A video of Laxman Narasimhan speaking about the importance of culture in the workplace is being widely-shared in the wake of his appointment as next chief executive officer of global coffee chain Starbucks.
India-born Laxman Narasimhan, 55, is set to join Starbucks in October, where he will work closely with interim CEO Howard Schultz until taking over top boss duties in April 2023. Schultz has already said Narasimhan is “uniquely positioned” to lead the company with his “passion of investing in humanity and in our commitment to our partners, customers, and communities.”
In his April 2022 interview with CNBC-TV18's Shereen Bhan, Narasimhan – who was most recently CEO of UK-based health and nutrition company Reckitt – reiterated that focus area of his work.
“I place where I spend the most of my time is on culture,” Narasimhan said when asked about his biggest worry or concern as a CEO.
“We build people, and the organisation, for the long-term,” he continued. “At the end of the day, if you get through the hearts and minds of the people in your organisation, they do heroic things for you.”
The incoming CEO of Starbucks also elaborated upon a leader’s role in building strong teams and their importance. “As a leader, you have got to incite large number of people to follow you. And that vision, that ability to make decisions, cut through the clutter, it’s about building great teams… It’s about building a culture that survives in the long term.”
You can watch the interview here.
The interview is being widely-shared on LinkedIn, where Narasimhan take on building work culture has been applauded.
“Biggest lesson in leadership — culture eats strategy for breakfast,” wrote one person. “Excellent insights,” another said.
Narasimhan, who studied at University of Pune's College of Engineering, has previously held top positions in Reckitt Benckiser Group and PepsiCo.
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