"Storm the Breach".... but come well prepared!

As many of you know, I am a bit of a history nut and enjoy looking back at history to look for clues or advice about how to face the challenges of today.  In past essays I have turned to many voices across time, including Plutarch, Ghandi, Dr. MLK jr, and many others to help illuminate and inspire; today I am turning to Wellington... the British general most well known as the leader who defeated Napolean at Waterloo.

While famous for that final battle in 1815, a few years before he lead the British forces in Spain in what was known as the Peninsula Campaign, driving French forces across Spain ( the Iberian "Peninsula") ultimately ending in the final battle in Waterloo Belgium.  As Wellington drove across Spain, the French forces would take up defensive positions in various small "cities" that were defended by ancient stone walls and attempt to stop Wellington's advance.  In many off those situations, none more famous than the "Siege of Badajoz," the British artillery would fire upon the walls until there was an opening, or a "Breach," where one part of the wall had collapsed and was opened, the British infantry would "storm" into the "breach" and fight their way into the city, ultimately routing the defenders into a panicked retreat.

The notes above are taken from Wellington's dispatches from that time, and are incredibly detailed in the plans and preparations for the soldiers preparing to "storm the breach!"  This wasn't some sort of wild, unplanned assault but instead a highly coordinated, and well prepared plan to take advantage of an opportunity and to drive it to its maximum impact. ( the fact that he highlights the number of ladders and that the troops should bring "light materials" to be thrown into the ditch is an incredible level of detailed planning!)

I have reflected back on Wellington this past week because of a competitive opportunity facing our company.  We have owned Bolthouse Farms for just over a year, and late last week we received word  that a long standing competitor had announced their plans to close operations in the next 30-45 days!  What an incredible opportunity and in appropriate fashion we gathered our teams and within a few hours were having calls with key retail buyers to maximize our ability to capture the opportunity.... we were "storming the breach!"  The reality that this competitive news came a year after buying the company back from Campbell's, not a few weeks after closing last summer, is so key because it gave us the chance to "come well prepared" to this moment! We had rebuilt the team broadly ( still more work to go of course but we are in good shape with a great group of people).  We have rebuilt our operational capabilities and our quality system, allowing us to run the plant at efficiency levels well above a year ago and has expanded our capacity levels to allow us to take on more business AND do so profitably..... and literally the list goes on!  We are "storming the breach" and have "come well prepared!"

While success is never assured, and we will have some ups and downs in "storming this breach," this moment has reminded me of an important lesson; in business and in life you never know when an unexpected opportunity will present itself, but you are always able to build capabilities and become "well prepared" when the opportunity breaks to "storm the breach!"

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!

Four “balancing points” for leaders

I just a few weeks, I will have the privilege to move into a significant leadership role in an organization very close to my heart.  I will talk more about the “big deal” in future essays (post closing) but for now I just want to express how honored I am to have the chance to have an impact and how seriously and intensely I am diving into the work ahead!

Through the process of due diligence I have been reacquainting myself with the business, digging into a number of key issues/opportunities and working to build a path forward that will be productive, thoughtful, category leading and filled with profitable growth (I know, no small feat!!)  This drive to reinvigorate profitable growth and industry leadership is at the core of my focus and as I dive into the work, I keep finding myself “balancing” four key focus points or leadership principles that I want to cover today:

·     Strategic Vision

·     Patience

·     High Expectations

·     Humility

These four ideas are central for leaders in any role in any organization.  What is unique for me is the dynamic that I am working to balance all four simultaneously in a moving and dynamic business situation and organization.  The image I keep thinking about is that of a table, with four legs that can expand and retract dramatically.  While I have no expectations for a calm/peaceful steady state “always perfectly flat and level” table, I do realize that I need to keep all four elements (legs) active and moving at all times, and that the dynamic of a “balanced” and productive leadership platform is a highly challenging and dynamic exercise! Lets take a second with each of these four “principles”

·     Strategic Vision

o  Definition:

§  The strategic vision provides an overview of where you want to be at in a specific time in the future. It helps provide an overarching principle(s) for all the detail contained in later sections. ... The strategic vision should present the ideal, but achievable, outcome.

Leaders must set the course ahead for the organization to understand and for all to clearly know “where are we going??” and “what does winning look like??” After having been away from the business for more than four years, and from seeing the mostly negative impact that the previous owners have had on the business, the road ahead is clear … a path of innovation, growth and exceptional execution re-focused on the foundational principles of the business and the brand.

