David Novak 0:04 

Welcome to How leaders lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world, I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That's what this podcast is all about. Today's guest is Becky Frank woods, president of Manpower Group, North American, which is the leading workforce solutions company in the world. Now, when Becky took the job, she was stepping into a whole new world. Because you see, Becky actually made a name for herself in various marketing sales and finance roles at PepsiCo and Frito Lay, which is a premier packaged goods company. And I have to tell you something, not every leader can go from finding breakthrough marketing ideas for snacks, to leading a workforce solutions company. But Becky is one of the most creative problem solvers that you'll ever meet. And she has a really clear grasp of what she's good at. And with that, she's constantly taking all those skills she developed in the consumer world, and using them to help connect workers to jobs. So hey, if you want to understand the trends and big ideas in today's workforce, including artificial intelligence, career training, and managing multiple generations, then Becky's got some great insights for you in this conversation. But she's also going to inspire you to learn what makes you truly unique in the workforce. So you can thrive in any career that you pursue, too. So here's my conversation with my good friend, and soon to the years, Becky Franco. It's

you know, I know for a fact you were on a very fast track at PepsiCo, great company, what made you decide to go to Manpower Group?

Becky Frankiewicz 1:49 

Yeah, so you know, again, I love PepsiCo, I love the company, and I wasn't even looking for anything, I got a call from a very seasoned recruiter who has a great reputation. And he told me about this opportunity. And I just said, you know, I said, I'm not your person, like, you know, I got a lot of calls from packaged goods, companies like that retail companies all expected. But when a Workforce Solutions, company calls, it does a lot of staffing. I'm like, um, you know, thank you flattered. Nice to meet you. But I'm not your person. And of call, like, hung up, he called me back. He called me back and said, No, they totally know who you are. And they're seeing trends happen in the space where consumer behavior is coming into the talent space, and they'd love to meet you like what harm Becky comes from a meeting. And then I came in, I met the the CEO, and the CFO and the head of people. And lo and behold, David, we're seeing the consumerization of talent. And so while I didn't know anything about, you know, the workforce industry, I know a lot about consumer behavior and consumer choice. And we're seeing that now with the, you know, decrease in supply and increase the demand come into the space. And so I left here with my mind blown on, wow. So the stuff I learned and know from this industry actually can apply in a whole different way in another industry. And, you know, so I left a little afraid, honestly, because I had no intention of doing anything else. But I became so intrigued by it, I again, I went to work as a student of the space. And then I decided it was, it was time to see if I could actually use my skill in a whole different way. Like, I wanted to know that I could do this. And so I had a family meeting with my girls. So we sit around the table with my husband, and my three daughters. And I spend my whole life David raising them to be courageous young women to take bets and chances and net, you know, always pressure limits, because you don't know where they are. And in that light is why I took this job, because I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if the capabilities I had would transfer. But I couldn't be somebody who didn't know,

David Novak 3:48 

what was when you join manpower. What was the biggest hurdle you had to get over? I mean, you know, was it just automatically easy for you? Or is there something that you had to like, really adjusted?

Becky Frankiewicz 4:00 

Yeah, so first, I'd say I think people would have told you that the complexity of the business would have been the most difficult thing. We run five different businesses, under the Manpower Group, everything from you know, IT consultants, you know, cybersecurity, all the way to manufacturing. We do recruiting outsourcing and procurement management and we do you know, talent management for companies. So we have a gamut. So people would have in fact, they did tell me the hardest thing Becky's gonna be the complexity, you know, but coming out of my background, that wasn't the most difficult thing. The most difficult thing was reorienting myself to a people business, David, like we are a human being business. We, we put three people to work every minute of the day. And that's, that's our why so if you follow Simon Sinek I love the idea of people buy, why you do what you do, not what you do or what you sell. And from, you know, the the top of our company to the frontline of our business. Everyone would tell you We exist to help people find meaningful employment, like that's what we do. And, you know, for a while I was like, Really, and at the end of the day it was Yeah, This is exactly what we do. And everything has to be oriented around that. And so internalizing that, you know, again, going back to the way I was raised, the value of works always been important to me, like, I'm a big believer in, you know, work benefits homes and churches and communities, ultimately, our nation. So I believe in work and work ethic, I just didn't know a whole industry exists, that helps people uncover what they're great at, you know, we do assessments to help people find their way. It's just an amazing industry that I knew nothing about until I got here.

