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" !

 

 

Living without Regret... The lesson of Zermatt

 

It humbling to realize, but it was 15 years ago this week that my old boss and dear friend Bruce Paynter passed away after a battle with ALS.  Bruce meant the world to me then ( and in the years before his passing) and I think of him often today.  Bruce is very much in "present tense" with me today and so many times over the past year leading Bolthouse Farms I have often thought back and wondered... "what would Bruce say/do in this situation."  It was almost exactly 15years ago today that I wrote an essay ( one of a number) that was inspired by a final conversation that I had with Bruce, titled "Living without Regret," ( read it here...https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-without-regret.html)   "As I sit here today, this topic of "Living without Regret" is again on my mind, and I wanted to share a few thoughts/learnings that might be helpful.

In my readings this week, I came across a CNBC article that dug into a book (You only Die Once: How to make it to the end with no regrets, by Jodi Wellman) on this topic.  A very insightful part of the article was the author's description of "Regrets of Commission" vs "Regrets of Omission" and how they were different and had different dynamics.  In the author's view, "Regrets of Omission" were the really dangerous ones... things you regret NOT DOING in your life.... and areas to focus on and work on in your life.  This idea really got me thinking and in the soul searching I became center on a story from my life and a lesson in this specific area that I describe "The lesson of Zermatt."

While I have never been to Zermatt (YET!!), my Aunt Lorraine spent many trips when she was younger ( quite literally skiing there in the 1960's with a group of here closest female friends) and for her Zermatt ( with the magnificent views of the Matterhorn) was one of her most precious spots on earth.  I knew this growing up, and thought about Switzerland/Zermatt/The Matterhorn as a sort of mythical Swiss "Valhalla"where the cows wore bells, no cars were allowed and the Swiss chocolate flowed from every corner.  I thought to myself when I was young that someday ( when I hade "made it") I would treat Aunt Lorraine to a trip back to HER Zermatt!

Well, the years and decades moved on, and as a person busy with a family and a business career, I never had the time for the big Zermatt trip.  It wasn't until 2015, after selling Bolthouse Farms to Campbell's and thinking my time was done in "carrot-land" ( oh how naive!!) that I talked to Aunt Lorraine about my big idea... how about we take a big trip back to Zermatt??  Now this was 9 years ago, and Aunt Lorraine was in her 80's still doing well ( in my eyes) but she quickly said that while it was a great idea, she couldn't go!  I was dumbstruck and started selling... I would pickup the tickets, I would come get her in NJ.... I wanted to handle all the objections!  Aunt Lorraine was patient, but persistent to say that a trip like that would have been great a few years ago, but in 2015 it would be too much... too scary... here capabilities too limited...and she wasn't up for a trip like that anymore.... she would never go back to Zermatt.  While at first I was frustrated with her, I realized that I was the culprit... I had blown it; my intense regret ( "Regret of Omission") was my burden and in many ways still is!

While Aunt Lorraine is still alive, she is now in hospice and is nearing her end-of life and I have deep and precious memories of her across my entire life.  I share this story as a personal nudge ( to myself and the readers) to say that life is short and very fragile and if there are any regrets ( and especially "Regrets of Omission') in your lives today, it high time to take action NOW!  Someday I will find my path to Zermatt, and will take a keepsake of Aunt Lorraine with me on that trip in honor and in memory of that incredible woman.  I will also keep Zermatt active in my mind today... thinking about what actions I NEED to take NOW, focused on the "Regrets of Omission" in my life today, and I encourage all readers to take a few minutes and do the same... do you have any "Zermatts" in your life that need action now??

Calm and Confident in the GMC dealership Service Bay!