·     Patience

o  Definition

§  The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

It is so tempting to try to fix or change EVERYTHING at once… to get AA the parts humming in perfect order literally in the first few weeks or months post closing on the business…. a innocent and naïve approach for sure!  I think back to two well read essays from this blog, “Aunt Lorraine’s Law” and “ Do Fewer Thing Better” both of which were MY admonishments to leaders to exercise patience, especially in the face of big challenges (the like of which I am facing now.)  Now is a key moment when I need to listen to my own advice, in balance with these other principles.

·     High Expectations

o  Definition

§  The word expectation comes from the Latin word expectation, meaning, "an awaiting." If you have great expectations, you think something good will come your way, but if keep your expectations low, you won't risk being disappointed.

Regardless of a sense of “patience,” leaders MUST set, model and expect high levels of performance from themselves and their teams.  Even in the most challenging moments (maybe most important in those tough moments) keeping your expectations high for the performance results of the next week/month/quarter/etc. is vital for successful leaders.

·     Humility

o  Definition

§  freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble

I am a big believer that leaders need to be appreciative and “humbled” by the role they play.  The chance to lead organizations and teams of individuals is no small thing and we, as leaders need to be deeply appreciative of our roles.  Too many models of bombastic/arrogant/prideful political and business leaders surround us today, and I for one think back to the most impactful leaders in my 30+-year business career and I assure you they were not that kind.   The individuals that left the biggest mark on me were the ones who were great teachers, ones that know how to balance these four principles effortlessly (at least it seemed so) and who took the time to work with me and to build my skills and experiences in the roles I had AND for future opportunities.

I wanted to take a moment this week to share these four ideas and how I am working to find a balance for all of them as I dive into the road ahead on my end. As leaders I encourage you to keep all four ideas active in your minds and realize that there is no “steady state”, “perfectly level” leadership situation or moment!  You will need to tradeoff one versus the other, and keep balancing or re-balancing these four leadership attributes to handle and succeed in the moment at hand… good luck with your balancing efforts!

"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!

The "Silver Arrow" dynamic in planning

It may seem an odd place to start, but this essay comes from an experience I had at a boy scout camp in Western Pennsylvania as a kid.  The setting is the early 70's, I was a young scout and my brother was five years older than me and an emerging Eagle Scout ( who also earned the "Order of the Arrow" which is quite a distinction) and my dad was the Scoutmaster of our troop in Murrysville Pennsylvania, my home town.  Every summer the scouting calendar was very active with hikes, campouts, etc. but  every year we went as a troop to a local boy scout camp,  Camp Conestoga in Somerset County.  This lesson on planning comes from an experience I had there on the archery range more than forty years ago!!

Unlike my older brother who excelled in scouting, I was always a bit more of a plodder.  While I worked on my merit badges, outdoor skills and the required knot tying and first aid activities, I was a more "middle of the pack" scout.  One area where I did have some unique proficiency was on the archery range, which stemmed from my dad owning archery equipment and us all learning how to shoot as young kids.  When I got to Camp Conestoga that summer and realized they had a serious archery range and a "end of camp"  competition, I was all set!  Early in the week I signed up for the camp wide archery competition and was excited for the event to start at the end of our time at the camp.  While not a widely attended event, I was excited to see a good number of other scouts coming out to shoot and to watch the event and was exhilarated to learn that the winner of the event would win "The Camp Conestoga Golden Arrow Award"( note gold not silver) and the winner and his troop would be announced at the end of week all scout campfire!!  Now that was big-time!!!

The event was set for each shooter to have three arrows to shoot, and to shoot those arrows from three different distances, with the low scoring scouts dropping off as the distances increased.  The first set-up was very easy, maybe 10 yards, and I had three great shots and advanced easily to the next distance.  The second position was from 25 yards out and while harder, I knew that distance, adjusted my trajectory and made three good shots and made it to the final round.... the long distance shot!  Now I would love to say that the third position was 100 yards or more and while it felt like a mile, it was probably in the 50-75 yard range.

My first arrow flew and dug into the ground well short of the target, a total miss!  My second shot hit the edge if the target, but just barely, and glanced off .... zero for two!  My third shot actually hit the target but was in an outer ring, nowhere close to the bulls-eye!  The two or three other scouts who made it to the third distance were also challenged, but one fellow got two of his three arrows to hit the target, and one stuck pretty close to the center.... I had come in second and was to receive the "silver arrow" (no plaque and no camp wide announcement) which was a pretty generic aluminum shafted arrow....pretty disappointing after all of my buildup!!

