Book: Novak, David “How I Became the Boss: The Story of an Accidental Career in a Multinational Corporation.” Novak, David - How I became the boss: the story of David Novak's "accidental" career in an international corporation - how I became the boss
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I was very honored and excited to be given this opportunity and immediately began working on the program. I was very clear about what I was going to present in it - I had even set a date for delivering my first program to a group of fifteen people, the executive management of PepsiCo, when suddenly I got a phone call that changed everything.
It was Roger again, only this time he was calling about a completely different matter.
“David,” he said, “we are going to spin off restaurants as a separate business.”
“And what the hell does this mean for our employees and the company?” – I asked immediately.
This meant the following: PepsiCo was going to retain the assets of its food brands - Pepsi and Frito Lay - and spin off three restaurant brands: KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Having separated them, she was going to create a new independent company - an open joint-stock company.
I worked in that same sector of the restaurant business, so it seemed pointless to present a leadership program to PepsiCo's executive management. The program was put on the shelf, and I was already thinking about something else: who would lead the new company.
It turned out that it would be me. And there's a guy named Andy Pearson, former president of PepsiCo, professor Harvard School business. I became the president, and Andy became the chairman and CEO, and also my mentor, and remained so even after I retired, and I took over a couple of years later. The first thing I heard from him when we first started was, “How would you like to have lunch with Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric, and talk to him about what we are going to do with our new company?”
Of course, I agreed. Opportunity to get advice from one of the most successful people in business was too good to miss. I asked Jack all sorts of questions that came into my head, and, sitting next to him, I immediately wrote down his answers. One of the questions I asked at the end was, “If you were in my position of having to start a new company, what would you do?”
What he said amazed me. What he said was this: “When I look back on my career at GE, the one thing I wish I could have done differently is that I would communicate more with people, telling them what kind of company I am, what our values are, and what this means to us.”
Back in my office, I spent the week thinking about how I could achieve the same thing.
I wanted us to become a company with a distinct culture, one that revolved around a genuine belief in people. I took another look at my leadership program, redesigned it, and tied it to this mission. My goal was to expand the program to such a scale that I could reach as many people as possible and make it appeal to a wider audience. Of course, I have to reach many if I want to communicate important information about our company. By starting this program, I am taking the first step toward creating a unique Yum!
In the following pages, you'll see how these people—the most successful leaders and professionals—use much of what this book discusses in their businesses.
The book benefits greatly from the inclusion of interactive tools provided by two eminent thought leaders in the fields of culture and progressive business thinking.
What is this book about:
“Once in a lifetime, fate knocks on everyone’s door. But often this one sits in the next tavern and does not hear the knock.”
When PepsiCo employees learned that management had decided to spin off the restaurant division of the holding into a separate company, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management. And they certainly didn’t expect that this person would be their colleague David Novak. As, however, David himself did not expect this...
This book is about what to do if you suddenly become the head of a newly created company with a turnover of ten billion dollars. About how to use all your life experience and an avalanche of new information, so as not only to “not burn out” in a new place, but also to turn the half-kingdom that has fallen on you into a strong empire.
And a little about what to do BEFORE you, if the opportunity arises, become the head of the company.
Feature of the book:
If you think that there are no Cinderella stories in business, you are mistaken. They happen. True, in a business fairy tale, Cinderella and the good fairy are one and the same hero.
From the author:
“No one knows in advance what they are capable of” “What I want to achieve with my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, no matter what direction their career takes, by showing through my own example how I was able to achieve their". “In business everything is relative. No matter who you work for, always look at those who are equal to you in position and status and evaluate for yourself whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to become better than them. And when you succeed, you will look at your boss and think: “What does he have that I don’t? “And then you start working to become better than him. It has always helped me advance in my career.” “There is a huge difference between what you know and what you do.”
Reviews
The book is really interesting but not very informative. You are captivated by the unconventional approach to the author’s biography, but then you understand that the “secret” of success is simple - the author works hard, is not afraid to make mistakes and is ready to share all this with others.
A motivating book about how to become a leader... and how to stay in this position!
I both liked the book and did not live up to my expectations.
I'll start with the second and end with the first.
The title of the book doesn't quite match the description. I expected:
- or a detailed biographical description of the author’s path to his career heights
- either practical advice with examples from my experience
- well, or some mix of the first two points
There is nothing like this in the book.
The book is more about management experience, advice in the areas of leadership, motivation, working with clients, etc. very organically woven into the author’s biography. And this is what the book is very good at. A kind of Iacocca - 2:)
I can recommend this book to every leader.
An excellent story of a successful career. Lots of tips and tricks.
Very interesting, but not very useful reading. Overall, a motivating book.
You shouldn't expect specific advice (unless you're a fast food manager), but overall it's a good read for free time.
