Clarify decision making to accelerate performance… and stay away from the #3 "swamp!"

 

 

I had the chance early in my career to go through a lot of training classes/experiences as part of the process of “coming up” in large well-run companies.  The commitment to build the skills and capabilities of their young talent was a hallmark of companies like Kimberly Clark and Kraft Foods… early stops on my career journey.  When I took the role as marketing manager for The Coca Cola Company in 1990, 5 years into my career, I had no idea of the intensive and amazing training that was ahead of me!  This story comes from one of those experiences… probably from sometime in 1994 or 1995… now 30+ years ago!

During those days, Roberto Gouizueta was Chairman and CEO, and Sergio Zyman was CMO of the Coca Cola Company.  Both individuals were bigger than life to me at the time, and I had the chance to see them speak to groups large and small and to be in meetings with them a time or two early in my days at Coke.  It was at one of those meetings, a large worldwide marketing conference hosted by Sergio, where a major priority was for us as marketers to refine our approach, accelerate our work, improve the impact of our plans and in order to do these things we needed to clarify our decision-making approach.  While a bit theoretical, we broke out into small groups ( mixed with peers across the world) and began a training module on a “Decision Making Framework” that would help us clarify “Decision Roles” and thus accelerate our actions in the market… it was in these sessions that I learned to “stay away from #3!!

The training simplified ALL problem decision making moments (problem solving scenarios) into one of five categories and our job was to clarify which “category” was pertinent at the moment and accelerate the problem solving ahead.

Decision Making Scenarios

1.        I am the decision maker, and I don’t need and am not asking for any input on the decision.

2.        I am the decision maker, and I do need input and thus am asking for input from these specific individuals/groups/departments before I make the decision.

3.        WE are making the decision and may or may not need input.

4.        YOU are the decision maker, and YOU need input from me, other individuals/groups/departments before YOU make the decision.

5.        YOU are the decision maker, and you don’t need any input and are not asking for any input on the decision.

We worked through all the scenarios above in our small groups and came together to discuss the opportunities and challenges that the clarification process took… and to realize the “swamp” of #3.  We realized that too many times in our day to day work we were finding ourselves in discussions literally “circling” a problem, not making a decision, not getting key input, not clarifying decision rights… and ultimately slowing down the impact in the market.  We were setting stuck in the “#3 quicksand” and didn’t even realize it!

I share this little story from the early 90’s to encourage you think about this in your context today.  Whether in a small company environment, a non-profit organization, or a foundation (the three environments where I am spending my professional energy these days), ask yourselves if you have w=found yourself in the #3 “swamp” recently and work to push yourselves and your team in #’s 1 or 2… or maybe #’s 4 or 5…. but work hard to eradicate #3 from your team’s daily habits!!

 

Simultaneous solution of multivariable equations: a leader’s dilemma

It’s rare that I turn to mathematics as an inspiration of leadership lessons in my essays, but today I have been reminded of the challenge of solving complex problems with multiple variables at play… and needing to solve for those variables at the same time… or simultaneously.  I encountered this topic back in college with my first go at Linear Algebra… and worked on it more deeply in grad school.  In those days, before pc’s and broad-based personal computing, we used the “matrix method” and hand-built matrices to solve theoretical equations manually.  A few definitions follow below will help build a base of understanding so we can turn to how this concept is a basis for a leadership lesson.

 

Simultaneous solutions for multivariable equations require finding the values for multiple unknown variables that satisfy all equations at the same time, using substitution, elimination, or matrices

Core Methods

• Substitution Method:
• Isolate one variable in one equation.
• Plug that expression into the other equations.
• Solve for the remaining single variable.  
• Elimination Method:
• Multiply equations by numbers so one variable has matching or opposite coefficients.
• Add or subtract the equations to cancel out that variable.
• Repeat to peel back layers until one variable is left.  
• Matrix / Linear Algebra:
• Convert the system into row-echelon form or use inverse matrices.
• Best for large systems with three or more variables.  

