X "Take this job and shove it!" (A true story)" "Rules are made for those who will follow them." -- John H. Johnson, founder, Johnson Publications "Sometimes it's risky not to take a risk." --Bill Gates, founder, Microsoft "The opposite of success is not failure, but conformity." --Rollo May, psychologist "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you'll feed him for a lifetime. But show him how he can buy the pond, and no one in his family will ever know struggle." --T.D. Jakes, founder, The Potter's House "Think big, think bold, think stretch, think global, think quantum leap, think no limits. But, by all means, think!" --Dr. Ben Carson, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery Johns Hopkins Hospital In their early years, many Black executives were slighted and belittled. For example, in the late 1960's with both engineering and business degrees in hand, Frito-Lay's Lloyd Ward was greet- ed with derision and mocked during an interview when he tried to convince a collegiate recruit- er that a Black man could achieve and prosper in the corporate arena. "Sorry, you're too early," Ward was told by an indifferent personnel manager. "I suggest that you return in twen- ty years." Unyielding and refusing to bow to the cruelty of fate, this serenely confident college grad fired back, "Sir, will that be in the morning or the afternoon?" The above anecdote is a testament to the determination and grit of Lloyd Ward. "I'm a winner who understands that winning is not only important-it's critical," said Ward, who at the time was president of the central division of Frito-Lay, Inc., a subsidiary of Pepsi-Cola. In 1995, Ward served as one of four division presidents at the world's leading snack chip maker and home of the crunch-lover staples as Lay's, Ruffles, Doritos, Tostitos, Fritos, Rold Gold, and Sun Chips. Today, Frito-Lay employs 50,000 workers and generates nearly $13.1 billion in sales. Frito-Lay occupies 37 percent of the snack chip market ($35 billion segment), far outdistancing This case was prepared by Dr. Dennis Kimbro as a basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data or illustrations of effective or ineffective management strategy. 1 "Take this job and Shove it..." is competitors such as Eagle, owned by Anheuser-Busch, and Wise, a division of Bo place this data in perspective, Frito-Lay sells nearly 10 billion bags of chips, pretzels, annually. This equates to 33 bags for every man, woman, and child in the popco executive recruiters as one of 250 managers under age 54 who would eventually he: accounts for one-third of PepsiCo's profit. As a result, Ward was selected by the nat U.S. corporation. In 1994, as we-Lloyd Ward and myself-addressed a room full of corporate career that would not only shape his business outlook, but force him to ta students at the Stanford Business School, he shared an experience that occurred ea creative process. Decisions, decisions... there's no time to reflect. You've been with Frito-Lay for less than five years and you You've been racking your brain for the past thirty minutes. It's nearly 1:30 in the afte ed with your progress-at least that's what you tell your friends. You're the only Bla rep in the region. The raises have been there, although sometimes a tad slow. But, can't complain. The ink on your diploma has yet to dry and you're pulling down closi $60,000 a year which is more than friends are earning, and enough to manage your lifestyle. Two days ago your manager phoned and said he would like to plan a field contact in evaluate your promotional deals and marketing skills. He will meet you at Kroger's, account, at 2:00p.m. You immediately got antsy because you know how important sales promotions are to Pepsi and its bottom line. Without reservation, you set outt account to prep the visit. To your amazement, the Kroger store manager has remov marketing deal and narrowed your product space. You damn near faint! You ask the "What's up?" He says he had to make space for your competitor. "This month," he "Eagle Snacks (Anheuser-Busch) is offering a better deal. I had to make a decision." with him to place your product back on the shelf and hang up your promo. You tell your boss is a real hard-ass. The last time something like this went down, you menti account rep was fired. "I'm not about to lose my job," you whisper in false bravado. T manager just shrugs his shoulders and sacks a customer's groceries. You look at you It's ten 'til two. What do you do?? It's time to get to innovative. (Marketing majo wait to read your response.) hove it..." "This man was born for this... He (Obama) was born to lead us. He makes me want to be smarter, He makes me want to be more involved. This is probably the most important day of my life, and I am so grateful." --Beyonce Do you recall that memorable scene in the Eddie Murphy classic "Coming to America?" In the final moments of the movie, on a crowded New York subway car Price Hakeem is trying to con- vince his long lost love, Lisa McDowell, that he is legit-an honest man of high character, and not some filthy rich African playboy crisscrossing the country in search of one sexual conquest after another. As the Prince bares his soul and pleads his case, an innocent commuter eaves. drops on their conversation and offers Lisa the following advice: "Take a chance, Honey!" In reference to this case study those words may hold deeper meaning. Do not be led astray. This case centers on what it takes to create and market (there's that word again, marketing majors), something remarkable. This case begs for