The biennial global study of more than 500 companies and the resulting list were developed by Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, in conjunction with The RBL Group, a strategic human resources and leadership systems advisory firm, and Fortune.

In an online story announcing the winners, Fortune cites General Mills' focus on developing inspirational managers and encouraging volunteerism as a way to build leadership skills.

According to Fortune, "Leadership training also goes beyond the walls of the General Mills headquarters. The company has built community service into its culture, with 82 percent of employees doing some sort of volunteer work."

General Mills offers career-long development opportunities for employees at each stage of their careers, including mentoring, access to leadership experts and speakers, training at the General Mills Institute, tuition reimbursement, and individual development planning.

"We've always believed that building great brands and great talent go hand-in-hand," said Kevin Wilde, vice president and chief learning officer for General Mills. "This recognition reinforces our commitment to growing leaders. We're honored to be ranked among the best in the world."

An independent, expert panel of judges selected the Global Top Companies based on criteria including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, impact of leadership in communities in which they operate, business performance, and company reputation.

"Through our research, it's clear that Global Top Companies such as General Mills do not abandon key leadership and talent efforts in favor of short-term goals," said Bob Gandossy, global practice leader of Hewitt's Leadership Consulting practice. "Leaders at these organizations are passionate and committed. They have an intense focus on talent and their leadership programs are practical, relevant and aligned with business goals -- in good times and in bad."

See the full 2009 list of Global Top Companies for Leaders on Fortune's Web site.

About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., General Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.

SOURCE: General Mills

General Mills 
Maerenn Jepsen, 763-764-6364

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About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in over 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., General Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales. Visit www.generalmills.com (http://www.generalmills.com/).

###

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/easy-recipes/tablespoon-com/prweb3230904.htm.

PRWeb.com

Visitors to Tablespoon can find food ideas they'll love by:

-- Searching and using filters to narrow their search. Don't like cilantro? Love chocolate? Pressed for time? The "smart search" filters narrow the results to help visitors find the easy recipes they want.

-- Browsing recipe categories and collections such as Easy Chicken Dinners, Thanksgiving Dinner Classics and Easy Pie Recipes.

-- Finding inspiration from recipe recommendations. For example, if a visitor views the Bisquick easy baked chicken recipe, the recommendations will show 12 other popular easy chicken recipes.

Anyone can use Tablespoon, but there's much more visitors can do as registered members of the site, including:

-- Adding their own favorite recipes to share with others.

-- Creating their own customized versions of existing recipes

-- Sharing their favorite recipes with friends via Facebook, Twitter and other social web sites.

-- Saving money every day with online grocery coupons, often more than $100 in available savings.

-- Receiving a weekly email newsletter filled with timely ideas.

Tablespoon is a beta release of the web site open to the public to test features and solicit feedback from site visitors. For thousands of easy recipes for any meal or occasion, or to share recipes with friends and family, visit Tablespoon.com.

About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in over 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., General Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales. Visit www.generalmills.com.

SOURCE: General Mills

General Mills 
Media Inquiries 
Paula Mielke, 651-492-4143 
Paula.Mielke@genmills.com 
or 
Shera Balgobin, 763-293-1212 
Shera.Balgobin@genmills.com