 

 

Now that we have some of the mathematical definitions in hand, how in the world do they relate to leadership and lessons on decision making and problem solving for leaders?  Over the past few weeks, in conversations with a number of C-suite execs, I keep running into individuals facing challenging moments and tough decisions looking for my advice. These execs span a variety of companies and industries, but all are facing very difficult issues with many variables affecting the moments at hand.  As I dig into the conversations with each individual, we start going through the wide range of factors (think “variables”) that need to be sorted out in order to make the best decision possible.  It was after one of these discussions and leaving the “zoom call,” it dawned on me that here was another example of an executive trying to solve a “multivariable equation” and that they and I were informally using one of the methods ( mentioned above) without realizing it and without much positive impact.  We “swirled” around the problem/issue/challenge and debated the various factors/decisions/”variables” that would need to be considered…. but we made limited progress.

As a followup for one of those calls, I took some time and wrote out the factors/ ”variables” at hand (there were 7) and did my own ranking of the 7 factors/”variables” on a scale of “importance.”  Now “importance” is extremely subjective, so I looked to add a little analytic discipline of my own and de-composed it into three elements… “Importance” = ”Strategic impact on the business” X “Impact on me and my family” X “Impact on the organization.”  This allowed me to thus “score” each of the factors/ ”variables” and build a prioritized list of the 7.  In the same fashion, I asked the exec to do the same… NOT try to problem solve all 7 factors/ ”variables” at once but to use this technique to “prioritize” the list.  While we had a little debate on the order of #3-#7, the top two, most “important “ factors/”variables” were clearly at the top of both of our lists.

Once we had the top 2 identified, I encouraged that we make the decisions on these two factors/ “variables” first… discuss/debate then make the call on the top 2 …then and only then decide on the other 5 factors/”variables” once we had the top 2 set in stone… in other words we used a “prioritized method” to get all 7 factors/”variables” sorted and thus were able to chart the path forward guided by making the decisions on the most important “variables” first!

This technique was helpful to navigate the complicated, “multi-variate” problems facing these execs, and it reminded me that finding new approaches to problem solving and decision making is important and can come from lessons learned in a college/grad-school calculus class!

 

 

Executive “Complaining” … unproductive for the leader & destructive to the team

 

The reality of senior executives “complaining” is nothing new.  Since the beginning of my career (now 40+ years ago!!) I have been around business executives who chose to “complain” in public settings.  Maybe the “complaints” were about macro-economic trends, or competitive pricing actions, changing customer requirements/expectations, or board member “suggestions/feedback.”  Regardless of the impetus, I am sure we have all had moments when we have been in setting where executives (and a t time very senior executives) “complain” loudly, broadly and publicly.  Speaking only for myself, I am certain that there have been moments in my past where I was one of those “complainers.”  I am here today to share that executive “complaining” is never productive… neither for the “complaining” perpetrator, nor for their organizations/teams who get to witness/experience the venting!

This “double negative” impact of executive “complaining” is easy to understand.  For the executive, while they possibly get to blow off some steam, nothing productive emerges from the “complaining” session.  No root-cause analysis is undertaken, not brainstorming of possible response scenarios are created, no competitive or customer role playing undertaken to work to understand the possible motivations/drivers of the other party.  NO productive action comes from the “complaining” sessions, just some possible self-oriented venting by the executive.    For the team / organization who get to experience the “complaining,” the impact is extremely destructive.  

In the spirit that “everything communicates,” remember that leaders “teach” their teams by their actions (always good to re-read “Our Actions betray our Intent” https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2017/06/our-actions-betray-our-intent.html) either good or bad.  A “complaining” boss tends to pass those habits on to their team and a “complaining” organization is a dangerous thing.  Over the years I have seen teams/organizations be very forward looking, creative and action oriented ready to face the challenges their businesses face.  Equally I have seen teams/organizations become very “problem oriented,” centered on the issues being faced (often with a lot of “complaining”) with limited problem solving or action orientation towards solutions.  These attributes could often be traced to the senior leaders and their habits and choices.  Leadership matters and has an impact on a company, a country or a team…good or bad!

