Hungry for Connection?: President of Focus Brands International (Cinnabon, Carvel, Auntie Annies!) Beto Guajardo, Shares his Secret Sauce for Successful Business During Covid and Beyond
05/04/21 • 34 min
On the first episode of Season Three of Left to Our Own Devices, Erica welcomes Beto Guajardo, President of Atlanta-based Focus Brands International, a leading developer of some of the most iconic and beloved brands in the foodservice industry—including Schlotzky’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, and Auntie Anne’s, among others. Long time friends from Kellogg Business School, Erica and Beto discuss what it was like for Beto to move into a new role in the middle of a pandemic, the long game to building up emotional capital with one’s team, and the company’s daily Covid contingency meeting—a ritual that sprung up virtually overnight when the world shut down last March. As the Hybrid work model approaches, Beto recognizes that while he and a handful of other leaders have been spending time working from the office, he understands that, as of right now, returning to the office is a personal choice that individuals have to make based on what’s best for themselves and their families. If there’s one thread that has weaved throughout Beto’s accomplished career, it’s his focus on connecting with people genuinely and authentically, which can be most clearly seen in his retelling of his final day as Head of Global Strategy at Starbucks. This season opener is a masterclass in connected leadership.
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You can also listen to the show on:
Quotes:
5:42 – On the daily Covid contingency meeting: “That call every single morning really created a sense of purpose and being and belonging. And what’s really interesting about it—I can say with complete clarity—we became a better team because of the pandemic. We became a stronger and closer team because of the pandemic. And what drove us to get there was something that no one ever saw coming. And that was, we’ve got to change the way we work together. We’ve got to be together every single day if we’re going to move with the agility that we need to in order to help our business franchisees overcome the challenges they have out there in the field.”
18:17 – “As a leader in transition, the advice that I would give to another who might be going through the same thing is how important it is to take the the time to just talk about and listen to one another, not with regard to what’s happening in the business, but what’s happening in your life, right? How are you feeling; how is your family? How have you been dealing with this difficult time of isolation, given the pandemic? Let’s get to the point where, even if it is over a Zoom call, we can genuinely look each other in the eyes and say with compassion, ‘I care about you and want to know how you’re doing.’”
20:00 – On why he wants the camera on during meetings: “I shared with the team, ‘Hey it’s really important that I can see you, because I want to know who you are, and I want to know that you’re okay.’ And I think as a leader, it’s important that you set those expectations that connectedness matters to you. It really matters. You have to go out of your way to make sure that you are modeling and requesting that the right behaviors are in place in order for that connectedness to grow.”
29:21 – On the true measure of success: “The measure of success for the team is that we all recognize that there will be an end. That someday you’ll walk away, for whatever reason—new opportunity, personal reasons. And only then will you be able to look back on our time together, and if you can say that, ‘I grew as a person, and I grew as a professional, and I am better off today than what I was before I began this journey with you as an individual,’ then we were successful together.”
Order Erica’s book, Rituals Roadmap
Order Erica’s book, Bring Your Human to Work
Text ‘human’ to 66866 to sign up for Erica’s newsletter where she shares how to honor relationships well and how to bring your human to work and life.
Connect with Beto:
Connect with E...
On the first episode of Season Three of Left to Our Own Devices, Erica welcomes Beto Guajardo, President of Atlanta-based Focus Brands International, a leading developer of some of the most iconic and beloved brands in the foodservice industry—including Schlotzky’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, and Auntie Anne’s, among others. Long time friends from Kellogg Business School, Erica and Beto discuss what it was like for Beto to move into a new role in the middle of a pandemic, the long game to building up emotional capital with one’s team, and the company’s daily Covid contingency meeting—a ritual that sprung up virtually overnight when the world shut down last March. As the Hybrid work model approaches, Beto recognizes that while he and a handful of other leaders have been spending time working from the office, he understands that, as of right now, returning to the office is a personal choice that individuals have to make based on what’s best for themselves and their families. If there’s one thread that has weaved throughout Beto’s accomplished career, it’s his focus on connecting with people genuinely and authentically, which can be most clearly seen in his retelling of his final day as Head of Global Strategy at Starbucks. This season opener is a masterclass in connected leadership.
Please Subscribe, Rate and Review on Apple Podcasts
You can also listen to the show on:
Quotes:
5:42 – On the daily Covid contingency meeting: “That call every single morning really created a sense of purpose and being and belonging. And what’s really interesting about it—I can say with complete clarity—we became a better team because of the pandemic. We became a stronger and closer team because of the pandemic. And what drove us to get there was something that no one ever saw coming. And that was, we’ve got to change the way we work together. We’ve got to be together every single day if we’re going to move with the agility that we need to in order to help our business franchisees overcome the challenges they have out there in the field.”