A great book for a 3 hour plane ride. Americans generally have a very simple and understandable syllable; it is easily perceived even when reading in conditions of extraneous noise and hubbub. At the same time, despite its apparent simplicity, the book is filled with useful tips based on the author's experience. By the way, the author was the CEO of YAM!, who heads one of the largest fast food restaurant chains in the world: Pizzu Hut, Tacco Bell and others.
David Novak talks about his career experience, how he managed to go from a copywriter to the manager of one of the world's largest companies. Of course, luck favors those who are willing to take risks and give in to chance. But there is a lot in the book about the personal skills that Novak developed. There is a lot of Novak himself in it, his life circumstances, which influenced his career conditions. The book is filled with Yam-style advice on employee motivation, team building, and personnel selection. For managers who are concerned not only with their personal career, but also with the career of each of their subordinates, this book is a must-read. After all, it is the staff motivated to deliver high-quality, productive work that will help you achieve personal success in your career.
“Once in a lifetime, fate knocks on everyone’s door. But often this one sits in the next tavern and does not hear the knock.”
When PepsiCo employees learned that management had decided to spin off the restaurant division of the holding into a separate company, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management. And they certainly didn’t expect that this person would be their colleague David Novak. As, however, David himself did not expect this...
This book is about what to do if you suddenly become the head of a newly created company with a turnover of ten billion dollars. About how to use all your life experience and an avalanche of new information in order not only to “not burn out” in a new place, but also to turn half the kingdom that has fallen on you into a strong empire.
And a little about what to do BEFORE you, if the opportunity arises, become the head of the company.
Book feature
If you think that there are no Cinderella stories in business, you are mistaken. They happen. True, in a business fairy tale, Cinderella and the good fairy are one and the same hero.
From the author
“No one knows in advance what he is capable of”
“What I want to achieve with my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, no matter what direction their career takes, by showing through my own example how I was able to achieve mine.” “In business everything is relative. No matter who you work for, always look at those who are equal to you in position and status and evaluate for yourself whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to become better than them. And when you succeed, you will look at your boss and think: “What does he have that I don’t? “And then you start working to become better than him. It has always helped me advance in my career.” “There is a huge difference between what you know and what you do.”
book author David Novak in search of a job, he sent out not a standard resume, but a brochure with poems of his own composition about why he should be hired for a vacant position. Then he got a job at PepsiCo, worked for eleven years in all sorts of positions and was sure that he would vegetate like that until retirement. But then one fine day...
No, just don’t think that this is a Hollywood story about a loser who caught the eye of the celestials and was assigned an experiment for the sake of the president of the corporation. Of course, when PepsiCo employees learned that the management decided to separate the restaurant division of the holding into a separate structure, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management, however, David Novak, who was appointed to this post, was not chosen entirely by chance - some he definitely had experience. It’s another thing to step from major marketers straight into general directors - to the position of chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Yum! Brands (the world’s largest restaurant chain - 35 thousand restaurants around the world, brands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc.) .
It is clear that getting an appointment does not mean becoming a boss - it is important to hold on and show the celestial shareholders that their choice was correct. Actually, the book is exactly about this - what to do if you suddenly became the head of a newly created company with a turnover of ten billion dollars, how to use all your and other people’s experience, process an avalanche of new information in order not only to stay in your chair, but and build a real beautiful business.
“What I want to achieve with my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, no matter what direction their career takes, by showing through my own example how I was able to realize mine,” says the author himself. - In business everything is relative. No matter who you work for, always look at those who are equal to you in position and status and evaluate for yourself whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to become better than them. And when you succeed, you will look at your boss and think: “What does he have that I don’t? “And then you start working to become better than him. It has always helped me advance in my career.”
Unlike many other memoirs of financiers or industrialists, this book is especially valuable for its “closeness to the people” - after all, street bistros, like no other business, are connected with ordinary people, both by customers and those standing at the counter. Moreover, the owners of each individual point are small companies franchisee. Can you imagine what a bunch of questions the newly-minted boss had to solve, and what a tangle of relationships he had to unravel? He established a council of chefs and, together with them, tasted fried chicken and chose the recipe, thought through the service and built a system of relationships with franchisee partners. KFC or Pizza Hut existed for many years before the merger under Yum!Brands.
David Novak managed to shake up the old system and bring the company to a different level of turnover and profit. Anyone who has ever eaten at, for example, KFC can get an idea of his achievements. And the very opening of new bistros around the world already speaks of the success of the business. The book is written in normal human language, without specific terms and special abstruse language. All the problems described are clearly understandable to anyone who has encountered management at any level. After reading it, it makes sense to think about whether you would be able to cope if you were appointed boss tomorrow?