The story of an “accidental” career in an international corporation." The book "How I became a boss. The story of David Novak's "accidental" career in an international corporation: how I became the boss
I was very honored and excited to be given this opportunity and immediately began working on the program. I was very clear about what I was going to present in it - I had even set a date for delivering my first program to a group of fifteen people, the executive management of PepsiCo, when suddenly I got a phone call that changed everything.
It was Roger again, only this time he was calling about a completely different matter.
“David,” he said, “we are going to spin off restaurants as a separate business.”
“And what the hell does this mean for our employees and the company?” – I asked immediately.
This meant the following: PepsiCo was going to retain the assets of its food brands - Pepsi and Frito Lay - and spin off three restaurant brands: KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Having separated them, she was going to create a new independent company - an open joint-stock company.
I worked in that same sector of the restaurant business, so it seemed pointless to present a leadership program to PepsiCo's executive management. The program was put on the shelf, and I was already thinking about something else: who would lead the new company.
It turned out that it would be me. And there's a guy named Andy Pearson, former president of PepsiCo, professor at Harvard Business School. I became the president, and Andy became the chairman and CEO, and also my mentor, and remained so even after I retired, and I took over a couple of years later. The first thing I heard from him when we first started was, “How would you like to have lunch with Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric, and talk to him about what we are going to do with our new company?”
Of course, I agreed. The opportunity to get advice from one of the most successful people in business was too good to pass up. I asked Jack all sorts of questions that came into my head, and, sitting next to him, I immediately wrote down his answers. One of the questions I asked at the end was, “If you were in my position of having to start a new company, what would you do?”
What he said amazed me. What he said was this: “When I look back on my career at GE, the one thing I wish I could have done differently is that I would communicate more with people, telling them what kind of company I am, what our values are, and what this means to us.”
Back in my office, I spent the week thinking about how I could achieve the same thing.
I wanted us to become a company with a distinct culture, one that revolved around a genuine belief in people. I took another look at my leadership program, redesigned it, and tied it to this mission. My goal was to expand the program to such a scale that I could reach as many people as possible and make it appeal to a wider audience. Of course, I have to reach many if I want to communicate important information about our company. By starting this program, I am taking the first step toward creating a unique Yum!
In the following pages, you'll see how these people—the most successful leaders and professionals—use much of what this book discusses in their businesses.
The book benefits greatly from the inclusion of interactive tools provided by two eminent thought leaders in the fields of culture and progressive business thinking.
book author David Novak in search of a job, I sent out not standard resumes, but a brochure with poems own composition about why he should be hired for a vacant position. Then he got a job at PepsiCo, worked for eleven years in all sorts of positions and was sure that he would vegetate like that until retirement. But then one fine day...
No, just don’t think that this is a Hollywood story about a loser who caught the eye of the celestials and was assigned an experiment for the sake of the president of the corporation. Of course, when PepsiCo employees learned that the management decided to separate the restaurant division of the holding into a separate structure, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management, however, David Novak, who was appointed to this post, was not chosen entirely by chance - some... he definitely had experience. It’s another thing to step from major marketers straight into general directors - to the position of chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Yum! Brands (the world’s largest restaurant chain - 35 thousand restaurants around the world, brands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc.) .
It is clear that getting an appointment does not mean becoming a boss - it is important to hold on and show the celestial shareholders that their choice was correct. Actually, the book is exactly about this - what to do if you suddenly became the head of a newly created company with a turnover of ten billion dollars, how to use all your and other people’s experience, process an avalanche of new information in order not only to stay in your chair, but and build a real beautiful business.
“What I want to achieve with my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, no matter what direction their career takes, by showing through my own example how I was able to realize mine,” says the author himself. - In business everything is relative. No matter who you work for, always look at those who are equal to you in position and status and evaluate for yourself whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to become better than them. And when you succeed, you will look at your boss and think: “What does he have that I don’t? “And then you start working to become better than him. It has always helped me advance in my career.”
