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!!

 

“Dash or Dither”…. A leadership tempo dilemma

  

As a history fan, I read a lot of non-fiction history books and love to listen to podcasts that review key moments/events across the centuries and across geographies.  Listening to a recent WW2 podcast, the concept of “Dash or Dither” was explored it caught my attention.  The podcast was reviewing key events early in the war when both the British and German armies invaded Norway… and without realizing it they invaded at the exact same time.  I won’t take any time today to discuss the military or historic elements specific to these events, but the podcast hosts were discussing that one set of Generals/senior officers were incredibly slow/ planful/ deliberate as they approached the operation, while the opposing Generals/senior officers acted swiftly/impulsively/rashly against the same objectives.  The hosts used the “Dash vs Dither” language in their description, and it got me thinking about the application of this idea in the business leadership context.

To begin with, let’s start with a few definitions:

“Dash”: verb, “To run or move quickly or hastily

“Dither”: verb, “to act nervously or indecisively”

 

In our cultural context today, it is easy and potentially natural to praise the “dash” in a leader’s approach, and to critique those leaders who “dither.”  In my experience leading large organizations, it can be at minimum distracting, often actually dangerous for teams to actually see a senior leader “dither” (to be uncertain, having a hard time making a tough decision, vacillate between competing strategic alternatives, etc.) Equally it is troublesome and also dangerous to “see” senior leaders unthinkingly “dash” toward solutions that are ill considered or even ill-advised. 

 It’s in this context that I came to realize that neither “Dash” nor “Dither” SINGULARLY are the right or appropriate leadership tempos… instead a nuanced blend between the two seems to be the better, more balanced approach.  Back in 2012, I wrote an essay titled “Over the hood and over the horizon” ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/04/over-hood-over-horizon.html)  sharing the story of a lesson that I was taught about how leaders ALWAYS have to toggle their viewpoints between short term tactical/executional dynamics and longer-term strategic considerations.  Literally earlier this week I shared this story in a coaching conversation I was having with a young leader who works together with me on a non-profit board.  It dawned on me that in the same fashion of “over the hood and over the horizon,” successful leaders need to become agile and comfortable at a wide variety of leadership tempos… dependent on the circumstances.  There will be moments where a market-based opportunity presents itself and a leader MUST accelerate an organization to capture the moment.  Equally, a leader MUST remember the lessons from another old essay of mine titled “P/B/R” ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/07/pbr-maybe-not-what-you-think.html) where I shared an important lesson of leaders needing to learn how to “Pause, Breathe, and Reconnect.”  

The art of great leaders is neither to “dash” nor “dither” unilaterally …. but to be able to navigate the landscape and lead organizations at a wide range of tempos, best oriented to capture the opportunities that are present, or avoid the dangerous pitfalls that abound.

 

Executional Excellence Never Goes Out of Style

Reflections on Why Execution Still Matters Today

 

The idea that “execution matters” has been foundational throughout my decades-long career and, if anything, is more important today than ever. When I started my business journey over 40 years ago, my first role was as a Marketing Assistant for Kimberly-Clark. My assignment? Sales training and managing my own “sales district” of grocery and drug stores carrying K-C’s brands. Every day, I’d visit 6-7 stores along my key routes. In those pre-digital days—before cell phones, personal computers, or the Internet—I would carefully jot down notes from each store visit, then complete an “After Action Report” (the famous “AAR”) after every stop. By Friday afternoons, I’d pull together my weekly expense report and compile a “weekly sales review”—a summary of all my AARs. I’d pop everything into a mailing envelope and send it off to my local district sales manager. This process and discipline were repeated daily, weekly, monthly—always with a laser focus on what was happening “in-store,” at the point of demand, and on what I could do to improve that reality. A recent stop at a local grocery store brought these early lessons flooding back to me.

Just last month, between Christmas and New Year’s, my daughter Marie and I were traveling in North Georgia and made a quick stop at an Ingle’s Grocery Store in Jasper to grab a coffee at Starbucks. The photos above are from that store visit, and I was blown away by how immaculately the end-aisle displays were set and stocked. Looking down the aisles, I noticed it wasn’t just the displays—the entire store was fully stocked and well merchandised. Keep in mind, this was during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. To see a grocery store in such top shape was no small feat. It was a clear reminder that the team at Ingle’s—or maybe just that store—was committed to execution at the point of demand, and that it takes real work and discipline to maintain such standards.

Unfortunately, I often see great strategies, innovative ideas, and strong brand or product plans fall short of their potential. Why? Because that “last mile” (or, sometimes, the last few feet or even inches) is either overlooked or assumed. Even the best ideas don’t mean much if customers can’t find them in-store or online when they’re ready to buy.