originality, passion, guts, creativity, daring, and negotiation "Average" companies who employ average people with average back- grounds, who promote average ideas, produce average and outdated products and earn average salaries. Throughout the course of your life you will encounter moments when you will be forced to render a "strategic decision" forcing you to utilize your creative gifts. When those moments arise you would be wise to employ the following management formula: (1) What's the worst that can happen? (2) What's the best that can happen? ) What likely happen? (4) Am I willing to tolerate the worst in order to achieve my goals and objectives? Hot shot, know-it-all business students, put your cell phones down—what do you do? Once again the world of commerce and industry turns to you for the answer. As you formulate your response-1.5 pages doubled space; 375 words, tops; concise, crisp, tightly focused, well- crafted and well written, you may want to consider the following questions... (1) What do you do? Your job is on the line. What is your strategy? How will you explain losing your top account to your boss (a real hard-ass)? Sixty thousand dollars--are you kidding me?! (2) What do you say or offer the Kroger store manager? (3) Share an example when you risked it all (when you "took a chance, Honey"); when you ran against the grain; when you colored outside of the lines; when you got innovative. (4) It has been written that you and I were created in the image of the Almighty-the master dreamer. In other words, we've been created to pursue our dreams. Highlight one idea that you came up with but failed to pursue... Share an example where you 3 "Take this Job and Shove it." CH permitted someone to steal your dream. Do you allow others to talk you out of your goals or objectives? Do you friends support your ideas or do they deter you from pursuing your dreams? If someone whom you respect and admire suggested that you change your major, would you? (5) If you lack the financial resources to return to CAU next year, what's your strategy? (6) The lack of diversity at the top of corporate America extends beyond black CEOs. Fortune reported in February 2014 that just over 4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs at that time were minorities, a classification including African-Americans, Asians, and Latin- Americans. And there were 24 women CEOs in the Fortune 500 -representing 4.8 percent of companies - as of June. At one time there were as many as 12 black CEOs in the Fortune 500, according to Ronald C. Parker, CEO of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization representing top black executives in the Fortune 500. Why the decline in recent years? Part of it has to do with the push toward globalization, Parker told The Huffington Post: As America's top companies placed more value on leaders with international experience, they focused less on women and minorities. "Women and people of color aren't afforded those opportunities," said Parker, who served as Pepsi's senior vice president for human resources, labor relations and global diversity and inclusion. "We're not in the conversation early enough. Organizations who do this well are very intentional about it." Currently, twenty-four women hold CEO positions at Fortune 500 companies. For Black women the numbers are flat out disheartening. As of this writing, four black men and one black woman have ascended to become CEOs of Fortune 500 firms-Ken Chenault, American Express; Rodney O'Neal, Delphi; Kenneth Frazier, Merck; Arnold Donald, Carnival Cruise Line; and Ursula Burns, Xerox. But while Black men have made remarkable strides in the past several years, Black women still have a long way to go. A recent Fortune magazine article that featured the top 50 Black Executives in America profiled only eleven women, most were clustered toward the bottom. And rather than running big-ticket mainstream divisions or companies, they tend to drive more entrepreneurial businesses, often creating the opportunities them-selves. According to the latest data (2015) of the 1,689 total chief executives in the U.S., 14 percent are women, and 5-3 percent are African American; women hold 50.3 percent of all management and professional positions; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 19 million "managers" in the U.S. labor force, only 5 percent are African American. What do these numbers mean to you?? (7) As you read the above quote, what were YOU born to do? What is YOUR mission in life? What gets you out of bed in the morning? As you soak in the events of the hour, why will this world be better because of YOU? As President Obama implied on more than one occasion-"Don't expect anyone to promote you until you promote yourself." Or, as Black Enterprise magazine founder Earl Graves states: "Regardless of our age or career status, we must innovate, adapt and evolve within the digital space. Playing 4 "Take this job and Shove it..." DS OF 15 chtelineet ANGO Candy Crush Saga or tweeting celebrity news is not the most productive use of our skills or time." Please share your thoughts... (8) As you know, 15 percent of all millionaires lack a college degree; five percent never completed high school. (As a Silicon Valley investor, Troy Carter, the man who placed Lady Gaga on the map, has done the same for Spotify, Dropbox, and Uber with nothing more than a GED.) Quick question: What does this data / anecdote mean to you? It goes without saying, you guys are the best. You'll change the world. I promise you! Good luck... CABUS RSS
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