 

 

As is obvious from my last post, and from a slight change to the layout of the blog itself, I formally “retired” from Bolthouse Farms earlier this month.  The process of coming to this point of transition has been underway for months, but the actual steps of publishing a written announcement to the company, followed by a “Virtual Town Hall,” followed by posting and announcement on Linked In, then saying goodbye to a host of old friends and colleagues has been emotionally wrenching.  I knew that the final ACTS (“Hands/Feet”) of transition would be hard, but I totally underestimated how deeply I would FEEL (“Heart”) the parting.  I KNEW (“Mind”) that it was the right time to make a change, but regardless of that clarity, I was (and still am a bit) floored by the impact of this big change.

 

As the month of January 2024 played out, I had one more major ACT that needed to be take place in order to complete my Bakersfield transition and “come home.”  Most readers aren’t aware that since 2021 I have kept an apartment in Bakersfield and commuted there weekly from Atlanta. (not many of us doing the weekly Atlanta->Bakersfield-> Atlanta commute!!)  As my time at Bolthouse Farms came to a close, I also wrapped up my lease at the apartment and with the help of dear old friends and work partners (Cathy & Alan) packed up the apartment and packed as much as possible into a vehicle to drive across country.  The map above depicts the majority of the route starting in California and ending in Columbus Ohio at apartment of my daughter’s boyfriend.  We were dropping most of the “apartment goods” there, then finishing the journey by bringing the vehicle back for a final “drop-off” in Atlanta.  Marie and I did the trip together (which was outstanding and certainly fodder for a future blog for sure) and after 3204 miles, I was happy to be done with cross country driving for a while!

 

The ”GMC dealership” story came about on day 5 of our trek, in Columbia Missouri.  We had driven in deserts, crossed the rockies in a snowstorm and were now squarely in the plains when after a lunch stop one day, the check engine light came on… ugh!! We had had a few challenging moments with the car over the previous few days, but now the light was solidly on, and the car wasn’t running well!  I asked Marie to see if there was a GMC dealership ANYWHERE close by and in a flash she pulled up that there was a dealership literally around the corner, less than a ½ mile away.  Incredible!!  We limped into the dealerships’ lot and pulled right up to and literally RIGHT INTO the service bay.  Now I was tired, road weary and pretty freaked that we had a major problem on our hands and we were a long way from home…. or Columbus!  

 

I went up to the service counter and met Cole (no last names on the blog) who was working the desk and after a brief explanation he dove right in.  Marie was with me every step of the way and was upbeat and calm as we were dealing with Cole and kept reminding me that we were on an adventure, and that everything was going to be ok, and that we weren’t in any real hurry… all very calming comments that helped me settle down and not be so freaked out.  Cole on the other hand had identified a “mis-fire” in cylinder 4” and was swapping our spark plugs and coils to isolate the problem.  It took about an hour and the engine was running fine and after Cole took it for a test drive on I-70 (no mis-fires!!) we were literally good to go.  It was an incredible relief to pull out of that service bay, and head off to our stop that night in Effingham Ill.

 

I share this specific story because we all feel stress from many many sources.  Mine were coming from all the emotions of the January transitions, then the check engine light in Missouri!  In that “freak-out” moment, the combo of Marie’s funny/calming confidence and Cole’s quiet competence saved the day and totally put be back on track.  I am so thankful to both of them for their impact that day and will be thinking about ways to bring a “calming confidence” to stressful moments in the future!

 

 

Eyes Forward!

 

The past few weeks have been filled with challenges and setbacks from multiple angles.  Tough business issues, combined with senior executive changes and frustrated equity partners have led to a few weeks of mounting stress.  In the midst of that “whirlwind,” once again I received some heartfelt and “on-point” advice from my long-term business partner and good friend Cathy…advice that I think is applicable to so many of us in these broadly challenging days.

 

The setting was an early morning drive (and I mean VERY early) from Los Angeles to Bakersfield two weeks ago.  The stress of the mounting situation was digging into my sleep so on that morning, I was awake well before 4am and on the road before 4:30.  Heading north on the 405, I called to check-in with Cathy and shared the dynamics of everything that was going on… a helpful and sympathetic “ear” in a very tough moment.  After listening to my venting, she said “Bill, I have some advice for you today” … and boy was I listening… I needed something!  “She said, “remember as you head to Bakersfield today… Eyes Forward.!”  Those two words, “Eyes Forward,” were helpful that day and have stayed with me over the past few weeks.