Now leaders are humans and we all need to vent a bit… we ALL need to blow off steam at various points of our life and work because of the challenges we are facing … we just shouldn’t do it with our companies/organizations or teams.  Look for friends, mentors, or advisers (NOT your direct reports or organization broadly!!) who can listen empathetically, let you verbalize and vent on the challenges being faced and who can help redirect your personal energy and orientation to problem solving and action plan building for the challenges ahead.  I remember so clearly, in mid- March of 2020 flying back to Atlanta from Bakersfield California as the covid-19 pandemic hit hard.  I was scared, blown away, and needed to vent in a big way and I found myself some time with an old friend and historic work colleague Chris who didn’t work with me at Bolthouse Farms.  With a drink (maybe two ??) in hand, he let me talk, freak out a bit, and ultimately helped me get refocused for the very challenging path ahead.  I needed that time to vent… I needed that time to blow-off steam…. just not with my direct reports/team or organization.

 As you face the challenges ahead in your situations, try to remember this simple lesson….as a leader your impact is significant and work hard to not let your “need” to vent/complain bleed over to your organization… its unproductive for you as the leader and destructive for the team.

Driving Demand: the required action of the "Demand Drives Price" lesson

 

Lessons from Economics and Real-World Examples

“Driving demand” sits at the heart of the concept that “demand drives price.” This principle, rooted in fundamental economics, shapes the way businesses, industries, and even institutions operate and grow.

A Lesson from Micro-Economics

Fourteen years ago, I wrote an essay recounting a powerful lesson I learned on my first day in college Micro-Economics, way back in 1982. The lesson—titled “Demand Drives Price”—has stuck with me for over four decades and continues to inform my thinking today.

My Econ Professor illustrated this truth using three copies of the local newspaper, The Daily Record: yesterday’s edition, today's, and a hypothetical “tomorrow’s” edition. Today’s paper cost 25 cents in those days, and everyone agreed that was a fair price. It could be purchased on campus or at a local convenience store, and it was always $.25.  Yesterday’s paper, now outdated, was worth little—maybe a nickel for practical uses like lining a cat box or cleaning windows. But the hypothetical “tomorrow’s” paper, filled with future sports scores, world headlines, and stock prices, sparked excitement. Someone suggested it could be worth a dollar, then ten, then $100, and finally someone shouted, “Maybe $100,000!” The cost of production for each paper was identical, but the value varied astronomically, all because the "demand" was so different.

The Importance of Driving Demand

That morning lecture has stayed with me throughout my career. Whenever I face business challenges, I remind myself of the vital importance of driving demand. This isn’t just a theoretical concept—it’s a practical imperative for growth.

Supply, Demand, and Market Equilibrium

Across industries and organizations, the basic principles of supply and demand always hold. Every market has an equilibrium point where supply meets demand, determining the price and quantity the market will support. Yet, it’s surprising how often organizations forget that to foster growth—in both price and quantity—you must actively drive demand. Put simply, if you want to “sell more for more,” you need to create and nurture demand in your marketplace.

Real-World Examples: When Demand Falters

Let’s look at a few examples where the failure to drive demand led to decline:

• Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice (FCOJ): Once a staple in American households, FCOJ recently disappeared from Minute Maid’s product lineup. The decline wasn’t just about changing consumer preferences; it was about the inability—or lack of action—to drive demand for the product. Without demand, even long-standing brands can fade away.
  
• Film Photography: Despite a surge in picture-taking, Kodak, once synonymous with photography, became irrelevant. The industry failed to adapt and drive demand in the new era of digital photography. Kodak’s slow response to digital cameras—and later, smartphones—meant missed opportunities and lost relevance.
• Higher Education: Colleges and universities today face a “demographic cliff”—fewer college-age seniors and fewer foreign students. Without strong demand for their offerings, institutions struggle to attract incoming classes, leading to lower prices (more financial aid,) lower class sizes, and a downward spiral or cost cutting and "right-sizing" that don't address the core issue of "demand."  Only those institutions with compelling value propositions can maintain or grow demand and avoid “selling less for less.”

