New Coca-Cola Leader Lab Levels-Up the Next Generation of Frontline Foodservice Leaders
New Coca-Cola Leader Lab Levels-Up the Next Generation of Frontline Foodservice Leaders
The free program provides Coca-Cola foodservice and on-premise partners an engaging approach to inspire an emerging, multicultural Gen Z leadership cohort in their career growth
ATLANTA, February 7, 2024 – The Coca-Cola Company recently announced the launch of Coca-Cola Leader Lab, a people-centric leadership program that addresses a significant issue facing the future of foodservice: attracting, developing and retaining an engaged frontline workforce.
Labor challenges, particularly the high turnover rates of frontline service employees, continue to be primary concerns of the foodservice industry. According to the most recent National Restaurant Association survey on restaurant business conditions, more than six in 10 restaurants are understaffed and 79 percent of operators say their restaurant currently has job openings that are difficult to fill. While wages continue to be a driving factor in attracting talent, 70 percent of the variance in frontline employee engagement and performance is attributed entirely to frontline managers (Gallup Workplace, 2022).
Coca-Cola saw a tangible opportunity to support its foodservice and on-premise partners in solving this issue. “No single foodservice brand can fix this problem on their own. As more of Gen Z enters the workforce and steps into leadership roles, the entire industry needs to think about how they are attracting and developing their current and future frontline talent,” said Dagmar Boggs, Coca-Cola’s President of Foodservice and On-Premise, North America. “As a total business partner dedicated to helping our customers grow their brands, Coca-Cola is uniquely positioned to provide an industry-wide solution that will help equip and transform our current and future foodservice leaders.”
Through actionable, video-driven content, Coca-Cola Leader Lab helps develop frontline people-leaders by giving them the skills they need to grow in their careers and help others grow in theirs. The program is hosted on an easy-to-navigate website, and its quick-hitting, “bingeable” video modules account for the minimal margin of time foodservice employees have for additional training.
The training modules focus on building core capabilities in an engaging and relevant way for a multicultural audience of emerging Gen Z leaders. Participants will gain insights into six transformational leadership skills, with an optional add-on module on culture building:
1. Casting Vision: Starting a leadership growth journey by knowing the direction and why
2. Critical Thinking: Turning obstacles into opportunities that improve team performance
3. Communication: Communicating in a way that is simple, specific and connects to both hearts and minds
4. Conflict Resolution: Understanding conflict types and how to create a plan for resolution
5. Collaboration: Knowing how, where and when to include others
6. Coaching Mentality: Embracing different perspectives and actions to achieve specific results
“It’s no secret that a brand’s customer experience will never be better than its employee experience. Employees are naturally wired for growth, and there’s a critical need for foodservice brands to improve how they engage and foster the professional growth of their frontline teams,” said Boggs. “Coca-Cola Leader Lab gives our partners a meaningful way to invest in the frontline individuals directly responsible for driving their customer loyalty.”
Coca-Coca Leader Lab is free to all Coca-Cola’s Foodservice and On-Premise Partners. To learn more and sign up for the program, visit www.cocacolaleaderlab.com.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.