Pepsi Beverages Company CEO and Ball State Alumnus, Eric Foss, returned to Ball State Thursday night to share lessons he has learned in his 29 years with the cola business and make a contribution to his alma mater.
"There's a big difference between what a manager does and what a true leader does," Foss said to a packed room in the Whitinger Business Building.
Three overflow rooms were made available, and all three were filled with students from different majors.
By the end of his lecture, Foss presented President Jo Ann Gora with a $10,000 check from the PBC to the Miller College of Business
Foss majored in marketing from Ball State. He joined Pepsi in 1982 and became the Pepsi Bottling Group senior vice president of U.S. Sales & Marketing in 1999. Whenever offered new positions, Foss said he worried about disappointing people and not being qualified.
He credits the organization's culture of "unquenchable thirst," for helping him realize that former leaders in the company would be with him every step of the way.
"You can't build a great team without great players," Foss said.
He said he oversees the nearly 80,000 PBC employees and understands how important leadership is to the success of the company.
Citing examples of great leaders he admires like Theodore Roosevelt and Randy Pausch, Foss said "leadership is earned by unparalleled performance."
Listening, confidence, positivity and faith in people are ways Foss said anyone can use to attain a sustainable approach to leadership.
Most importantly, "you have to be comfortable with yourself and cannot feel threatened by others," Foss said.
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