 

While Cathy’s advice on that Thursday morning was applicable to the challenge of driving over the Grapevine on the 405, she was really talking about working to have a clear headset and focus on the challenges ahead, not being distracted by the distractions around us… nor the missteps of the past.  More that 10 years ago I posted an essay titled “over the hood-over the horizon” (you can find it at: https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/04/over-hood-over-horizon.html ) that touches on this idea of how to successfully navigate a challenging “road” in business or in life.  Cathy’s advice is a very good compliment to that idea, and in some way, they really make very good sense together.

 

As I reflect on this essay, I am pretty consumed by the challenges of the moment, both in my business life and across the world.  The past few years of living in a Covid plagued world, with accelerating political divisiveness, global military crises, escalating climate change issues, ( and I could go on…) have seemed daunting to the point of overwhelming.  The issues and challenges seem so omnipresent that charting a path forward appears out of reach.  It’s in this context that Cathy’s advice rings true… “Eyes Forward!”  If we take a moment, we need to remember that there have been daunting challenges across the centuries…  dramatic issues of plague, war, starvation, cultural crises, etc.  That historic perspective is not meant to be depressing and fatalistic.  It is intended to remind all of us that living and leading in the context of massive challenges is nothing new.  In those historic moments, just like today, Cathy’s advice is helpful and needed!

 

As you the reader take on the challenges in your world, whatever they are and from whatever direction they emanate, keep your focus on the road ahead and remember… “Eyes Forward.”  Companies, countries, and organizations of any size need leaders that help make sense of the chaos of challenges that face us and help chart a course FORWARD working to make the path of tomorrows a bit better and more productive than the days that are past.  I have often said that we have an infinite inability to affect yesterday, and an infinite ability to affect tomorrow ... and all the tomorrows in our future. 

Eyes Forward!!

 

Don't fight your life..." The wisdom of Swint"

 This may sound like quite an unusual title, but recently I have faced some challenges that have brought this idea, and these themes into sharp focus.  As most of you know, I have had a business career that has spanned 35+ years and across those decades ( now that's hard to fathom!) I have often travelled fro my work.  In this most recent chapter, as President of Bolthouse Farms, I literally commute regularly ( often weekly) from Atlanta Ga. to Bakersfield Ca. for my work.... not a very typical commute to say the least!  In this reality, I often have to take various routes across multiple airlines as part of my travel itinerary and at times the challenges of modern travel rear their "ugly" head.

Over the past few weeks, I have been on a tough streak, with multiple delayed flights, mechanical/crew issues, and major traffic delays that have caused significant challenges and frustrations.  Just this past week, after an extended drive due to a major accident on the Grapevine ( the mountain pass where "The 5" connects LA to Bakersfield) I arrived to a hotel near LAX to crash for an early direct flight home to Atlanta the next morning.  Arriving nice and early, successfully advancing my position, I got to the gate to be met by a 3 hour delay that culminated in a cancelled flight due to mechanical issues.  It had been a long few weeks at work and this felt like a kind of a breaking point.  The tension in the gate area was high, my patience was short, and for some reason in the midst of the tension I remembered back to a work associate at Coke named "Swint."

I have no idea why Swint came to mind last Friday morning at LAX, but indeed he did!  We worked together at Coke in Baltimore back in the late 90's, and Swint and his family lived near Annapolis Maryland.  I remember that Swint owned a boat and invited a few of us for a weekend get together that included a boat cruise/ride.  It was a very pleasant trip, a beautiful spot and I remember asking Swint if he was a long time boat owner.  He shared that this was the first boat he had ever owned and he had bought it when Coke transferred him and his family to the area from Atlanta.  I must have had a curious look on my face when he said this because he went on to share that he always tried to adopt the interests of the area where he was living, and since he was living by the water, he bought a boat.  If he had been transferred to Denver, they would have taken up skiing, and if they had been sent to LA they probably would have tried their hand at surfing!  In those days people were transferred regularly by Coke to various offices across the country ( and world!) and this idea of overtly "not fighting that life" and going with the "local flow" seemed to make a lot of sense!

