Fewer, Bigger, Bolder: From Mindless Expansion to Focused Growth

268 Pages·2014·1.36 MB·English

by  Sanjay Khosla

Praise for Fewer, Bigger, Bolder
In Fewer, Bigger, Bolder, authors Mohanbir Sawhney and Sanjay Khosla challenge basic business assumptions and
provide striking, counterintuitive ideas for winning high and sustainable revenue. They provide convincing case
examples, and I expect this book to spark a major overhaul of business strategy thinking.
—Philip Kotler, S.C. Johnson & Son Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management; author of
Market Your Way to Growth: 8 Ways to Win
Outstanding practical insights bringing together years of front-line business experience with academic research.
Provides a powerful formula for driving success in any business.
—Vijay Govindarajan, Coxe Distinguished Professor
at Tuck at Dartmouth and author of New York Times and
Wall Stree Journal bestseller Reverse Innovation
Writing with genuine concern, passion for leadership, and uncanny insight, Sanjay Khosla and Mohanbir Sawhney
delve into the complicated subject of business growth in Fewer, Bigger, Bolder. This is a must-read for all those who
want to grow their businesses successfully with purpose!
—Marshall Goldsmith, author or editor of thirty-four
books including the global bestsellers MOJO and
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
Sanjay Khosla and Mohanbir Sawhney have succinctly and powerfully created a strategy for focus. It is a fascinating
read and a guidebook for anyone competing in 2014 and beyond. Applying the authors’ lessons will translate into
profitable growth, competitive advantage, and bankable investments. They use their fifty-plus combined years of
global experience to create a bible for management.
—Michael Silverstein, senior partner, The Boston Consulting Group; co-author of The $10 Trillion Prize
If you’re looking for pragmatic advice, profound focus, and exquisitely simple ideas, read this book. Sanjay Khosla’s
and Mohanbir Sawhney’s wisdom is based on years of practical experience and success in growing businesses in the
most competitive markets. They provide a true “how to” guide to getting it done.
—Shelly Lazarus, chairman emeritus, Ogilvy and Mather
A very insightful and practical guide to getting to growth that counts by simplifying your business, focusing where
you can win and avoiding the “seduction of more.” The ideas in the book really resonated with me. An essential read
for growth leaders!
—Diane H. Gulyas, president, DuPont Performance Polymers,
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Scale and scalability are important, but Mohanbir Sawhney and Sanjay Khosla challenge the corporate world’s
relentless drive for growth. Instead, they encourage readers to consider an approach they’ve honed over many years:
stick to business essentials, be integrated and clear and simple in purpose and develop sustainable advantage. Their
thesis chimes closely with the issues and opportunities faced in my daily work. Fewer, Bigger, Bolder is a thoughtful
and action-provoking read.
—Rita Griffin, COO, BP Lubricants and CMO, BP Group

PORTFOLIO / PENGUIN
Published by the Penguin Group
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A Penguin Random House Company
First published by Portfolio / Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014
Copyright © 2014 by Sanjay Khosla and Mohanbir Sawhney
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices,
promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized
edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of
it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for
every reader.
Portions of this book appeared in somewhat different form in two articles in strategy+business, published by Booz &
Company Inc.: “Blank Checks: Unleashing the Potential of People and Businesses,” by Sanjay Khosla and Mohanbir
Sawhney, Autumn 2012. And “Growth through Focus: A Blueprint for Driving Profitable Expansion” by Sanjay
Khosla and Mohanbir Sawhney, Autumn 2010. All rights reserved. www.strategy-business.com
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Khosla, Sanjay.
Fewer, bigger, bolder : from mindless expansion of focused growth / Sanjay Khosla, Mohanbir Sawhney.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-101-60936-1
1. Corporations—Growth. 2. Success in business. 3. Management. 4. Strategic
planning. I. Sawhney, Mohanbir S. II. Title.
HD2746.K47 2014
658.4'063—dc23
2014004341
Version_1
To Neelu, Namita, and Nikhil, my three Ns—who are my greatest strengths and help me
focus on what really matters.
—Sanjay Khosla
To my strongest supporters—my mother, Kuldeep, who can see no wrong in my flaws,
and my children, Asha and Bundev, who may someday finally figure out what Dad does
for a living.
—Mohanbir Sawhney
CONTENTS
PRAISE FOR FEWER, BIGGER, BOLDER
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
FOREWORD BY IRENE ROSENFELD

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1
THE SEDUCTION OF MORE
CHAPTER 2
THE WISDOM OF LESS
CHAPTER 3
DISCOVERY:
SEARCH FOR GROWTH
CHAPTER 4
STRATEGY:
PICK YOUR BETS
CHAPTER 5
RALLYING CRY:
ROUSE THE TROOPS
CHAPTER 6
PEOPLE:
UNLEASH POTENTIAL
CHAPTER 7
EXECUTION:
SIMPLIFY AND DELEGATE
CHAPTER 8
ORGANIZATION:
ALIGN AND COLLABORATE
CHAPTER 9
METRICS:
MEASURE AND COMMUNICATE PROGRESS
CHAPTER 10
AVOIDING THE PITFALLS
CHAPTER 11
CREATING A VIRTUOUS CYCLE
INDEX
FOREWORD
IRENE ROSENFELD
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL
(Former Chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods, Inc.)
This is a smart, practical book about how to bring a business—any business—to
sustained success. That’s how most people will read it, and they will gain from it. But to
me, this book will always be about that beloved cookie, the Oreo.
When Sanjay Khosla joined Kraft Foods in 2007, one of his first big challenges was
what to do about Oreo. The cookie was coming up on its centennial celebration in the
United States, where it had reigned for decades as one of America’s favorite treats,
known for the signature “twist, lick, dunk” ritual. But despite repeated, expensive
efforts, Kraft Foods had been unable to interest consumers outside the United States in
the iconic cookie. The frustration at Kraft Foods was palpable—families around the
world were spending more money and opening up to foreign tastes and products, and,
still, they didn’t seem to give a whit for this classic cookie.
Enter Sanjay and his disciplined, innovative system for getting on track. Oreo
blossomed into one of the most popular cookies around the world, an enormous hit for
Kraft Foods and a billion-dollar brand in developing markets, where revenues
quintupled in just five years. I won’t give away the steps that led to this transformation
—Sanjay and Northwestern professor Mohanbir Sawhney set them out carefully in the
pages that follow. But I can attest to the fact that the Oreo story is an apt metaphor for
Focus7, the framework that the authors describe in this book, a formula for growth
that’s both profitable and sustainable. The point is to drive a Virtuous Cycle of Growth,
which is a concept Sanjay developed and championed over the years.
As the name implies, Focus7 starts with focus—focusing on what works. And
“focus” is a word Sanjay repeated around Kraft Foods like a mantra. It’s one of those
words that comes up so often that they’re easy to overlook or disregard—right, focus,
now let’s get on with our strategy meeting. But when a business or organization
genuinely applies focus as a guiding principle under a carefully managed system, the
results can be remarkable.
Sanjay and Professor Sawhney bring a unique combination of experiences to the
table—Sanjay as a business executive, Professor Sawhney as an academic and
consultant. In Fewer, Bigger, Bolder they explain their system, using language that’s
precise and accessible, and drawing on research from a number of companies around
the world.
I’m confident this book will take its place in the library alongside the finest books on
management—a classic, in its own way, just like the Oreo.