Learning from Success: Apple’s Turnaround

While these stories seem bleak, history offers hope. Consider Apple Computers in the late 1980s and 1990s. The company tried to cut costs to halt declining sales, but it wasn’t until Steve Jobs returned in 1997 that Apple began its turnaround. Jobs invested heavily in R&D, innovation, and marketing. With the launch of the iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007, Apple became the growth juggernaut we know today. The lesson? Forget “saving your way to success.” Instead, focus on driving demand through innovation and marketing.

Conclusion: Make Driving Demand Your Priority

Remember the story of the three newspapers: if “demand drives price” is a core truth (and i deeply believe it is) we must all push ourselves—regardless of role, title, or industry—to drive demand in any way we can. It’s the key to growth, relevance, and lasting success.

 

The “Promiscuous” Consumer… disrupting legacy brands faster than ever!!

 

 

I have commented over the years in this forum about the “fickleness” of consumers.  Many years ago, I wrote an essay (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/11/brand-loyalty-dangerous-and-outmoded.html) expounding on the idea that the “brand loyalty” and the “brand adoption model” were dangerous and outmoded ideas.  Writing this in early 2026, I am convinced that those musings were not only true, but the dynamic of “promiscuous consumers” disrupting legacy brands is actually accelerating.

This idea/concept first hit my radar in the late 1980’s.  In those years, before I found my way to Coke, I was the brand manager for Breyers Ice Cream, in those years owned by Kraft Foods.  In 1988, Phillip Morris (the tobacco giant) which owned General Foods acquired Kraft and combined the operations into a large food conglomerate name KGF.  As part of the integration process, I went to meetings in General Foods HQ (White Plains NY) to meet their marketing teams and work on integration plans.  On one of those trips, I just happened to “sit in” on a meeting being held by the V.P. of Marketing for Maxwell House Coffee, one of General Food’s historic and iconic brands.  The team was discussing an upstart “coffee shop” brand emerging from Seattle with an odd name….. yes, Starbucks.  They laughed at the “burnt taste” of the dark roasted coffee, the fact you could only buy it at a Starbucks store ( it wasn’t until 1998 that Starbucks coffee became available in grocery stores) and that there was a whopping 50+/- Starbucks locations in the entire U.S. at that time!  The final “mockery” was the V.P. prognosticating that NO ONE in America would ever pay $1.00 for a cup of coffee.  The team laughed, dropped that topic and moved onto what seemed to them the bigger challenges of the day.

I think back to that moment today, with 16k+ Starbucks locations in the U.S., 40k+ across the world, and reflect on Starbucks as the legacy brand today that is being disrupted from every angle.  This cycle/dynamic is accelerating in the food and beverage space and indeed is true across a wide array of consumer facing categories.  The consumers that I described as “promiscuous” are doing the logical thing… assessing their current choices of food, beverages, restaurants, cars, technology, clothing, and even lawn and garden brands and are wondering ( or doing live AI driven research) looking for “better” options.  We will dig deeper into this “better” definition in a future essay, but for today think about “(Q+C)/$” or Quality and Convenience delivered, divided by price.

Consideration for Disruptor Brands:  The headline hear is “go for it!”  I deeply believe that there are NO legacy brands that are invulnerable… regardless of category.  Now many legacy brands have incredible “moats” and can play defense or counterattack very well, with lots of resources so disruptor brands shouldn’t be naïve about the fights ahead.  Remember the “Differentiation Formula” that I shared years about the D/P/A model: “Distinctive” in the market/category you are competing, “Preferred” by core consumers/users, “Advantaged” vs competition.  If your disruptor offering hits the D/P/A model well, play hard and play fast… most legacy brands are slow to respond.

