Novak, David - How I Became a Boss: The Story of a "Accidental" Career in an International Corporation. Book: Novak, David How I Became a Boss: The Story of an Accidental Career in an International Corporation David Novak Story of a Dizzying Career Buy

The first comment I heard about this book was from a colleague at work. Skimming through several pages, she concluded:

The usual pulp fiction like "How to Become a Millionaire in One Month" or "How to Marry a Prince."

Unlike my colleague, I read the entire book, and overall, I have positive emotions. The book has been translated and published by Mann, Ivanov, Farber, and these guys position themselves as suppliers of quality business literature.

The book is written in the same easy accessible language as the book by K. Sewel "Clients for Life", published earlier in the same publishing house.

The book has 21 chapters, each of which consists of subchapters and has its own title. In my opinion, the titles of some subchapters do not correlate well with the contents of the chapter, but let's leave that on the conscience of the author (or translator ?!).

This book was written by a person who worked in top management Pepsi, Tako Bell, Pizza Hut. Introduced a new brand to the market - Yum! Brands (the management company of several well-known restaurant brands). In short, the book was written by a man whose work has often shaken corporate America.

For myself, I have broken this book into three parts:

The first part is a memoir. In this part of the book, the author recalls the skills he acquired as a child - at school, college, then at the University of Missouri. The acquired skills are the desire to be the best and the ability to negotiate. The author talks about the stages of his career. In his memoirs, the author shares his memories of meeting his wife, rivalry with comrades, memories of his teachers (not only school teachers, but also teachers "in life"). This part of the book describes the behavior of senior executives of the largest US corporations, their approaches to implementing change. A lot is told interesting stories about corporate America and the history of the creation of some brands. It was seen how the author grew up with the goals. He did not have a general goal, he grew in steps: first - a copywriter, then - a salesman, then - a marketing director.

This part of the book was just interesting and informative to read; in practical terms, I didn’t take anything new for myself. On the other hand, this part of the book is proof that "leaders are not born, but made."

The second part is the author's practical experience. This part of the book starts at page 150. It was here that I began to actively write in the margins, underline the text. I have memorized the "Eight Principles of Leadership" suggested by the author. The author shares the secrets of how to interest the work of subordinates, to make them a team. The author shows by examples how, why and for what it is necessary to create a corporate culture. In the chapter “Leading the People,” the author describes 15 lessons for leaders. How to stimulate and reward people. The nominations for sellers, cashiers, accountants, marketers, etc. are described in a very interesting way.

I was surprised that, even as the CEO of the largest restaurant chain, the author found time and personally taught his subordinates how to properly manage and organize work of subordinates. Be a leader means to teach! Corporate training generally play an enviable role in the book.

There is also a lot of talk about the mistakes that the author made and how he corrected them. It was very interesting to read how the author analyzes his own mistakes: why he made them, and what needs to be done so that no one else makes such mistakes in the company he heads.

In an effort to become better, the author and his team researched many formulas for success (from W. Buffett, D. Welch, and other successful CEOs) and came up with their own formula. Thus, this book tells not only about the author's own experience, but also about the experience of other management gurus.

It was interesting to read about the five principles of behavior in a crisis situation. The author reveals the secrets of how to confront the negative facts described in the press - I think this is especially important for Russia!

The third part is a separate chapter in the book called Leaders Answer Questions. This chapter stands out sharply from the rest of the book, so I made a special mention of this chapter. Here and about layoffs, and about a reasonable balance between career and family, about how to create a successful team, how to manage it. The relationship between business, career and religion is touched upon.

After reading the book, the opinion was formed that the author was lying and did not reveal all the secrets. The feeling of understatement is present throughout the entire reading.

Who would i recommended this book? In my opinion, it would be useful and interesting. top management companies, restaurateurs, HR specialists and those who train employees in the company. I also recommend reading this book to marketers and development professionals.

Quotes from the book:

- "You are capable of becoming what you are, by your own deep conviction to become capable."

- "Nobody knows in advance what he is capable of."

- “Another person from the outside will consider the traditions and symbols of the organization stupid. But if everything is done sincerely, from the heart, then people have an urgent need to feel belonging to them, which ultimately prompts them to action. "

“Deep conviction is not a fact of being right.”

What this book is about:
“Once in a lifetime, fate knocks at everyone's door. But often this one sits in a nearby pub and does not hear the knocking "

When PepsiCo employees learned that management had decided to spin off the holding's restaurant business into a separate company, they had no idea who would be entrusted with running it. And they certainly did not anticipate that their colleague David Novak would become this person. As, however, David himself did not assume this ...

This book is about what to do when you become the head of a new $ 10 billion company overnight. How to use all your life experience and an avalanche new information, so as not only to "not burn out" in a new place, but also to turn the half of the kingdom that has fallen on you into a strong empire.

And a little about what to do BEFORE, so that it is you - if the case turns up - become the head of the company.

Feature of the book:
If you think there are no Cinderella stories in business, you are wrong. They happen. True, in a business fairy tale, Cinderella and the fairy godmother 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 the help of my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, regardless of the direction in which their career will develop, showing by my own example how I managed to realize their". “In business, everything is relative. Whoever you work, always look at your equal in position and status and evaluate yourself - whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to be better than them. And when you succeed, you look at your boss and think: “What is there in him that is not in me? “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. It captivates with an unconventional approach to the author's life, but then you realize that the "secret" of success is simple - the author works a lot, is not afraid to make mistakes and is ready to share all this with others.
A motivational book on how to become a leader ... and how to stay in this position!