For some reason, "the wisdom of Swint" hit me at LAX on Friday morning at a tension filled gate 26B.  I immediately got on the phone with my trusted associate Cathy, and started coming up with a big "plan B." Instead of staying at the airport for hours in the stress filled mess, we rebooked a flight for yesterday (Saturday) morning, and I went back to the LAX parking deck to get my car and drive 2 hours to take my sweet daughter Marie to lunch ... pictured to the right!  We had a couple of hours together, and caught up on her life this spring at UCSB and just enjoyed our time together....truly a tonic!  I found my way back to Atlanta yesterday, and while I need to get re-energized for my flight west tomorrow (ugh) I am keeping Swint in my mind and will continue to look for ways to "not fight my life"... and maybe even find a few more "lucky surprise lunches" with sweet Marie!!

D=>K=>I=>A/A/A…. A foundational “formula” for success!

 

 

As a guy that does gravitate to formulas, processes and repeatable management disciplines, this essay has been brewing for a while.  A few weeks ago, I had a great conversation with a young friend Meg, who was interviewing for a number of very different roles.  In that conversation, we focused in on the fact that while the roles were very different (one in a small non-profit, one in a large ad agency), the actual “foundational work” of the roles had some clear similarities and those common ideas triggered this essay.  Regardless of your role, or nature of the organization where you work, these simple ideas or process steps are incredibly common and deeply important in order to drive successful sustainable results.

 

The foundational formula/process/discipline is made up of a set of actions that are done in sequence, and follow the path of: 

 

Data->Knowledge->Insights-> Action/Assess/Apply

 

D: Data

 

Noun: facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis:

 

The first step is always to dig into the data…. and never get tired or bored, it always worth it!  I for example pull together a weekly performance dashboard for my leadership team, and rather than have someone in IT or finance pull it for me, I take an hour every Monday digging into last weeks results and building the dashboard myself.  I find that weekly process so helpful and EVERY WEEK I find little nuggets of trends, aberrations and surprises that allow me to understand where we are as a business and what actions we need to take going forward.  This first step, all about the data, is a step EVERYONE should do!  Don't let a fear of Math, or a lack of formal “data analytics training” stop you from diving in…. a vital and REQUIRED first step in this “foundational formula!”

 

K: Knowledge

 

Noun: facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject

 

By taking the step above and consistently digging into the data, we can gain knowledge and a deeper “understanding of a subject.”  Data on its’ own is relatively inert.  The purpose of the data dig “experience” is to gain understanding and build knowledge over time so you “convert” the data into actionable insights.

 

I: Insights

 

Noun: a deep understanding of a person or thing

 

Having a “deep understanding” of the work at hand is the big part of finding success.  While this evolves over time, the process steps reviewed above allow you to always be updating YOUR “deep understanding” of the business and will push you to take those thoughts/ideas and translate them into action!

 

 

A/A/A: 

 

A: Action

 

Noun: the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim

 

Take action, its time to have an impact!  Don't let the D->K->I phase lull you into passivity or inactivity.  This whole “foundational formula/process” is about taking thoughtful action in the marketplace and the “first A” is vital.  This step takes insights (mentioned above) AND COURAGE.  Step out there, make your recommendation be heard and drive to action!

 

A: Assess

 

Noun: evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of

 

With the “Action” step fully in-place, lets make sure we are ready to “evaluate” and learn from the “Action” deployed.  We can never learn enough, but too many skip this step entirely.  The amount of work to get the “Action” deployed is often so significant, many “run out of gas” at this step and lose energy to “evaluate” the impact/costs/ROI/etc. of the “Action” and fail to glean very available and much needed additional “Data” to help this process strengthen over time.  Many of you have read my essay on the “Curbside Debrief” https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/02/selling-curbside-debrief.html

This tool is a handy way to ALWAYS take a step to “Assess” or learn after every significant “Action.”

