By Frank Harrison III
“Frank, someday you are going to be held accountable for the influence and impact this company has for good, for God, and for growth.”
The Transformation Factor is the story of a leader, just 38, who was thrust into the “top spot” on what is now a $5 billion dollar-a-year company. Assuming that role as the fourth generation CEO, the question above was his wake-up-call from God? Frank writes:
I understood accountability for myself and my own life before God, and I understood accountability before our shareholders for the growth, health, and value of the business. But accountability before God for the influence and impact of our company? Well, I wasn’t sure what to do with that. Today, I refer to this as my wake-up call at Coca-Cola Consolidated.
As Frank recounts his story and share leadership lessons — always with a story — he points out how God shaped him as a leader and lays down a foundation for leaders concerned about the work today, but also their legacy tomorrow. Frank writes,
I’m certainly far from being a leadership guru, but I have learned lessons in life that have convinced me of the need to change not only my approach to corporate leadership but also my approach to leading in other areas of my personal life. This book is my attempt to articulate those lessons. 4
Transformation — leading your company for good, for God, and for growth “begins with committed leaders deciding, and then acting upon that decision, to create a culture that is purpose-driven, faith-friendly, and servant-oriented.” This book helps you do just that.
My Takeaways:
You grow in the hard times
Frank grew through the ranks before he was positioned by his father as the future CEO. His next stop involved spending three years with a senior leadership team which did not take kindly to him. It was hard. He writes, “I am forever grateful for the three years I spent in that difficult political environment. The greatest lessons in business and life come during times of great difficulty. Learning what not to do has been more valuable to me over the years than learning what to do…. I would not replace those years for anything.” 40-41
”It’s easy to fold in the face of opposition. ‘Well, this must not be the right path or the right decision. God’s not in this.’ That’s a lie! Whoever said that God’s blessings only rest on ventures that go smoothly? It’s the difficult times that test our fatih in God and grit to see a thing through.” 123Change takes time and is messy
Frank inherited a toxic team and culture: “In 1994, the board of the company appointed me chief executive officer. By this time, thanks to the great wort of our new president/COO, Jim Moore, the difficult management team had been replaced, and the company had been restructured. It took several years to clean up the mess, but the company began to move in the right direction . . .” 41-42
Be a seed planter and thank people who have planted seeds in my life.
”People and experiences planted seeds in my life as a young man and businessman along the way. . . . Seeds are funny things. You prepare the soil, maybe put in a little manure, plant a hard-shelled object, cover it up, cultivate it, and water it, and you yield something totally unlike that seed. It’s the principle of sowing and reaping. You sow singularly but reap in multiples. But the waiting between the sowing and the reaping can seem like forever.” 44-45Establish prayer groups
Coca-Cola Consolidated has a number of prayer groups that meet throughout their company. Frank said, “My prayer group started five years ago when we were working on a large acquisition. We needed plenty of wisdom and guidance, so I asked for prayer during one of our meetings. . . . The impact of prayer over the next decade by our prayer groups versus the alternative, which is no prayer, is a powerful thought. My application: We need to decentralize our LBC prayer time (once a month and that sporadic) and shift to departmental and work group prayer groups. 75
Reignite the passion for growth
“The day you or your organization stops growing, you’ve got to step in and revive yourself, your people, and the company.” 84 This portion really hit home.
Growing our leaders: I have allowed our challenges (COVID, national racial unrest, internal challenges, higher ed hard times) and my challenges (large dispersed family, sustaining my LLC, travel — work-related and not) to keep me from doing what I have always done, i.e. invest in others and build a learning organization.
Growing our organization: “Growth is not only good, it is godly; it’s the right thing to do” 89 In their company, “growth is a mandate,—not in a legalistic way but in the same vein as if you planted something like a garden. If you didn’t see growth, you’d wonder, ‘Man, what’s going on here?’ In the same way, “if business is flattening out, you immediately begin to ask the same questions as the gardener: What are the problems? How do we address the issues? How do we get the growth back?” 90
A flatlining business leads to the business cemetery, if you know what I mean.”Embrace risk
“There’s no such thing as safe in the business world. You must get comfortable with taking a chance on an outlier idea.” 95
Build a culture of servant leadership: Harrison takes his cue for leadership from Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet. “You must kneel to lead,” he writes. “That is where the generous spirit of the leader is forged.” 111 ”As a company, we didn’t always believe this way, but we’ve learned a few things over the years. When you truly serve—and I mean truly serve—your people, your customers, your family, and those around you, then they will follow you.” 113
”When you get your culture right, it will drive your organization in the right direction. I believe most companies don’t really know their culture. They have a mission statement, and some folks in the building might now it, but it doesn’t’ permeate the organization.” 125
Words to Remember and Ponder:
Company health: “The health of a company is not only measured in outputs and return on investments. It is, more importantly, measured by the corporate culture and by the hearts of individuals who support the company through their physical and intellectual effort.” 4
Business as mission: “The next revival in America is going to occur in the workplace.” Billy Graham 29
Pride: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” 71
Transformation: Transformation begins with committed leaders deciding, and then acting upon that decision, to create a culture this is purpose-driven, faith-friendly, and servant-oriented. 126
Recommendation
I appreciate Frank Harrison’s unapologetic, but very friendly approach to building a culture at Coca Cola Consolidated, one that is purpose-driven, faith friendly, and servant-oriented. It’s obvious that the author believes deeply and practices holistically his faith in Jesus Christ. This book is conversational, not preachy; what he is working to become, not “I have arrived”; and the fruit of years of thinking it out, praying it out, and living it out. The Transformation Factor has helped me see gaps in my leadership and our organization and how to improve both. I highly recommend it.