I liked the book at the same time and did not live up to my expectations.
I'll start with the second and finish with the first.
The title of the book does not 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 on leadership, motivation, working with clients, etc. very organically woven into the author's biography. And this 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 entertaining, but not very useful reading. Overall, the book is a motivator.

You should not wait for specific advice (unless you are a fast food manager), but in general - good reading for your free time.

Great book for a 3-hour airplane flight. In general, Americans have a very simple and understandable syllable, it is easily perceived even when reading in conditions of extraneous noise and din. At the same time, despite the apparent simplicity, the book is filled with useful tips based on the experience of the author. 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 copywriter to managing director of one of the world's largest companies. Of course, luck loves those who are willing to take risks and give in to chance. But there is also a lot in the book about the personal skills that Novak developed in himself. There is a lot in her of Novak himself, his life circumstances, which also influenced his career conditions. The book is filled with Yam-style advice on employee motivation, team building, recruiting. For executives who care not only about their personal careers, but also about the career of each of their subordinates, this book is a must-read. After all, it is the staff motivated for high-quality effective work that will help you achieve personal success in your career.

“Once in a lifetime, fate knocks at everyone's door. But often this one sits in a nearby pub and does not hear the knocking "

This book is about what to do when you become the head of a new $ 10 billion company overnight. 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 of the kingdom that has fallen on you into a strong empire.

And a little about what to do BEFORE, so that it is you - if the case turns up - become the head of the company.

Trick of the book

If you think there are no Cinderella stories in business, you are wrong. They happen. True, in a business fairy tale, Cinderella and the fairy godmother are one and the same hero.

From the author

"Nobody knows in advance what he is capable of"
“What I want to achieve with the help of my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, regardless of the direction in which their careers will develop, by showing by my own example how I managed to realize my own.” “In business, everything is relative. Whoever you work, always look at your equal in position and status and evaluate yourself - whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to be better than them. And when you succeed, you look at your boss and think: “What is there in him that is not in me? “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."

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I was very flattered and thrilled to be given this opportunity, and immediately started working on the program. It was very clear to me what I was going to present in it - I even set a date for my first program for a group of fifteen people, the executive management of PepsiCo, when suddenly the phone call rang that changed everything.

It was Roger again, only this time he called on a completely different matter.

“David,” he said, “we're going to spin restaurants into a separate business.

- And what the hell does this mean for our employees and the company? I asked immediately.

This meant this: PepsiCo was going to retain the assets of the food brands - Pepsi and Frito Lay - and spun off three restaurant brands: KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Separating them, she was going to create a new independent company - an open joint stock company.

I worked in this very sector of the restaurant business, and therefore it turned out to be pointless to present a leadership program for the executive management of PepsiCo. The program was put on the shelf, and I was already thinking about something else: about who will lead the new company.

It turned out that it would be me. And a guy named Andy Pearson, former president of PepsiCo, professor at Harvard Business School. I became president, and Andy became chairman of the board of directors and CEO, as well as my mentor, and remained so even after I retired, and I took his place a couple of years later. The first thing I heard from him when we were just starting out was, "How do you feel about having lunch with Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric, and talking to him about what we're 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 pass up. I asked Jack all sorts of questions that came into my head, and, sitting next to him, immediately jotted down his answers. One of the questions I asked at the end was: "If you were in my position and faced with the need to start a new company, what would you do?"

What he said amazed me. And he said this: "Looking back on my career at GE, I would like to remake only one thing - I would communicate more with people, telling them who I represent the company, what our values are and what it means to us."

Back at my office, I spent the whole week thinking about how I could achieve the same.

I wanted us to become a company with our own special culture, so that everything revolves around a genuine faith in people. I took another look at my leadership program, reworked 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 attractive to a wide audience. Of course, I have to reach many if I want to state important information about our company. By starting this program, I am taking the first step towards creating a unique Yum! Culture.

On the following pages, you will see how these people - the most successful leaders and professionals - use much of what this book is about in their business.

The book has benefited greatly from the inclusion of interactive tools provided by two prominent intellectuals in the fields of culture and progressive business thinking.

book author David Novak in search of work, he did not send out standard resumes, but a brochure with poems of his own composition about why he should be taken to a vacant position. Then he got a job at PepsiCo, worked for eleven years in all positions and was sure that he would vegetate like this until retirement. But then one day ...

No, just do not 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 had decided to separate the restaurant direction of the holding into a separate structure, they had no idea who would be entrusted with its management, however, the appointed position of David Novak was still not chosen entirely by chance - what- then he definitely had experience. Another thing is to step from marketing majors 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 out 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, about how to use all your and others' experience, to process an avalanche of new information in order not only to stay in the chair, but and build a real beautiful business.

“What I want to achieve with the help of my book is to help other people realize their ambitions, regardless of the direction in which their careers will develop, by showing by my own example how I managed to realize my own,” says the author himself. - In business, everything is relative. Whoever you work, always look at your equal in position and status and evaluate yourself - whether they are superior to you in anything. If you are as competitive as I am, work to be better than them. And when you succeed, you look at your boss and think: “What is there in him that is not in me? “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 associated with common people both customers and those at the counter. Moreover, the owners of each individual point are small franchisee companies. Can you imagine what a bunch of questions the new boss had to solve, and what tangle of relationships to unravel? He established a board of chefs and tried fried chicken with them and chose the recipe, thought over the service and built a system of relationships with franchisee partners. The KFC or Pizza Hut companies existed for many years and before the merger under the control of 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 had to eat, for example, at 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 cleverness. All described problems are unambiguously clear to anyone who has encountered management at any level. After reading it, it makes sense to think, but would you manage to appoint you tomorrow as boss?