Consideration for Legacy Brands: The headline here is accelerate your work and your market awareness and always operate with a “pebble in the shoe”.  Be paranoid and imagine that you are surrounded by a myriad of brands that wont to destroy your brand and source their volume from YOUR business.  Don’t assume ANY competitor is too small, too niche, too obscure, or too expensive (remember those $1 cups of coffee.)  Work the D/P/A model hard on your side of things… and keep building/strengthening the competitive “moats” that will help you defend…. but you can’t stay purely reactive and defensive!  EVERY brand and business always needs to be “re-recruiting” its consumer base and be sure you are clear why a “promiscuous” consumer who has never tried your brand should try it tomorrow!

The Rains of 2010: Leading Through Times of Crisis

 

Lessons in Leadership from an Unprecedented Challenge in Kern County

Fifteen years ago this week, Kern County, California—home to Bakersfield and the southern Central Valley—was hit by torrential downpours that redefined local history. In a single “long weekend,” the region received nearly a year’s worth of rain, shattering records that had stood for 135 years. Typically, Kern County averages around six inches of rain annually, with just one inch expected each December. But in December 2010, the skies unleashed over 5.8 inches—an astonishing 600% above the normal monthly average. What unfolded was more than a meteorological anomaly; it was a local crisis that soon became very personal for me.

In 2009, I joined Bolthouse Farms as Chief Customer Officer—a newcomer to the world of carrot farming and its expanding line of juices, smoothies, and healthy salad dressings. Our farming operation was massive, harvesting nearly three million pounds of carrots every day. The busiest stretch of the year ran from Halloween to Super Bowl, known in our circles as “N/D/J”—the crucial November, December, January window when holiday shoppers depended on fresh carrots. The industry itself was tightly consolidated, with just two major growers—both based in Bakersfield—supplying most of the market.

As the rains began, I found myself leading a sales meeting in a Chicago hotel, far from the unfolding disaster. News of the crisis reached us not through weather reports, but through frantic calls from customers desperate for their Christmas carrot shipments. Realizing the severity, I cut the meeting short and headed back to a waterlogged Bakersfield.

Throughout my 25-plus-year career—including nearly 18 years at The Coca-Cola Company—I had never faced a threat this existential. Entering the administrative building on Brundage Lane, I understood that I was now a C-level executive in the midst of a full-blown emergency. Our harvesting operations ground to a halt; the flooded fields were impassable for our massive carrot harvesters (pictured above.) With our “fresh harvest” model, carrots picked each morning shipped out that same day, leaving little warehouse inventory. After a couple days of relentless rain, the supply chain dried up—no carrots for us, our competitors, nor our customers.

The situation outside the plant underscored the gravity. Semi-trucks lined up behind our facility—more than 250 at one point, far exceeding the usual numbers—each waiting to collect carrot orders for retailers across North America. The drivers, anxious to get home for Christmas, grew increasingly frustrated. To ease tensions, our team fired up BBQ grills and served steaks, narrowly averting mutiny. Still, the warehouse doors stayed locked.

Eventually, the rain subsided. One evening, our head of agriculture, Derek, burst into the office, mud-caked but grinning—he’d located a field dry enough to begin harvesting. That moment remains vivid: despite ruined holiday orders and financial setbacks, we found a path forward. Yes the month's financials were destroyed, the quarter and the year a mess.... but we were back harvesting, planting and serving our customers... we were back in business!  By continuing to address the problem at hand, we survived to fight another day.

Reflecting on this ordeal fifteen years later, I recognize it as just one of several “existential close calls” during my tenure at Bolthouse Farms—the most dramatic being the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.  While each of these "crisis moments" had their own unique qualities,  in every crisis, my team and I relied on three guiding principles:

·      Run to the Problem: Face challenges head on, rather than avoiding them.

·      Work the Problem at Hand: Focus on actionable solutions, not distractions.