While not a very high-water mark in my scouting career, that experience at Camp Conestoga taught me an invaluable business lesson that I have reflected on often.   At the third and longest distance, In order to be successful in actually hitting the target, one needs to imagine the arrow's flight in the air and actually aim for the curve of the flight, not the target itself, in order to be successful.  I really needed to imagine a series of hoops in the sky that my arrow needed to fly through in order to be successful .... the exact same discipline needed to be proficient in business planning!!

I am in the middle of a project currently where we are focused on hitting key five-year metrics, and instead on being myopic on those specific out-year results, I keep reminding myself to focus on the annual and quarterly metrics in years 1-3 (the hoops in the sky) knowing that the only way we can achieve those results in five years is to meet and exceed the closer-in targets/"hoops."  It may seem overly simple, but across my career I have been part of or consulted with too many groups that get inspired by but at times consumed in "destination planning", myopic on the end results completely forgetting the "required flight" of the business required to accomplish that destination.

My advice today is to stay focused on and active in the discipline and work of planning in your business. Take the time to look out to the horizon and imagine/dream about where you are trying to take the business/department/team that you are responsible for but always remember the "silver arrow."  Before you start shooting your "professional arrows," refocus/re-aim on the "hoops in the sky" and insure your close-in action plans will guide your arrow to the farthest target!

Seat 27D... a lesson in disciplined pre-planning!

Its seems hard to believe but three years ago this month I had knee replacement surgery.  Today, three years later, I am doing great and my knee is strong (much stronger than before the surgery!!) and I am more active today than before the surgery.  Like many of my knee replacement brothers/sisters, the recovery process was VERY challenging and I am so thankful to have friends and close family members who really took care of me (physically and emotionally) in those first few weeks/months after the surgery.  It may seem far fetched, but its in this context that I want to explore the elements and focus points of "disciplined pre-planning!"

My surgeon and his team had been very clear with me, "no driving for 6 weeks, no flying for 8 weeks" and while I heard those words, I was "certain" that I would be an exception and already started thinking about car trips and flights ahead of that schedule; wow was I wrong!!  Once I came home from surgery, I was blown away by the pain management issues and the mobility/flexibility limitations so after a few days I forgot all about "beating the timetable," and started trying to imagine how I would every be able to navigate a car, or an airport again.  While at that moment it seemed a distant aspiration, I dove into my PT regimen and really started feeling better and more myself after four or five weeks.  It was then, that I booked my first flight, ATL-PHX (atlanta to phoenix) and started working on really "pre-planning" the details of that trip.

Let me pause to say that I am so fortunate to have a trusted friend and work partner, Cathy, in my life now for over 22 years!  Cathy and I have worked closely together in numerous work situations, back when I was at Coke, when I was at Bolthouse Farms and most recently over the past four years with Levisay Consulting.  Wherever I am working/traveling, I try to start the day with a checkin with Cathy to get grounded on the issues and priorities at hand.  I am deeply appreciative for the past 22+ years and am looking forward to many more ahead!!  Back to the flight , ATL-PHX.

Cathy and I worked on the travel logistics together for that trip and I was obviously nervous and worried.  I was moving around without a "walker," but needed a cane for support at that moment and knew I wasn't going to be able to run or even walk very fast to make a flight.  In addition, my knee was VERY tender and any bumping or banging was going to be a disaster, so lots to consider when making arrangements.  Cathy worked on the travel logistics and got me into a large, exit row aisle seat (27D if I remember correctly) on the Delta 757 and the trip went without a major hitch!!

The reason for this story comes from my flight last week to LA where I sat in seat 27C of the same kind of airplane and had a fellow passenger coming down the center aisle of the plane completely banged into and jammed my right knee, my surgery knee!!  While painful and surprising, it wasn't devastating since I have had such a good recovery over the past three years.  While no big deal last week (I felt fine the next day actually,) it did make me wonder what would have happened if that had occurred on that ATL-PHX flight back in 2016!  It would have been devastating and a total mess and as I was imagining the pain (yow!!) I realized that it probably wouldn't have happened at all since I was in Seat 27D, not 27C on that historic flight.  Think about it, 27C is an exit row aisle seat with my right knee open to the aisle..... right in the action zone, where 27D is an exit row aisle seat where my right knee is protected from the center aisle and adjacent to the middle seat passenger.

This may all seem trivial and a bit technical, but it struck me last week how we ( probably totally Cathy!!) had really thought thorough the planning for that trip back in 2016 and insured that i not only got a exit row seat with a lot of room, but also one where my "weak knee" would be protected from the center aisle passenger traffic.  That was the lightbulb moment for me, "disciplined pre-planning" kept me safe on that trip ATL-PHX!  Really thinking though a situation allowed me to avoid the "bump" and the "jam" of the passengers in the center aisle that happens so frequently.  having a work partner like Cathy who really knew my challenges and issues at that moment allowed me to have a successful trip without accident or issue!

