avid Novak knows a thing or two about people — what they want as consumers, and how to help them give their best
as employees. He’s chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands Inc., the world’s largest restaurant com- pany — with more than 36,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell locations in more than 12 countries and territories. And he’s been recognized as one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs” by Barron’s, one of the “Top People in Business” by Fortune, and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” by Harvard Business Review. How has Novak achieved such distinction? By
leading more than one million Yum! associates around the globe in a way, he said, that gets them “aligned, enthusiastic, and focused relentlessly on the mission.” In his bestselling book, Taking Peo- ple With You: The Only Way to Make BIG Things Happen, Novak shares the leadership program he’s developed during his 15 years at Yum!’s helm — and he’ll be serving up generous portions when he presents the Closing General Session at Conven- ing Leaders 2013 on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Recently Novak gave Convene a taste of what will be on the menu for attendees.
You talk in your book about “reframing” — positioning your product in a way that is relevant to whomever you’re trying to influence. Can you explain what you mean by that? Knowing how people think gives you the insight needed to reframe your product in a way that gets people on your side. Successful marketers enjoy the challenge of uncovering unmet consumer needs, then using those insights in a way that cuts through the clutter to achieve breakthrough results. One of the things I do as CEO is to ask what perceptions, habits, or beliefs do you need to build, change, or reinforce to grow the business? Answer- ing that question ultimately leads to success.
How do you define leadership? How might a meeting 136 PCMA CONVENE DECEMBER 2012 +
ON THE WEB For more information about David Novak and Taking People With You, visit takingpeoplewith you.com.
planner think of himself or herself as a leader by your definition if they may not necessarily supervise a staff but need to “take people with them” — such as supplier partners, colleagues, attendees, speakers, etc.? Good leaders motivate and engage others, culti- vate people at all levels, and create a performance- driven culture that celebrates success in order to achieve big results. Everyone should think about how they can take people with them to achieve big goals. It’s important to explain the “why” behind your idea in order to engage people. It’s also effec- tive to ask for input and get people involved, or they will never be truly committed to the goal.
You mention in your book about preparing for your annual, end-of-year investors meeting in New York. Why is that meeting so critical to the performance and outlook for Yum! Brands? Our vision is to be the defining global company that feeds the world, and the meeting is a forum to share why Yum! is a good investment. We dem- onstrate progress against our goals and reinforce our track record of consistent results. YUM has generated at least 13-percent earnings-per-share growth for each of the last 10 years. We’re the lead- ing retail developer in China and the largest and fastest-growing restaurant company in emerging markets. We also take the opportunity to outline our future growth plans. This gives us credibility and gives investors a basis to believe that we will do what we say.
What kind of value do you and your corporation place on face-to-face meetings? How are in-person meetings accomplished with employees all around the world? We’re a highly connected organization with a high-impact culture that is constantly seeking and sharing information and global best practices. Our belief is that the more you know, the more you care. Although we span more than 120 countries, our goal is to make a big company feel small. We have