18:17 – “As a leader in transition, the advice that I would give to another who might be going through the same thing is how important it is to take the the time to just talk about and listen to one another, not with regard to what’s happening in the business, but what’s happening in your life, right? How are you feeling; how is your family? How have you been dealing with this difficult time of isolation, given the pandemic? Let’s get to the point where, even if it is over a Zoom call, we can genuinely look each other in the eyes and say with compassion, ‘I care about you and want to know how you’re doing.’”
20:00 – On why he wants the camera on during meetings: “I shared with the team, ‘Hey it’s really important that I can see you, because I want to know who you are, and I want to know that you’re okay.’ And I think as a leader, it’s important that you set those expectations that connectedness matters to you. It really matters. You have to go out of your way to make sure that you are modeling and requesting that the right behaviors are in place in order for that connectedness to grow.”
29:21 – On the true measure of success: “The measure of success for the team is that we all recognize that there will be an end. That someday you’ll walk away, for whatever reason—new opportunity, personal reasons. And only then will you be able to look back on our time together, and if you can say that, ‘I grew as a person, and I grew as a professional, and I am better off today than what I was before I began this journey with you as an individual,’ then we were successful together.”
Order Erica’s book, Rituals Roadmap
Order Erica’s book, Bring Your Human to Work
Text ‘human’ to 66866 to sign up for Erica’s newsletter where she shares how to honor relationships well and how to bring your human to work and life.
Connect with Beto:
Connect with E...
Previous Episode
Welcome to Season 3
1 RecommendationsWe’re over a year into a global pandemic, and the world of work has changed in countless ways. As vaccines continue to roll out and restrictions start to lift, we’re seeing companies and leaders from every industry try to navigate how, when, and why they’ll return (if at all!) to the office. The Hybrid Revolution is here.
On Season 3 of Left to Our Own Devices, Erica Keswin sits down with the leaders and executives facing this challenge head on.
Next Episode
Soft Skills are the New Hard Skills: How to Recruit with DE&I in Mind, with Denielle Pemberton-Heard, CLO and managing director of Diversified Search Group
This week on Left to Our Own Devices, Erica sits down with Denielle Pemberton-Heard, Chief Legal Officer and managing director at Diversified Search Group, a woman-founded search firm that recruits leadership through a DE&I lens.
Denielle is the perfect person to chat with about leading in this moment. As part of an organization that prioritizes giving underrepresented people a seat at the table, Denielle shares that now more than ever, it’s important to prioritize this framework of recruiting, as we all figure out how to approach flex and the future of work. The hard skills are table stakes at this point. Organizations want leaders who are empathic, self-confident, self-aware, emotionally intelligent, resilient, and willing to lead. In other words, companies want leaders who have excellent soft skills, which is where DivSearch comes in.
Denielle also highlights the importance of reaching out to ask for help, spending time in community, and finding grounding in simple rituals, like a twice-yearly phone call with an old friend or the simple joy of dance. This conversation with Denielle offers an inspired look at the future of work.
Please Subscribe, Rate and Review on Apple Podcasts
You can also listen to the show on:
Quotes:
5:00 – on defining terms: “Diversity tells you who’s in the room. Inclusion tells you who feels welcome in the room. Equity is who has access to the room. And Justice is really about who in the room is taken seriously; who has their concerns heard.”
7:40 – on the types of leadership skills their clients want: “A level of empathy and compassion. Gravitas and a track record of a history of accomplishment. A willingness to lead and to speak up. Individuals who are centered in however they present themselves—and that’s just really having a level of self-confidence and awareness. A high EQ, someone that can read the room and thoughtfully pivot and make adjustments. And a level of resiliency. Especially if you’re really going to bring new voices to the table. People that perhaps may have been shut out or, for whatever reason, not given opportunities. You really see what people are made of when you take the time to listen to their story, and you understand the level of resilience that it takes for certain people to achieve the level of accomplishment that individuals do.”
16:23 – “Covid has given us a bit more permission to understand that life can be imperfect and confusing and complicated, and we’ve all gone through a really scary time.”
17:02 – “We do need to bring our human to work and be productive in a way that’s best for our own health.”
28:40 – “This next generation of leaders and workers are unapologetically themselves.”
Diversified Search Group website
Order Erica’s book, Rituals Roadmap
Order Erica’s book, Bring Your Human to Work
Text ‘human’ to 66866 to sign up for Erica’s newsletter where she shares how to honor relationships well and how to bring your human to work and life.
Connect with Denielle:
Connect with Erica:
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