ve Learned

Eric Schwartz has spent his career navigating complex organizations through transformation, mergers, and cultural collisions. Across industries, he has learned that organizational politics aren’t a distraction — they’re the operating system.

“Politics are a tool. Understanding the landscape is a required feature of understanding how decisions really get made, and how work really gets done.”

The biggest unlock for him came not from formal structures, but from the unwritten rules that determine who thrives, who stalls, and why.

When he joined Hillshire Brands just before its acquisition by Tyson Foods, he experienced firsthand how quickly culture can separate people who technically excel from those who can actually influence: “Acting like the smartest person in the room was no longer rewarded… the whole room will shut down on you.”

The lesson: success depends far more on cultural fluency than on subject-matter expertise.

How I’ve Sharpened

The leaders who thrived in Eric’s story weren’t always the most experienced — they were the most adaptable.

“Those that did the best were able to navigate, read the room, and transmit their expertise into a new environment.”

Eric refined this skill over time, especially in environments with hidden motivations or unspoken incentives. While working in Henkel’s North America business, he learned how activating the deeper organizational drivers — even emotional ones — could accelerate major initiatives.

“When I was able to tap into that… I got all this enthusiasm and resourcing when I could speak that language.”

To sharpen his influence across unfamiliar landscapes, Eric relies on two behaviors:

1. Leveraging curiosity as a discipline. “My curiosity is my superpower. It’s also my weakness — I could listen to this for the whole hour.”
2. Translating, not transforming, himself. He doesn’t change who he is, he changes how he communicates: “Translate whatever it is that I have ambition for into something others can have ambition for… that’s not changing who I am.” This intentional “translation” builds trust, defuses resistance, and helps him carve lanes for innovation in even the most rigid systems.
3. Celebrating small wins to build cultural momentum. When navigating resistance or organizational “immune systems,” he sharpens morale intentionally by recognizing micro-progress. “What I celebrate in a tougher environment would sound stupid to some… but it's so important when people are slogging through resistance. Celebrate the little wins and develop momentum and enthusiasm for cultural change.”

Why It Matters

Leaders who can decode the real rules of an organization gain the ability to:

• Accelerate the work that matters
• Anticipate resistance before it derails momentum
• Build coalitions that withstand turbulence
• Navigate change without losing themselves

“When you understand the unwritten rules of the landscape, you can accelerate initiatives… and understand which ones are likely to move quickly and which ones are going to be a slog.”

For Eric, learning to read the environment has allowed him to guide entire organizations through transformation with clarity, empathy, and pace.

About Eric Schwartz

Eric Schwartz is Chief Marketing Officer of The Clorox Company and a seasoned CPG leader whose career spans P&L ownership, brand building, and large-scale transformation across Clorox, Tyson Foods, Hillshire Brands, and Henkel. Known for his ability to navigate complex cultural landscapes, Eric helps organizations translate consumer insight, operational realities, and internal dynamics into accelerated growth.