Snack Chat

Help Feed Hungry Children

Please consider participating in a program our sister company, Quaker Oatmeal, is sponsoring now (through February 28) in which it will donate oatmeal to hungry children. Quaker Oatmeal partnered with Share our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger, to make the program a success.

It's very simple to participate. Just go to Quaker's Start with Substance Web site, or go directly to the program's Facebook page for details.

Earlier this month I posted an entry on Snack Chat, "Toughing out Tough Times," in which I talked about PepsiCo's mission of "Performance with Purpose." The Start with Substance program is a good example of that mission coming to life and an easy way for you to help as well.

Winning with Revolutionary Ideas

As we celebrate Washington's birthday today, I find that the political ideas of the late 1770s are today as relevant as ever -- and even winning as a business philosophy at Frito-Lay. 

George Washington and our other "enlightened" founding fathers' revolutionary idea was inspired in its simplicity, yet so powerful that it altered the course of human history.  The idea was: the role of government is to serve the people -- it was not the role of the people to serve a monarchy.  The Declaration of Independence states clearly that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

When I started practicing corporate law 35 years ago, the prevailing management philosophy was more similar to an old-style monarchy -- "I give ulcers I don't get them."  But that attitude has dramatically changed.

Al Carey, Frito-Lay's CEO, embraces an enlightened leadership model under the headline of "servant leadership," which is very similar to the basic principle that our founding fathers supported.  Al says that a key role of the CEO is to empower and inspire his team.  He attributes David Novak, Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, with teaching him how to build a winning team.  You can read more about David's leadership approach in his book, "The Education of an Accidental CEO."

To help implement an enlightened leadership model over the last decade at Frito-Lay, we've been doing a 360-degree survey, a feedback approach in which managers receive biannual written feedback from their peers, employees and bosses. 

I remember when the 360-degree survey started, I was nervous about the outcome of getting feedback from so many different sources.  Although at first I was defensive about some of the written comments I received, I found the feedback was mostly beneficial and helped me improve my team-building skills over the years.

Today, as we celebrate Washington's birthday, it is refreshing to know that Frito-Lay, like our country in the late 1770s, is on an exciting journey.  Our journey is to better empower employees, helping us continue to attract and retain top talent, ensure that we're making the most of their abilities, build stronger teams -- and thereby improve profitability.  What is your advice on inspiring teams and driving servant leadership?

Teaming up for the Daytona 500

As auto racing fans know, this Sunday is the big race -- the 51st Annual Daytona 500 -- and Kroger, Fritos and Gatorade have teamed up to add a little more excitement to the event.  Personally, I have mixed memories of the Daytona 500.

Back in the early 1970s, I was a writer for Ford Motor Co. and traveled from Detroit to the Daytona 500 to interview employees who were involved in the event.  I was young and wanted to impress the fanatical fans camped out in the infield.  The race was going great, until I locked the keys to my rental car in the trunk.  My co-workers had to break into the trunk and retrieve them.  The next day I slinked back to Detroit, imagining what those diehard fans thought of this young kid from corporate headquarters who locked his keys in his car.

Like so many things that seem important at the time, I can laugh about it now -- and really look forward to Sunday's race. 

And, this year, Kroger, Fritos and Gatorade have teamed up with an online contest, "You Pick the Champ," in which you can vote for the driver you think is going to win Sunday's race. To enter, just go to Kroger's Daytona 500 Web site, register and vote by February 14 (so hurry!).  For your vote, you'll get a coupon for $1 off Fritos, which you can redeem at your local Kroger.

"The Daytona 500 contest is an example of the types of programs Frito-Lay and Kroger are developing together to give shoppers the products they want -- and bring a little bit of fun to them at the same time," says Ram Krishnan, Frito-Lay's Marketing Manager for the Kroger account. 

"We have a full-year of programs planned with Kroger that offer a little more than expected," Ram told me.  "Starting March 1, Kroger and SunChips team up in-store to give consumers a coupon for $3 off selected GE energy-saving CFL light bulbs, reinforcing both Kroger and Frito-Lay's commitment to helping conserve and preserve the environment."

This Sunday, I'll be tuned into the Daytona 500 and rooting for Kasey Kahne, who teamed up with Fritos for the online contest, while I'm doing my income taxes.  Hopefully it will not leave me with mixed memories of the race again.  For our Daytona 500 fans, what is your favorite auto racing memory?

Song in Lay's "Fireworks" Ad

We've recieved a few requests from readers to provide the song name and artist that is featured in the new Lay's ad, Fireworks, now airing on TV.  You can watch the ad below.

The band is Slow Club, the song is titled, Drinking, Thinking, Sinking, Feeling, and you can find it on iTunes. Happy listening!

Millennials Making an Impact

I'm encouraged by the growing worldwide influence of Millennials -– defined as those born between 1980 and 1995 -- because they really are having a positive impact on culture, politics and environmental sustainability.  The challenge I see at Frito-Lay is how to recruit and retain the brightest of this new breed -- and then listen to them --because they're leading us (quickly) into the future.

Boomers like me tend to think we're the center of the universe.  In the U.S. we're still holding on by a thread, making up 26 percent of the population versus Millennials at 24 percent.  But it's no contest worldwide.  There are nearly 2 billion Millennials  worldwide, and they make up 30 percent of the world's population, versus Boomers at only 18  percent.  The numbers speak for themselves -- this is a group we should listen to.

Millennials are characterized by how they're changing culture with their use of technology -- teaching us old Boomers new tricks along the way.  My Millennial sons taught me how to play on Nintendo Wii.  My teenage nieces -- who live in Thailand, Charleston, S.C. and Detroit -- taught me how they keep up with each other on Facebook.  And a Boomer friend of mine bought his first home computer last year, because e-mail was the only way he could keep up with his son.

Side-note: I tried to “friend” my teenage nieces on Facebook, but they rejected me -- I wonder why? 

So what's Frito-Lay doing to attract and retain Millennials?  To start, we're making sure we listen and learn from our current Millennial employees by sponsoring a new internal networking organization targeted to them called "CONN3CT." Yes, we pronounce it “connect” – don’t let the “3” fool you. 

The organization is the brainchild of Jamila Cutliff, a Frito-Lay Finance Manager, pictured below.  She started the group two years ago as a grassroots effort, by organizing quarterly dinners for Millennials and PepsiCo leaders, and it has now grown into a PepsiCo-wide organization.

"CONN3CT establishes connections between young professionals across PepsiCo, and provides them with development opportunities," Jamila says.  "We also want to positively impact PepsiCo's business performance by providing input on issues like recruiting, marketing and work-life quality."

Two weeks ago, I had a chance to hear firsthand from CoNN3CT members and other employees who are Millennials at internal meeting of PepsiCo employees from around the globe. As I listened to them, I realized the main difference between them and myself when I was their age, is their conviction that companies must be socially responsible. 

During one of the meeting’s presentations, four PepsiCo Millennials offered leaders insights and perspectives about how their generation views everything from culture to technology to their jobs. They each said a key factor in deciding to join PepsiCo was the company's commitment to environmental sustainability.

This is an important change in attitude compared to previous generations, and with Millennials quickly moving into positions of authority, I look forward to their positive impact on both our business and our society.  What do you think is the biggest impact of Millennials on business and society?