A: Apply

 

Noun: give one's full attention to a task; work hard, administer

 

This final step as another call to turn learnings into “Action.”  If you have “Assessed” the impact of “Action,” once again don't get passive!  Turn those ideas or approaches into immediate improvement plans and deploy…. No need to wait and start the process again, dive in and “Apply” those learnings and drive success!

 

 

Well there you go, the simple ( and vital) D->K->I->A/A/A model.  I hope you can use it in your work, whatever the organization / industry and let it have a positive impact of the challenges of the moment, and help you be more successful with your challenges/opportunities over time!

“Calm, Steady, & Clear-minded”…. A leadership model for challenging times

Here we are in mid-march, 2020 and the entire globe is facing enormous challenges and unknown threats from the spreading Covid-19 virus.  Governments, businesses, communities, families and individuals are struggling to come to grips with this crisis, and growth of confirmed cases and tragic deaths are growing dramatically.  In this context we are watching some political leaders struggle to stay focused on the facts, looking to edit/spin the headlines for political gain, while others are embracing the data of the situation, looking to scientific experts on the topic and are making tough, at times unpopular,  but important and required decisions to slow the spread of the virus in our communities without a single thought of political gain.  This essay IS NOT a message of political critique, but one of looking for leadership models in trying moments; and essay focused on finding a few themes that I am trying to apply myself in the leadership challenges that our company is facing today . Like so many other businesses, Bolthouse Farms is working its way through this crisis and we are trying our best to lead well in times of challenge and accelerating change.  While I know we aren’t getting it all right, I know that the leadership team is working hard to lead the company well, making good decisions quickly and decisively as issues arise.  While doing so, we are trying to remind ourselves to stay “calm, steady, & clear-minded” in the face of amazing challenges.

These three words are a kind of “mantra” for me these days, literally repeating them over in my mind whenever the tension mounts, knowing that for me to be the best leader I can be for this wonderful company, I need to keep these ideas front and center at all times.  I am sure that these three ideas could be helpful to you as well, and hopefully a quick refresher will help you stay focused on the challenges you are facing in your worlds today:

Calm: adj., not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.

Steady: adj., regular, even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensity.

Clear-minded: adj., sensible and think clearly, especially in difficult situations.

Take a moment and reflect on each of these ideas, and it seems so simple.  Each idea makes sense and each adjective would be helpful in this crazy moment.  Then, imagine the idea that we as leaders need to work hard to do all three, at the same time, all the time!  These three simple concepts become superhuman aspirations…. and while certainly a challenge, I do believe it’s what our communities, our families and our businesses need now more than ever.  Here are  a couple of suggestions that I find helpful in my pursuit of “calm, steady, & clear-minded,” and maybe they will be helpful to you:

Ø Get plenty of sleep:  sacrificing sleep, and especially doing it over a few days (or a few weeks) is a recipe for disaster in this pursuit.  Work hard on your sleep patterns and remember that your sleep will not only help with the principles above, it’s also key to a healthy immune system personally.

Ø Slow-down: so much is happening so fast, we need to TRY to slow it down, take a few deep breaths, step outside to gain your composure and stay focused on the challenges and approach each issue and decision as focused and present as possible.

Ø “Aunt Lorraine’s Law”:  For those of you historic readers of my blog, you will have seen me reference a phrase of advice from my dear Aunt Lorraine from when I was a child.  She often said, “William, you can eat anything, if you take SMALL BITES, AND CHEW THOROUGHLY!” While she was probably chastising me at that moment to eat my broccoli, those famous words have never been more powerful or appropriate!

Take your time and reflect on these ideas, and as I said above NOT from a political angle but from a view of how we all can be great leaders in this moment…. leaders that can model the ability to stay “calm, steady and clear-minded” in the face of dynamic challenges!