·      Prepare Yourself to Work Your Way Out: Stay ready and strengthen yourself for the path forward.

These principles, though simple, proved vital in navigating times of disruption and crisis. The rains of 2010—and later, a global pandemic ( and other challenging dramatic moments)—were beyond our control. Yet, by staying focused and resilient, we found our way to “drier fields.” Crises will come, there is no way to avoid them, but when they do try hard to remember these lessons: run to the problem, work it, and prepare to work your way out. That’s how you weather the storms and emerge stronger.

postscript: I want to say a massive thank you to those readers who were part of that "wild ride," navigating the described above deluge 15 years ago.  Many of you have stayed not only in the Ag world, but in the "carrot game" and I deeply appreciate your commitment, focus, and perseverance through hard times in the past and your readiness to face the unknown challenges/crises ahead!

 

 

 

Leadership requirements for a very challenging world!

 

 

Over the years (now more than 16 years) since I started posting essays on this blog, I have intentionally steered away from partisan political topics.  In our ever more stratified world and country, I have worked to be a voice sharing thoughts about lessons of leadership and life. stories, insights and experiences (literally printed on the “masthead” of my blog) that would resonate and connect to readers across countries, continents and political affiliations.  Today I turn my attention to the path ahead in this country (and I suspect it will have broader application) and what I see as a “requirement” for leaders working to be agents of progress in a challenging world.  While my data source may seem partisan, my intent is to use the FACTS of today to push us as leaders to be mor effective in light of the challenges of tomorrow.

Last week, right before the holiday the house passed the budget bill that had come back to them as part of the “budget reconciliation legislative process” from the senate.  The FACTS of the bill are stark and have been widely reported…. Including extended tax cuts for wealthier Americans, budget increases for Defense and ICE, with large budget cuts in SNAP and Medicaid… all resulting in a significant increase in the budget deficit and an expansion of our National Debt.  What has been equally well reported is the broad unpopularity of the bill captured in polls taken across the last month or so featured below.  While its a dangerous idea to try to lead and govern a  country based on polls of the moment, this is a brutal picture that shows just how unpopular this bill is across a wide range of individual polls and polling methodologies.

My purpose for this essay is not to complain about this bill or prognosticate on the implications of the budget moves (there is plenty of that going on in the media currently.) My intent is to share a few thoughts that have struck me on how I need to act/operate as a leader today in light of the FACTS of the budget and our current landscape and encourage other leaders to join in thinking about their approach as well.

A few key ideas/themes keep resonating as priorities going forward… and here are three that I am currently working hard on implementing:

Clear Eyed:  

We live at a time of incredible and accelerating change.  Historic global norms, alliances, business models, tariff plans, tax policies, supreme court rulings emerge and fall by the wayside daily and it’s difficult to keep up with the barrage of headlines announcing the latest dynamics.  In this context, I am working to stay current and accurate with the facts at hand while also working to NOT get whip-sawed by the histrionics being applied to these moves by any political party or orientation.  It’s why I used the spelling of “FACTS” in capital letters above as I commented on the recently passed budget bill.  While the potential implications are always important to consider… it’s the “FACTS” that are in the bill that will be most important to “see” clearly.  Now more than ever I am focused on that “clear-eyed” approach and am working hard to bring that to life daily.

Positive/productively focused on tomorrow

I have always “joked” that we were just trying to “make tomorrow a little bit better than yesterday” as a way of describing my focus for the business/team/organization that I was involved with at that moment.  While a historic “joke,” that admonition seems like a “stretch-goal” in today’s reality.  Considering the challenges that are emerging from so many facets of life, it’s difficult to keep “working on tomorrow” with a positive/productive tone.  Regardless of the challenges and pressures, I know I need to keeping working on my “positive/productive” headset and to keep my focus and action on ways to improve the ‘tomorrows” for all of us!

