Laxman Narasimhan is the epitome of the American dream. He came to the country with very little, pursuing his dream of studying at Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania. It led to a global career with 19 years at McKinsey in the US, Europe and Asia, and 13 years of leading parts of, or all of, companies like PepsiCo, Reckitt and Starbucks. He speaks six languages and is comfortable operating in challenging environments around the world. In addition to being to being a global operator, he’s also a thought leader on leading global companies, consumer shifts from the spectrum of seed to shelf to fork to care, and how technology is transforming companies. In addition to his interests as an operator, investor, mentor and counselor, he sits on the boards of the Brookings Institution, Just Capital and the Western Governors University. He is also on the board of Verizon
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
A typical day traverses exciting work with leading companies, institutions, founders and leaders around the world. Then I get to the parts of my life which ground me- meditation, exercise, and time with my family. I then spend time in the evening reading- I will read up to 5 books of a similar theme simultaneously, I love reading history and fiction as well as business theory/ leadership books.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When I find an idea that I truly believe in, I know what it takes to bring it to life. What brings ideas to life is a core network of believers. Compelling communications, that connects patterns, working with and through people- storytelling is the methodology of bringing ideas to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am super intrigued by the crossover of consumer nutrition with the longevity. How the seed to shelf to fork to care system is being fully overhauled with shifts in medicine, biology, food, innovation, artificial intelligence and personalization. I am intrigued by the challenge of making science that feels unapproachable, approachable and accessible to all who share an interest to better their health.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Meditation with being rigorous and disciplined around time management. It’s the only way I can ensure I operate at my best self in my portfolio life.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Dream and believe- anything is truly possible. But it is only possible when you take a calculated risk on yourself
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Despite all the noise, I believe firmly that the world is getting better every day because of how dynamic and innovative humanity is and the ever changing nature of culture- that our possibilities of human connection are limitless.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I believe that when true happiness lies in the service of others. Be a giver not a taker, as Adam Grant says.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when balancing several priorities. To manage this, I continually look to simplify, bring focus, connect and amplify- looking for ways to make ideas bigger
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I collect people. And focus on enabling their success. And in that lies my success. I don’t like the word network. My fabric of friends spans the globe- having been an operator in a number of those countries has resulted in trusted relationships and mutual support.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I start with an optimistic outlook and a belief in people. Sometimes it results in trusting the wrong signals. The lesson I took away was trust but continue to verify. But still trust- because it is this fabric of friends and the global experience I have had that form the basis of reinvention.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Invest time in people and their possibilities
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Google Calendar plus Gemini that helps me prioritize. Prioritization for me is key to deliver impact across many fronts.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Taking my wife and children to a croissant making class in Paris- while I marveled at the amount of butter, I loved how we patiently worked together to take a very difficult task into a pleasurable outcome.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Empire podcast by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand- the episode on coffee drove the idea of thinking of stores as the neighborhood coffeehouse
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I finally caught up with Ted Lasso. While I haven’t learned how to bake the cookies just yet, I loved the lessons on leadership and camaraderie. It is truly the show that depicts what I’ve spent my life doing- building teams
Key learnings
- an American dream
- a global journey
- transformational operator
- servant leader: it’s in enabling people’s success that there is happiness
- thoughtful, calm leadership in volatile times
- inner journeys matter even more