Dive Brief:
- Diversity, particularly in management, and a balance between agility and alignment with goals were among the lessons Cedric Bru, CEO of Taulia, outlined about his experiences in the business worlds of the U.S. and France (and Europe).
- Bru spoke to the importance of flexibility and work-life balance while not pursuing passion to the extent that management wears out the team that supports them. CEOs, whether of startups or massive corporations, have to exude energy that is positive, focused, and driven while not being too intense to the point of overwhelming employees, partners, or customers.
- Also, Bru emphasized that executives should embrace failure as a natural part of business and become more resilient rather than deny or stigmatize it. Being able to openly discuss failure and the learnings that come from it are signs of an innovative and adaptive corporate culture. Doing otherwise can stifle creativity and the life of a company or brand.
Dive Insight:
The benefits of diversity are increasingly cited in boardrooms and executive leadership. That could be gender diversity, as supported by companies like Unilever and PepsiCo, in addition to a Catalyst study that found higher financial performances among companies with more women in executive and boardroom roles.
Or it could be diversity among races, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions. Such diversity is seen in more marketing campaigns, including a new Bud Light campaign supporting LGBT rights, and reflects the diversity of consumers themselves. The next step, Bru says, is to have that diversity be a part of management and executive decision-making.
Agility and nimbleness are qualities often touted as more common of startups and which major manufacturers try to emulate. But that agility has to be balanced with strong communication and collaboration to keep all efforts aligned with the company's goals, Bru said.
Embracing failure is also key for startups and major manufacturers alike. Most startups, including in food and beverage, fail, often due to capital and cash flow issues. Larger manufacturers are playing a larger role in preventing this failure, while also securing portfolios by investing in these startups and providing the capital and business guidance they need to succeed.