Unlike many other memoirs of financiers or industrialists, this book is especially valuable for its “closeness to the people” - after all, street bistros, like no other business, are connected with ordinary people, both by customers and those standing at the counter. Moreover, the owners of each individual outlet are small franchisee companies. Can you imagine what a bunch of questions the newly-minted boss had to solve, and what a tangle of relationships he had to unravel? He established a council of chefs and, together with them, tasted fried chicken and chose the recipe, thought through the service and built a system of relationships with franchisee partners. The KFC or Pizza Hut companies existed for many years before the merger under Yum!Brands.
David Novak managed to shake up the old system and bring the company to a different level of turnover and profit. Anyone who has ever eaten at, for example, KFC can get an idea of his achievements. And the opening of new bistros around the world in itself already speaks of the success of the business. The book is written in normal human language, without specific terms and special abstruse language. All the problems described are clearly understandable to anyone who has encountered management at any level. After reading it, it makes sense to think about whether you would be able to cope if you were appointed boss tomorrow?
The first review I heard about this book was from a work colleague. After quickly skimming a few pages, she concluded:
The usual tabloid reading like “How to become a millionaire in one month” or “How to marry a prince.”
Unlike my colleague, I read the entire book, and overall I was left with positive emotions. The book was translated and published by Mann, Ivanov, Farber, and these guys position themselves as suppliers of high-quality business literature.
The book is written in the same easy, accessible language as K. Sewell’s book “Clients for Life,” previously published by the same publishing house.
The book has 21 chapters, each of which consists of subchapters and has its own title. In my opinion, the titles of some subchapters do not correlate well with the contents of the chapter, but let’s leave that to the conscience of the author (or translator?!).
This book was written by a man who worked in top management companies Pepsi, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut. Introduced a new brand to the market - Yum! Brands (a management company of several well-known restaurant brands). In short, the book was written by a man whose activities often shocked corporate America.
For myself, I divided this book into three parts:
- The first part is a memoir. In this part of the book, the author recalls the skills he acquired as a child - in school, college, and then at the University of Missouri. The acquired skills are the desire to be the best and the ability to negotiate. The author talks about the stages of his career. In his memoirs, the author shares memories of meeting his wife, rivalries with friends, and memories of his teachers (not only school ones, but also teachers “in life”). This part of the book describes the behavior of senior managers largest corporations USA, their approaches to introducing changes. A lot is told interesting stories about corporate America and the history of the creation of some brands. It was clear how the author grew along with his goals. He didn’t have a general goal, he grew step by step: first as a copywriter, then as a salesman, then as a marketing director.
This part of the book was simply interesting and informative to read; in practical terms, I did not learn anything new for myself. On the other hand, this part of the book is proof that “leaders are not born, but made.”
- Second part - practical experience author. This part of the book starts on page 150. It was here that I began to actively write in the margins and underline the text. I memorized the author's "eight principles of leadership." The author shares secrets on how to interest subordinates in their work and make them a team. The author shows with examples how, why and for what purpose it is necessary to create a corporate culture. In the chapter “Leading People,” the author talks about 15 lessons for leaders. About how to stimulate and reward people. The nominations for salespeople, cashiers, accountants, marketers, etc. are described very interestingly.
I was surprised that, even as the CEO of the largest restaurant chain, the author found time and personally taught his subordinates how to properly manage and organize work of subordinates. Be a leader means teaching! Corporate training generally plays an enviable role in the book.
A lot is also said about the mistakes that the author made and how he corrected them. It was very interesting to read how the author analyzes his own mistakes: why he made them, and what needs to be done so that no one else in the company he heads makes similar mistakes.
In an effort to become better, the author and his team researched many success formulas (from W. Buffett, D. Welch and other successful CEOs) and came up with their own formula. Thus, this book talks not only about the author's own experience, but also about the experience of other management gurus.
