Taylor Farms CEO: Finding talented, innovative people is tough

Taylor Farms CEO: Finding talented, innovative people is tough | Sonic is ahead of the curve on minority leadership | Diet Coke's being squeezed by healthier, tastier alternatives Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 17, 2018 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [Taylor Farms CEO: Finding talented, innovative people is tough]( Taylor Farms CEO: Finding talented, innovative people is tough Taylor (Taylor Farms) Developing talented leaders in a fast-growing industry where skills don't necessarily translate from other industries is a significant challenge for Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor. Once employees are in place, he expects all of them to contribute to innovation, even if not every endeavor ends in success. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (1/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Sonic is ahead of the curve on minority leadership]( Sonic Drive-In CEO J. Clifford Hudson says growing up in an era of segregated schools shaped his commitment to helping minorities advance, and today he runs a company where women and minorities are the majority of Sonic's leadership team, writes Sapna Maheshwari. "When there's one, we're a token, and by four, it takes gender off the table," says Susan Thronson, a Sonic board member. [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)]( (1/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Learn How to Become a Leader Are you a professional seeking the skills to become a leader? Earn a Master of Professional Studies in Psychology of Leadership from renowned researchers and practitioners of leadership. This degree will examine the role of leadership across many organizations. [Learn More](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Diet Coke's being squeezed by healthier, tastier alternatives]( Diet Coke's being squeezed by healthier, tastier alternatives (George Frey/Getty Images) Diet Coke has been hurt as much as any soda in recent years as Americans switch from soda to bottled water, sports drinks, coffee and other beverages. "It's not hard to understand Diet Coke's imploding popularity: The diet beverage is suffering both as a diet product and as a beverage," Derek Thompson writes. [The Atlantic online]( (1/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Presentation insights from the stage]( Leaders who borrow concepts from stage performances have a better chance of engaging the audience because the crowd becomes part of the story, writes Edmund Chow. Such a presentation requires an antagonist, a protagonist, staging with appropriate props and getting into character, he writes. [INSEAD Knowledge]( (1/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Customers First A weekly look at serving customers better [] [How to find your go-to market]( Having good data on your customers not only helps you understand who they are but also how they trend over time with your business, writes Ric Noreen. Companies that know which customers offer growth, profitability or both can narrow their focus to only the most important customers, Noreen argues. [CustomerThink]( (1/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Grant Thornton CEO used culture to improve retention]( Mike McGuire wanted Grant Thornton to retain more employees when he became CEO in 2015, so he took its more than 8,000 employees through culture sessions and made changes such as adopting a flexible leave policy. "In 2016, our retention improved by 500 basis points year over year -- something that's unprecedented in our industry," he said. [Heidrick & Struggles]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Smoky beer may make a comeback]( Beer used to have a smoky taste because the grains were dried over a fire before brewing, writes Jim Clarke. Today, some craft breweries are experimenting with smoke-flavored malt, following the lead of brewpubs in Bamberg, Germany, that never stopped making smoke beers. [Atlas Obscura]( (1/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all -- in which case, you fail by default. J.K. 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