This truth has been reinforced for me several times in just the past few days. A good friend recently launched a fantastic new product, meant to be featured with four facings in a specific location in every local grocery store in Atlanta. I visited four of those stores, expecting to see 16 facings in total, but instead found only one facing in just one store—far off the target! I snapped photos and texted my notes from each store visit, channeling my old “AAR” habit. While my friend was understandably frustrated, he appreciated the honest feedback and jumped in to fix the executional gap. Execution at the point of demand truly matters!

In another example this week, a CEO I work closely with shared that he spends every Thursday “walking stores” in person—wherever he happens to be. It’s his weekly discipline to step away from the computer and Zoom calls to physically see how his products are displayed, assess competitive activity, and observe retailer dynamics. This personal commitment not only helps him stay connected to the in-store reality but also sets a powerful example for the entire company: execution matters, and what happens in-store is a top priority.

Whatever your industry or role, I encourage you to pause and reflect on how you’re executing at the point of demand. Are you and your team taking the right actions to drive executional excellence—every day, every set, every store?

 

 

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!

 

 

 

Slow is smooth… and smooth is fast!

It’s not often I reference a television character in my writing, but today I’ll make an exception for Phil Dunphy from “Modern Family.” In one hilarious scene, Phil rallies his family for a fire drill and uses the phrase “slow is smooth… and smooth is fast” to encourage a calm but swift exit from the house. That moment has stuck with me, and I’ve even repeated it to my own family in similar situations. 

Today, I want to explore how this idea can help leaders and teams focus not only on what they do (their deliverables and results) but also on how they do it (the processes that drive those outcomes).

Recently, as executive chair of a thriving private company’s board, I led a quarterly board meeting. The session was productive and hit all our critical objectives. Despite the meeting’s seemingly deliberate pace, we wrapped up 20 minutes and ahead of schedule. Once again, Phil’s motto echoed in my mind—“slow is smooth… and smooth is fast!” Embedded in this saying are two essential principles worth remembering.

Slow is smooth…

By establishing clear, methodical, and repeatable routines for your work, your organization, and your team, you set the stage for reliable performance. Such consistency minimizes errors, reduces unnecessary rework, and limits variability—especially important in today’s competitive, complex environments. As a leader, it’s crucial to create and uphold these disciplined processes and to demonstrate them through your own actions.

Smooth is fast…

It’s easy to envision how streamlined, well-honed business processes can lead to faster achievement of goals. As illustrated in our recent board meeting, executing a process smoothly and methodically enabled us to complete our work more efficiently, finishing over 10% earlier than expected.

My advice to readers is to review your core business processes, or start building them if needed, and continually refine them to be more systematic and repeatable. When your words and actions align in supporting these disciplined approaches, and when leaders model these behaviors personally, you’ll see better outcomes for your teams and organizations.

 

Leadership Pride from the “sidelines”

 

 

Let me begin by expressing just how proud I am of the teams at Butterfly Equity and Generous Brands. The recent announcement of their deal to acquire Health-Ade truly brought a smile of pride to my face. This acquisition expands an already impressive platform of better-for-you refrigerated beverage brands and fulfills a vision we first embraced when we repurchased the company from Campbell’s in 2019. Back then, the business was facing serious challenges on both top-line and bottom-line performance, and we knew we’d have to rebuild the team, stabilize the CPG and retail fresh carrot businesses, and carve out the company from Campbell’s before we could pursue any larger strategic opportunities. Of course, none of us could have anticipated that Covid was just around the corner.

Yet, I am deeply proud of how the team united through the pandemic. They not only weathered the storm but emerged stronger, never losing sight of the major strategic priorities: splitting the historic company into two distinct, focused entities and expanding the robust refrigerated beverage platform with new brands. These were ideas conceived in 2019 … and now, they are realities.

When I retired early last year, as we took steps to split the company into its two natural businesses (one focused on retail fresh carrots, the other on CPG brands and products), I had a chance to step back and observe how both independent teams would perform. While it was sometimes difficult to be on the sidelines rather than on the front lines, it has been a genuinely rewarding “legacy moment” to watch leaders—some I’ve worked with for years and others I helped bring on recently—rise to meet new challenges and seize fresh opportunities. None of these moments have been more significant than the acquisition announced last week.

With a career now spanning over four decades, my hope for the next chapter is to experience more of these “legacy moments,” seeing great leaders and their teams make meaningful impacts across the business world and leave lasting legacies of their own. Rather than leading from the front, my focus is on coaching, mentoring, and advising from the sidelines—always ready to support the teams I admire so much.

Noting that I rarely include last names in my essays, I feel compelled to recognize the exceptional leadership, vision, and influence of Adam and Jeff. Their relentless drive and steadfast dedication were instrumental in making this deal happen. I also want to shine a light on the remarkable team of Phil, David, and Todd—brilliant operating executives at Generous Brands whose expertise and collaboration have truly laid the groundwork for this achievement. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the honor of working with many gifted individuals, but these five stand out as Generous Brands charts its course toward new opportunities. I am deeply grateful for their remarkable impact, and it fills me with pride to cheer them on from the sidelines.

