Athina repeatedly says she has PepsiCo’s best interests in mind. But at some point, employees should be able to ask whether the actions and results support that statement.
When she led Strategy & Transformation (legacy before IT was combined) , significant amounts of money were spent on transformation efforts that did not deliver the expected results, with accountability seemingly landing elsewhere. Millions more have been spent on McKinsey and other external consultant this year and last year/ sometimes with very junior consultants advising experienced PepsiCo leaders.
Now Athina appears not to trust her own leadership organization and wants visibility into virtually every contract and decision. Is that really about PepsiCo’s best interests, or has decision-making become too centralized around one leader’s view of what is best?
Having PepsiCo’s best interests in mind does not mean that every decision is automatically the right one. Strong leadership means trusting capable leaders, challenging decisions with facts, acknowledging when investments have not delivered, and holding yourself to the same accountability you expect from everyone else.
Power and good intentions are not substitutes for results.
Perfectly said, @ke+1m28zmvnw.