More resilient than ever

Recently I posted an essay on the topic of resilience ( see more at, https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2025/06/resilience-vital-priority-for-leaders.html)  The idea was to reinforce that for leaders that “resiliency” was a very important characteristic, centered around the definition of “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”  This idea that we need to “recover quickly” seems truer and more relevant today than when I posted that essay just a month or two ago.  I am focused on how I can bounce back/ “recover quickly” from challenges and issues that arise. 

As we face the dynamics and challenges that lie ahead… either in your specific challenging business landscape or in the wildly changing political world…. keep these three ideas in mind.  While certainly no panacea, I believe that these three “leadership requirements” are more important today and in the days ahead than in any time of my now 40+ year business career and professional life. 

Work the “problem” not the “worry”…

 

 

The challenges of business, and life more broadly, can at times seem overwhelming.  As we close out calendar Q1 2025, the changing landscape of consumer demand, industry disruptions, global tariffs, expanding federal layoffs, uncertain global alliances, and literally the list goes on and on.  Every week… and sometimes every day ( every hour??) there are announcements and updates that make all of us take a step back and wonder/worry about the path ahead.  We ask ourselves, our families and our friends a myriad of unanswerable questions.  What if the administration shuts down this agency or that department… what if the economy goes into a minor/major correction…what if layoffs hit our family or company…etc…???  The questions, the fears, and the “worries” seem to expand and its hard to know which way to turn, or what action to take next.  Candidly, when surrounded by fears/worries its common for all of us to get into a sort of “spin” where the worries take over and productive “forward focused” action seems elusive.

 

Recently, I was in a conversation with a good friend and work colleague who seemed surrounded by business concerns/worries.  While the business is flourishing, the competitive pressures, customer requirements and board expectations are all increasing.  Add those business dynamics to todays’ uncertain political and economic landscape, and the conversation became centered on a growing list of “worries.”  After a few minutes of empathetic listening, I blurted out (in full “rainman” style) “you need to work the problems, not work the worries.”  My odd outburst stopped the conversation’s direction immediately, and I was asked what I meant by “work the problem, don’t work the worry?”

 

I shared that I TOTALLY understood and shared in the anxiety/worries that this person was facing.  It is a crazy time and its hard to determine which way to turn, or what action to take on any given day, or at any given hour!  In my experience I have seen moments of massive uncertainty before… I think back to the attack on 9/11, the global financial meltdown of the great recession in 2008/2009, the onslaught of the Covid pandemic in 2020, or the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the capital to name just four!  In each of these incredibly intense, world-shaking moments the fears/anxieties/worries seemed insurmountable… yet here we are.  In each of those moments, I had leadership roles in businesses that needed my immediate attention and focus…. and action!  In each of those situations I needed to refocus myself on the real problems/challenges/issues that we were facing and “work the problems!”  Yes the worries were still there… yes I still had fears and anxieties (and probably didn’t sleep very well during those days of crisis) but I worked hard to put the worries to the side and work the problems at hand.

 

In my conversation, I shared a few stories from the past and specifically talked about how it felt to be leading a large company through the first few months of covid.  There was no playbook… we didn’t know what to do… there weren’t any vaccines as of yet… it was so scary and yet we needed to work on two basic concepts… keep the business running and make the workplace safer that our employee’s homes.  Those two concepts… those two “problems” became our complete focus and it actually allowed our front-line leaders to focus in as well on those two ideas for their departments and their teams… and it worked!  Yes, the fears and anxieties were still there and yes, the madness of that moment would persist for months (and years), but the focus on “working the problems” at hand really helped us find our way thought those VERY uncharted waters!

 

Just as I shared with my work colleague, take a look at your world today, and I am sure that worries abound. Its natural and understandable.  Work hard to find a way to put the worries to one side, and work on the core problems that face you as a leader today… and work to focus your teams energies toward productive problem solving, vs spinning on the worries/anxieties that surround us all.