Your first loss is your best loss"

It's been three months since we closed on the purchase of buying Bolthouse Farms back from Campbells and what a ride!  The work has been beyond intense, the team dynamics inspiring on the whole to say the least, the short term business challenges have been extreme ( products of very poor business decision making by the past Campbells management team, but more on that later!!) and the list goes on....

I am so happy to be in this role, at this moment in my professional life, but it's quite a challenge on all fronts.  After more than 34 years in business, and after having spent 6 years here before ( 2009-2015 as Chief Customer Officer) the business issues & challenges are certainly requiring me to bring "all I have" to bear on what we have to handle.  I am humbled to have the chance to play a key leadership role at this moment in the 104 year history of Bolthouse Farms and am ready for the twists and turns in the months/quarters and years ahead!

In that spirit of humility, I pass along this story coming from a visit from none other than Bill Bolthouse Jr. , the historic leader of this company and the 4th ( it could be 5th??) generation of Bolthouse Family members that have lead this company from a small family farm in Grant Michigan to a leader in the produce industry today.  He and a number of his team members came to visit us in Bakersfield recently; he wanted to see the plant and connect with us as the the current leadership team who have the job to fix a ton of  damage caused to the business by Campbells over the past few years.  We spent an hour or so in one of our conference rooms, reconnecting and talking about the challenges we are facing and our plans for the path forward before he and his team went on a plant tour.  Bill was very respectful and pretty quiet throughout the meeting.  After one discussion of a particularly bad decision made by Campbells regarding acreage planning, he blurted out that ...." you're first loss is often your best loss!"  I had never heard that phrase before but in this circumstance , and in so many, it is deeply true!

The specific situation he commented on occurred not quite a year ago when the historic Campbells management team started to realize that they were "long on acres." The farms ag team came forward to write-off the extra acres and adjust the planting plans for the winter.  While it would have had a significant negative P&L impact ($1-$2mm), it was clearly the right decision to make at the time        ( remember this as the "First loss".). Instead, the management team in all its hubris pushed forward with the original planting plan and pushed the organization to "fix it."  Well, right before closing that one decision grew from a $1-$2mm problem to a $10-$12mm mess .... all created because the historic leaders couldn't see that "your first loss is often your best loss."

When we talked about that story to Mr. Bolthouse, he talked about how hard that lesson is to learn, but how true it is in agriculture ( and in business broadly!) We all need to work on our ability to recognize when we need to take the "first loss" and not try to push/force/manipulate/etc. the situation to create an outcome that will never come to pass.  This is about judgment, patience and perspective and how to deploy them as leaders, not anger, impatience and hubris as failed leadership traits.  The next time you are facing a tough situation that might produce a challenging "loss," pause for a moment and ask yourself if this is might actually be a good "first loss" to accelerate into action!

"It's really hard to be late when you are 8 minutes early...."

To start, this essay is not a rant, nor a tirade on the lack of punctuality broadly in professional environments across America.  In fact, inspired by a coffee "meeting" this morning, it is a reminder of the power and impact of timliness and punctuality in our everyday personal and professional lives.

Earlier today, I had scheduled to meet a friend of my son Bryson's ( a fellow Bruin and Ultimate player, Michale P.) at a great coffee place in Westwood near the UCLA campus.  While originally the plan was to meet at 7:30am, I needed to move it back to 8 am due to some early conference calls on my end and Michael was super flexible to make the change.  Having "advanced my position," ( see     https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2013/03/advance-your-position.html   for more on that topic)  I actually did the calls from outside the coffee shop and was finished with twenty minutes to spare and who walks up to say good morning twenty minutes early but Michael !  With no reference or context I blurted out a phrase that my family and most everyone who has ever worked with/for me have heard me say hundreds of times that "its really hard to be late when you are 8 minutes early!"  While it sounds a bit wacky, I deeply believe that being on-time is MOST of the time a choice, an outgrowth of our choices, and MOST of the time deeply in our control.