"Do Fewer Things Better: redux.... a focus on executional excellence!

 

It was over 12 years ago that I first posted an essay focused on this idea of doing "fewer things better."  you can see the original essay here. ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/09/do-fewer-things-better.html)   Here we are today in early 2025, in what seems like a really different world form 2012, new roles/companies for me, new technology dynamics with AI exploding, new global political dynamics... and yet this simple idea continues to reverberate in my thinking and the requirements for leaders to get A LOT done continues to grow.  Getting "A LOT" done is not my focus here... my desire is to talk less about how much we are getting done, I will not celebrate the phrase "I am multitasking my brains out" in this essay!  Quite the contrary, I will be centered on the quality of our work as leaders, and the executional excellence of our companies/teams/organizations.

One reality that is common for me today as it was in 2012 was and is feeling very lucky to be part of high growth organizations.  Its in that context that I wrote, 

 "I have had the chance to be part of a very dynamic, high growth company, working closely with a group of very inspired, motivated, and talented individuals. One reality of a high growth environment is that the scale and challenges of the business are often out-stripping the capabilities and capacities of the organization. Unlike many big companies that go through their every 2-3 year “reorganization” cycles, looking to cut costs when they can’t find/create real top line growth, we are constantly feeling the need to have the organization “catch-up” to the changing needs/challenges/size of the business. Because of this growth dynamic, individuals and teams are often stretched as their markets/customers/brands accelerate. This reality spans functions and departments all across our company, and mine is no exception."

This idea that "individuals and teams are often stretched" beyond their current capabilities and capacity as they grow is exhilarating and nothing new.  As leaders we need to realize this and navigate a tough balancing act... to drive for growth and to build the capabilities and capacity of our organizations AND execute with excellence.  I push myself to not fall into the trap to think that this is an either/or dynamic.... we can grow a ton OR execute brilliantly... that is an unacceptable leadership trap/headest... it's an "AND" not an "OR"thing!

This focus lead me to write about a conversation from that time that illustrates this point, 

 "I was talking with two of my talented leaders and we were working through the facts that there seemed to be just too many priorities for them and their teams, and at that moment certain things seemed to be falling through the cracks. It wasn’t a matter of skills or motivation; it was clearly an issue of prioritization. I asked them how MANY of the projects/initiatives they thought were getting accomplished, and they said maybe 80-85%. Additionally I asked them to grade their work on how WELL they thought they were accomplishing the projects, A to F. They both thought that maybe a B or B+ would be the right score. I suggested that is if we were getting a B+ of 85% of the work, then our “score” wasn’t an overall B+/85%, but rather a 72 ( 85 x 85 = 72.3) We needed to combine how MANY of the projects were being accomplished with how WELL they were being done. Were we really working so hard just to do average work? Does the business need/require just “average” work to accomplish “exceptional” results??? It was at the end of this conversation that the three of us came to the point of view that we needed to do more A+ work even if it meant us prioritizing the work even more dramatically."

This idea of a combined score of 72%, barely a passing "C," was not what those leaders from 2012 were working so hard to achieve, and its not the expectation that we as leaders need to set today! This dynamic will push all of us to step back for the moment and think about prioritization and focus for ourselves and our teams.  If we can decipher between "what's important" and "what's urgent," then how can our teams?  In a well read historic essay, "The tyranny of the urgent" ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2010/11/tyranny-of-urgent-5-for-2.html),  I used a simple matrix to depict this idea.

As you can see this model pushes us as leaders to get this clear first for ourselves ....how are WE spending our time and where is our focus ???  Then, and only then can we work with our key leaders to do the same for our companies.  My experience guides me to realize that WE ( and I am including myself here for sure) spend too much time in quadrants #3 & #4, we push ourselves to think about quadrant #1, and NEVER spend enough of our time and focus in quadrant #2.  Writing this essay, and candidly you reading this essay is literally time spent in #2!

I will close in the exact same place as I did in 2012, we all need to work on this, we as leaders need to model this and help our teams bring it to life in their challenged, hectic, "get more done" worlds every day,

"Once we have done a better/stronger job prioritizing the work at hand (for the week/quarter/year/etc), then we must commit ourselves to strive for excellent work on the initiatives that we’ve prioritized. I know it will never be perfect. I don’t believe in”perfect,” nor do I believe that “practice makes perfect.” I DO believe that “practice makes better” and that we all can work hard on making tomorrow better than yesterday. My focus is on working to do “fewer things better”, maybe even taking a few initiatives/priorities off the plate so that we as an organization can improve our focus, and improve our “grades” on the quality not just quantity, of our work."