In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Robert Rosenberg, CEO of Dunkin Donuts for 35 years and author of the book “Around the Corner to Around the World: A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin' Donuts.” Robert Rosenberg shares his origin story, leadership successes and mistakes, and lessons learned in growing Dunkin Donuts to the household name it is today and his advice on how to effectively lead an organization.
Some highlights:
*Robert Rosenberg on the origin story of Dunkin Donuts
*Why and how Robert Rosenberg became the CEO of Dunkin Donuts at age 25
*How in his first 5 years as CEO, Robert Rosenberg led the impressive growth of Dunkin Donuts’ and took the company public with a market cap of $120 million
*Dunkin Donuts’ secret to success
*Exploitation vs. Experimentation and why striking the right balance is critical for organizational growth
*How learning to listen helped Robert Rosenberg recover from leadership mistakes
*How and why Dunkin Donuts focused on the success of its franchisees
*Robert Rosenberg’s Top 4 essentials in leading an organization: Strategy, Organization, Communication, and Crisis Management
*Robert Rosenberg’s advice on how best to prepare for a crisis
*The importance of trust in leadership and building impactful business relationships
Mentioned:
Charles Lubin, founder of Sara Lee
Nathan Cummings, founder of Consolidated Foods
David Halberstam, author of “The Best and the Brightest”
Bob and Edna Demery, Dunkin Donuts franchise owners in Hartford, Connecticut
Thomas Schwarz, former president of Dunkin Donuts
Leo Prieto, Dunkin Donuts franchise owner in the Philippines
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of “Think Outside the Building: How Advanced Leaders Can Change the World One Smart Innovation at a Time”
Howard Samuels, former director of the Small Business Administration (SBA)
Connect with Robert Rosenberg:
Around the Corner to Around the World website: https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/around-the-corner-to-around-the-world/
Around the Corner to Around the World on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Around-Corner-World-Lessons-Learned/dp/1400220483
Robert Rosenberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-rosenberg-9996a67/
Connect with Mahan Tavakoli:
MahanTavakoli.com
More information and resources available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website:
PartneringLeadership.com