 

“Momentum”: a powerful dynamic in business and politics

 

 

 

Let’s start by saying that we are living in a moment of a real shift in “momentum.”  Wherever your politics may lie (and mine lie in the landscape where I am VERY excited about the current “momentum” shift of the democratic ticket) it is clear that something big has happened to change the momentum of the Harris/Walz ticket since President Biden chose to not run for office again on 7/21/24…. literally just 25 days ago!  Regardless of my excitement and enthusiasm, this moment has caused me to reflect on the nature of “momentum” and different approaches we could take to understand it and to take action to affect it not solely in the political landscape. 

 

The formula is age-old and pretty simple… an entity at rest has a certain size or mass…and when it is put into motion at a certain velocity… that combination of mass*velocity produces momentum.  While the formula is simple and straightforward, a little decomposition is helpful.  The size/mass of an entity is a bid deal in this equation.  An “entity’s” size, scale, or mass really matters here… think about a small object (pebble) vs a large object ( a car)… or to go farther think about a very small object ( grain of sand) vs a very large object ( Boeing 757) the size matter to what energy is requires to get the entity moving.  This is an important idea to consider when YOU may want/need to change the momentum of something you are dealing with.  In our current political landscape, the momentum was declining for the democrats coming into the summer and a major action…. a big burst of energy was needed to change the momentum of the race… President Biden’s announcement on 7/21/24 was just that sort of bombshell… it was a big “velocity” driver that began moving the mass of the electorate and in less than 4 weeks has dramatically changed the momentum of the upcoming election.

 

The current political landscape is quite a case study, this also aligns well to my experience in business.  In 2019, I was fortunate to be part of a small team that had the chance to buy Bolthouse Farms “back” from the Campbell Soup Company.  I had been part of the team that sold it to them in 2012, and after leaving in 2015, the business went into a dramatic decline.  By 2019, the business was a mess… topline sales declining by double digit rates, bottom-line profitability declining even faster.  Bolthouse Farms is a large company with thousands of employees, numerous facilities and at that moment in early 2019 quite a mess.  We KNEW that by “buying it back”, it would take an incredible amount of energy to “turn the ship” and rebuild positive momentum.  What we didn’t know at that moment in June of 2019 when we closed on the deal was that Covid-19 was around the corner.  That global pandemic provided more unexpected challenges but pushed us to put even more effort and energy into the business of regaining positive topline and bottom-line momentum!  The business today is very strong and has a lot of momentum across the board… but the energy and effort to move that “mass” was incredible in reflection.

 

I think its pretty clear how the idea of “momentum” comes to life in politics and business, and the significant effort it can take to “change” the momentum of a situation going in the wrong direction… when the momentum of something is negative and possibly worsening, it is vital to act immediately and apply maximum effort to change the trajectory of the entity in motion… one must act immediately with maximum effort.  What is not so clear is what to do when the momentum is good/strong and going in the right direction.  What is the key to keeping the business/ political situation on the right path and maybe even gaining “more” momentum?  Let’s look back at the formula above for some insights here.  In my experience, “P” (Momentum) is not static… it is not a steady/constant/guaranteed idea. 

 “P” is a dynamic reality always moving and as a business or political reality grows and gains success, it actually increases its mass (“M”) and without an increase in velocity (“V”), momentum (“P”) actually reduces.  This reality reminds us that the better we do, and the larger we grow… the MORE energy we need to exert to keep that growth and success going.  

 

It may seem exhausting, but across my career, the moment I have seen business/political leaders celebrate success (often assuming it would continue on its own) and stop investing in the people/ ideas/technology NEEDED for future growth, momentum would begin to erode and start heading in the wrong direction.  The reality is you can NEVER stop putting energy into a good situation with good momentum, and if it’s a bad situation with negative momentum, you need to take action immediately and deploy maximum energy/effort to get that momentum to shift!  Don’t forget the simple formula above… it may seem like a high school physics tool, but it is deeply true and applicable all around us today!

postscript: the current presidential political campaign is an incredible example of the dynamics of "momentum" and the polling chart below shows it dramatically.  With less than 3 months to election day, this is going to be an incredible "case study" !