As you think about your future trips, or business plans, customer meetings, candidate interviews, board discussions, etc.,  take an extra second and ask yourself if you are looking hard enough at the situation at hand to determine the seat 27D (vs seat 27C) option that will allow you the most success at the challenge that lies ahead for you.  Take an extra moment to do the "disciplined pre-planning" and I am confident that you will benefit from the time and energy spent!

D/P/A: a model for Marketplace Differentiation

In today’s crowded and confused market of changing purchase/consumption habits, with a wildly changing media/messaging landscape, the importance of brand differentiation has never been more important!  I have written recently about the outmoded concept of “Brand Loyalty” (http://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/11/brand-loyalty-dangerous-and-outmoded.html) and in that dynamic, the need to regularly (possibly daily) refresh your businesses/brand’s “Marketplace Differentiation” is required for survival and success.

In a recent client discussion, we dove into this exact topic.  This company is a young, emerging/disruptive organic food company driving great growth across retail.  Even though they are only a few years old, there are now even “younger” emerging competitors working to take their market-share and consumers.  Rather than grumble and complain about that reality (imitation is a form of flattery), I worked them through the “D/P/A” model to see if it might help.

D: “Distinctive”.  Early on in my career, I had the chance to play a number of roles within the marketing organization at The Coca Cola Company.  At that time, Sergio Zyman was CMO, a larger than life marketing thought leader across the company, and someone who was not shy about sharing his ideas/beliefs.  I remember a meeting where he asked a group of young marketers to identify our competition.  Immediately, voices called out Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Tropicana, Starbucks, to name just a few.  In a fast and furious response of “NO!!”  he said that the primary competitor/opponent of our marketing work at Coke was “sameness.”  He pushed us to see that in a sea of marketing and branding ideas/messages, it was terrifically easy to get lost in the clutter of mediocre, easily forgettable “sameness.”  Our job was to work ceaselessly to find “distinctive” insights/concepts/messages/images to break through that clutter and create a “distinctive” spot in the landscape.

P: “Preferred.” Here is where we need to keep two concepts in mind.  When I say, “preferred”, I mean that we need to be “preferred” vs. competitive alternatives by the “core user” and the “primary shopper/purchaser” for our business/brand.  These are two different constituencies often with very different considerations. 

I will take a personal example of my family’s usage of Bolthouse Farms juices and smoothies.  My wife and I are the primary shoppers for our family, often sharing the duties on a busy weekend.  We weekly buy multiple Bolthouse Farms juices/smoothies for the entire family.  My daughter loves the strawberry banana smoothie and drinks it every morning as part of her morning routine. While she has tried other brands, she loves the Bolthouse Farms version, clearly “preferred” by the “core user.”  When our local Publix grocer store discontinued the Bolthouse Farms Strawberry Banana in the 32 oz. size, only having the single serve size available in that flavor, we had “shopper preference” issues.  The primary competitors all had a 32 oz. option in that flavor, just not Bolthouse Farms.  We now had “shopper” value issues, since the larger bottle was a better price/oz. offering. 

I share this story not to illuminate the juice dynamics in my family, but to illustrate the important balancing act of insuring “preference” vs. competition for both key constituencies.

A: Advantaged.  This final element pushes us to look at then entire “value chain” for a brand/business, looking deeply at the “demand chain” and the “supply chain” components, to insure that we have a brand/business and a business model that is “advantaged” vs. competition. 

I recently met with some folks working to compete in the highly competitive bottled water category.  Having spent 18 years at Coke, and being part of the launch of Dasani water, I know a few things about this business.  While the Coke system has some amazing advantages on the “demand chain” side of things (amazing bottler DSD network, focused and prioritized marketing efforts/investments, unparalleled revenue management/pricing capabilities to name a few), the Nestle waters company/system has tremendous “supply chain” advantages that allow them to be the case cost leader in bottled water.  Knowing this it was clear that this bottled water competitor was NOT “advantaged” in either the “demand chain” or the “supply chain” side of the category.  Having limited competitive advantage in ANY competitive marketplace is an early and dangerous warning sign!

Hopefully this “D/P/A” model will be helpful to you.  Use it regularly, push yourself to refresh your thinking and marketplace understanding constantly, and drive growth and success through clear/strong marketplace differentiation and insuring that your brand/business is “Distinctive, Preferred & Advantaged”!