This approach work on being a bit early to things stems form my early childhood.  My dad was a Navy veteran and the ships he served on worked on a timetable and a set of "watches" that were rigorously upheld with little variance.  As kids the idea that we might be late for Church, or god forbid a flight, was beyond comprehension!  When I was 10 or 11 I took over my brothers paper route  (The Pittsburgh Press, evenings through the week and Sunday mornings) and if those papers weren't delivered by 5 pm Mon-Sat and by 8 am on Sundays, there was hell to pay from my paper route customers!  Later in high school I worked in a 24 hr. diner  in my hometown and while it never closed ( in those days it only closed on Christmas day), every shift had its duties and after school each day I needed to bring up ( from the store rooms in the basement) the flour , sugar, yeast, pie fillings, etc. every day so the night bakers could bake the pies and rolls EVERY night.... always like clockwork!

This deeply ingrained approach was really put to the test in college when I was getting set to take the GMAT's ( the entrance exam for MBA programs) and needed to drive over to a university that was fielding the exam close by to my undergraduate college ( Kent State University was 47 miles from The College of Wooster where I earned my BA.)  Now this was back in 1982, well before any google maps/ I-Phones/Internet/etc. and while I knew how to get to Kent State University ( where I saw the Clash during their "London Calling tour", maybe more on that in an upcoming essay,) I had no idea how to find the building where the GMAT was being given..... long story short, I was on campus in plenty of time but ultimately 25 minutes late to the actual exam room and ultimately bombed the exam!  The good news is that I had time to take it again that winter, and did a lot better the second time around ( arriving 30 min early!!) and ultimately was accepted into Vanderbilt's MBA program and the rest is history, but at that moment the consequences of not being "8 minutes early" seems immense and life changing!

I share all of this background as a reminder that I learned early in my life that being on time ( or maybe even a few minutes early) really matters and that the consequences of being late can be dramatic.  Triggered by Michael's early arrival today, I was reminded on how taking action to arrive early all the time, whether for an early morning coffee or to a major presentation is always a good idea!  It is our choices and actions that will guide whether we are "25 minutes late" to a key event that lies ahead or if we can count on being "8 minutes early" to insure that we are there with plenty of time to make the impact that we desire and intend!

Leaders, don't underestimate your impact!

With over 30 years of business experiences in companies large and small, at times working as a senior commercial executive in the food and beverage industry and more recently in running my own consulting firm that has served 35+ clients across a wide range of industries, I continue to come upon examples where key leaders have dramatically affected businesses and organizations by the impact of their actions and/or their inactions.  While I have certainly had the chance to work closely with talented, impactful and inspiring leaders, the contrary examples abound and are the center of the following essay.

In the spirit of confidentiality, I don't plan to "name names" about specific individuals in the following paragraphs, but rather to focus on the lessons that I have learned in some key areas where I have personally witnessed senior leaders really blow it!  In each of the focus areas I will review actions taken that lead an organization awry and other situations where the lack of action was the culprit to failing results.

Talent:  I start with a bias that I have always felt that 'talent" in an organization is precious, and many organizations have historically treated it as fungible/replaceable/generic as they build their strategic plans.  In my consulting work today, I have worked with numerous clients over the past three years and in every assignment, we have dealt with the lack of talent, or the loss of key talent, or the inability to hire great talent into key roles, etc. as major barriers to growth and future performance for those clients' companies.  I have watched this dynamic paralyze senior leader to NOT  replace key senior direct reports who are not performing well in their roles, or who are not living up to the values of the company/organization simply because they were not sure if and how they would replace those under-performers.  Senior leaders who are under-performers are a "cancer" in an organization and while it is harder now than ever to find and retain great talent, holding onto mediocre performers in a "hope" that things will get better is NEVER the right move.  Have high expectations for your entire team, especially your senior team, and treat them as the precious resource they are to your company/organization, and NEVER tolerate poor performance/behavior for long.  Take action and remove those poor performers before they ruin the organization!