It was interesting to read about the five principles of behavior in a crisis situation. The author reveals the secrets of how to resist negative facts described in the press - I think this is especially important for Russia!
- The third part is a separate chapter of the book, called “Leaders Answer Questions.” This chapter stands out from the rest of the book, which is why I highlighted this particular chapter. It’s about layoffs, about a reasonable balance between career and family, about how to create a successful team and how to manage it. The relationship between business, career and religion is touched upon.
After reading the book, I got the impression that the author was lying and did not reveal all the secrets. The feeling of understatement is present throughout the entire reading.
Who would I recommended this book? In my opinion, it would be useful and interesting to senior management of companies, restaurateurs, HR specialists and those involved in training employees in the company. I also recommend reading this book to marketers and development specialists.
Quotes from the book:
- “You have the power to become what you, according to your own deepest conviction, are capable of becoming.”
- “No one knows in advance what they are capable of.”
- “Another person from the outside will consider the traditions and symbols of the organization stupid. But if everything is done sincerely, from the heart, then people have an urgent need to feel involved in them, which ultimately prompts them to action.”
- “Deep conviction is not a fact of being right.”
“Once in a lifetime, fate knocks on everyone’s door. But often this one sits in the next tavern and does not hear the knock.”
When PepsiCo employees learned that management had decided to spin off the restaurant division of the holding into a separate company, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management. And they certainly didn’t expect that this person would be their colleague David Novak. As, however, David himself did not expect this...
This book is about what to do if you suddenly become the head of a newly created company with a turnover of ten billion dollars. About how to use all your life experience and an avalanche of new information in order not only to “not burn out” in a new place, but also to turn half the kingdom that has fallen on you into a strong empire.
And a little about what to do BEFORE you, if the opportunity arises, become the head of the company.
Book feature
If you think that there are no Cinderella stories in business, you are mistaken. They happen. True, in a business fairy tale, Cinderella and the good fairy are one and the same hero.
From the author
“No one knows in advance what he is capable of”
“What I want to achieve with my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, no matter what direction their career takes, by showing through my own example how I was able to achieve mine.” “In business everything is relative. No matter who you work for, always look at those who are equal to you in position and status and evaluate for yourself whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to become better than them. And when you succeed, you will look at your boss and think: “What does he have that I don’t? “And then you start working to become better than him. It has always helped me advance in my career.” “There is a huge difference between what you know and what you do.”
NOVAK
1. The prevalence of the surname is explained by the fact that in the old days every newcomer, newcomer, newcomer was called a new person. This designation quickly became a permanent nickname and was passed down to descendants in the form of a surname. It is no coincidence that in ancient census books the records of some people nicknamed Novik are marked “prihozhiy” (that is, a newcomer). (F).
2. Novik - a young warrior. A new recruit could get such a surname.
Novik is Polish, and Novak is Czech.
From visitors' additions. At Al. Tolstoy, it seems, in “The Tale of Troubled Times”, it is written that the surname Novik was awarded to a young nobleman who first entered the royal service. That is, something like the first officer rank. There was even such a legendary cruiser "Novik". About me: Vlad Novikov
(Source: “Dictionary of Russian surnames.” (“Onomasticon”))
David
Craig Ashley David ( Craig Ashley David, born , ) is a British singer and songwriter.
Craig David began playing music from an early age. His first guitar lessons were given to him by his father, who himself studied music and played in a musical group called “Eboney Rockers.” Already as a teenager, Craig began composing his own songs, and at the age of 14 he became a DJ on a pirate radio station. At the same time, he played in a local club. Craig's first notable success was winning a national competition with the song "I'm Ready."
After this, Craig began working with Mark Hill from the duo Artful Dodger. Craig contributed to the duo's album, including the successful single "Rewind". Subsequently, Mark Hill helped him record his solo album, Born To Do It, released in 2000. Already the first single from this album, “Fill Me In”, made Craig David the youngest British musician to occupy the first line