Young leaders:  Nurturing your leaders is so important and so often neglected.  Think about how often highly performing individual contributors find themselves promoted into the role of leading a team for the first time and are so often put into those roles with no additional training/coaching/mentoring, etc.  put yourself in their shoes, ... its a freakout!  As you can see from my essays on this blog about leadership, I DEEPLY believe that leading teams is very different from managing projects and it takes work, practice, and support to learn to be a effective leader.  You can read more about this approach at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-impact-points-of-leadership.html.  Too often I have watched senior leaders just assume that there is a pipeline of young leaders coming up through an organization, and that there will always be enough talent to fill the organizations leadership needs.... an assumption that is often wrong and always dangerous!  Senior leaders need to nurture young leaders and help by teaching/coaching and mentoring them as they move into their first leadership roles and help them find their way through the inevitable leadership challenges that they will face.  See more on this topic at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/05/teachable-point-of-view.html

Succession:  This is an area where I have watched senior leaders and boards really do damage to great organizations!  In large companies and small, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations alike, no one wants to take the time and think about the inevitable challenges ahead when key executives depart an organization.  I have unfortunately witnessed organizations really struggle when CEO's pass away abruptly, or founders that become ill, or key executives who become disabled with NO succession plans in place.  While succession plans certainly don't guarantee success, the lack there of typically precedes failure!  While there is no underestimating the power of denial among boards and senior teams, an annual review of a succession plan is needed and the unfortunate reality is that too many organizations DON'T even have succession plans in place for the top/key executive roles.

Innovation:  As a lifeblood of so many organizations, innovation is too often thought about as incremental, episodic, and the domain of one organization ( too often R&D or Marketing.)  Regarding  the concept of "incremental," innovation efforts are regularly driven to be additive to the base set of an organization's brands/products/offerings.  While not incorrect, I believe it is insufficient for long term success.  Innovation needs to drive incremental growth versus an organization's current base of business AND drive to develop new concepts/products/offerings that would make your current offerings outmoded and obsolete.  In this fast paced competitive landscape, if we are not pushing innovation hard enough, we should be certain that competitors known or unknown will!  One added idea on the idea of "episodic," it is my experience that too often we think about innovation fitting into the annual business plan and hitting certain commercial windows.  While true,  we need to think about the concept of "Flow" which is defined as a "steady,continuous stream of something."  The work of innovation needs to be ongoing, and "flowing" in an organization, gaining input and ideas from across an organization and the marketplace, and "flowing" towards the market and shoppers & consumers.  Too often leaders drive innovation to make the next quarter, or annual budget, rather then working for it to be a driving and "flowing" source of growth opportunities across fiscal periods.

Personal Impact:  The reality that senior leaders are watched closely, listened to deeply and talked about pervasively is more true today than ever.  All you need to do is read "Glassdoor" and you can see how key leaders are discussed and reviewed.  It continually surprises me to see/hear senior leaders complain that they are "under a microscope" and that the level of review and critique is "out of bounds" or "unfair." While I am partially empathetic, I am not naive!  Senior execs ARE in the limelight, ARE being reviewed in  micro detail, ARE being discussed and reviewed on-line and live and that's not about to stop!  My recommendation is to not operate in denial but embrace the truth of that dynamic and turn it to your advantage.  Use your personal impact moments "with intent," (read more at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/08/act-with-intent-redux.html ) and impact the organization in the direction that YOU choose.   Early on in my career I had the chance to work for a number of outstanding leaders, well before the advent of the internet and social media.  Even in those "prehistoric" days, those leaders realized they were highly visible and their public actions were often designed to have the organization "learn lessons" or "build skills" in ways that were "taught" in the everyday flow of their leadership actions.

Hopefully a few of these ideas have struck home and can prove helpful.  Most importantly, I want to encourage all leaders reading this essay to NOT underestimate their impact, but to look for ways to have the impact that they intend.  Leading an organization or a team is truly an honor and a privilege, and my strong encouragement to all readers is to not take it lightly!