David Novak 5:28 

You know, Becky, in this in this world of artificial intelligence, you know, how can humans compete for jobs in the future when, you know, computers are really growing faster than we are?

Becky Frankiewicz 5:38 

Yeah. So you know, robots are computers, they take tasks, David, not jobs. And so what we have to reorient ourselves to is there are things that are uniquely human, that you know that, that the task as they get automated will leave room for human elements to come forward. And so we just did this whole survey around soft skills, soft skills are increasing as in importance, which in itself is strange, right? So AI is growing, and employers are saying soft skills are more important than ever. And out of soft skills, the one they said was most important across function. So if you say for it, I'll say yes, for it for sales, yes, for sales, across functions, communication skills, written and verbal, are the most important and most difficult to find. And so in this world, where, you know, AI is coming in human capability, actually can augment technology. And so there's a whole movement around augmented Aryans, if you've heard that, that term, where humans are augmenting technology, there are new jobs being created, that never existed before for human beings. And so the things that are uniquely human, and will continue to differentiate us from machines. And by the way, you know, there are some things that that through automation will give us some relief on on supply. I mean, we don't have enough people in our country to work we have, we have more jobs than we do people. And so we need some technology to come in and help take some relief off the supply. And then we need people, human beings employees to really focus on learnability. Because you know that I grew up at a time where where I got my degree, what I got my degree and all that was really important. In the future, it's much more important what you can do versus what you have done, David. And so for employees and employers, we have to reorient ourselves, you know, because we're used to being consumers of labor, if you will. And now we have to be creators of talent. And to do that you have to know what people are capable of doing, not necessarily what they've done. And so we you know, I think it's a great time to be a human being.

David Novak 7:27 

We don't have much of a choice, right? What do you what do you see is the three biggest trends happening in the workforce? This is really interesting.

Becky Frankiewicz 7:35 

Yeah, so I would say, the change. So let's talk about not just trends, but what's different. One is we're managing five generations in the workforce, David, five generations, so we have boomers saying they're going to work longer, we have Millennials saying they're going to work longer. And as a as a manager, or a leader, or even as a peer, you know, that creates a whole new tension, do I text? Or do I leave a voicemail? Do I email, you know, how do I manage all of this. So as leaders, we really have to flex our leadership style to cross five generations. So that would be one. The second I would tell you is that skills are changing at the pace of technology. And so again, what you know, today, like this fancy equipment you and are using today, two weeks from now, there could be something completely new that totally replaces all of this, and the people who build it and work on it will have to have all new capabilities. And so what skills changing at the pace are changing, you know, and that limited supply, it is all about, you know how agile you are as a learner and what you can apply your skill to do differently. That's what the future is about.

David Novak 8:35 

How do you stay agile? Backing?

Becky Frankiewicz 8:38 

Yes, you know, it's constant. David, I read a lot, like a lot of professionals do. But I read about stuff that is that is not necessarily in my space, because I think we're seeing with globalization. And with skill transfer, it doesn't have to be in the in the human capital space to be interesting for me, you know, I can take something that someone's doing and you know, at Amazon, I'm a big student of Amazon, I think they have a fascinating model. How does that apply to my business? And what can I learn from that? So I try to look broadly across businesses, to what they're doing. And so you know, I follow earnings calls and see what's hot topic and what technology is coming out and how that could apply to my to my business. Tell us about your upbringing? Yeah, so I love that question. I'm basically a farmer's daughter. So I was raised on a working farm in Texas. My both my parents worked outside of the home, and my dad did farming as what I would call an expensive hobby. But the gift that gave me that was not so much of a gift. David, when I was younger, we were raised in a very gender neutral environment. It didn't matter if you were son or daughter, you're going to work. And so my dad worked a full time job and he'd come home and we had you know, tasks that we had to take care of at home. But it taught me an amazing work ethic. It taught me a real value for land, and it taught me a value for my own contribution. So the more I gave the faster I was able to finish my work and go do something else. And so I'm really very grateful for my parents. You know that I was raised on a working farm and that was my my early life. I am a a born and raised used to Texan I've gone in and out of the state of Texas several times in my career, but that beginning was really important to me and still very much the fabric of who I am.

David Novak 10:09 

Tell me about the the, your the job on a on a farm or with your parents that gave you the biggest challenge?

Becky Frankiewicz 10:16 

Oh, the biggest challenge? Well, many times I was just trying not to die, David, because it was dangerous. This wasn't really big, you know, 1000 Acre Farms, we had a couple 100 acres. But it was really so I would you know, I would walk fence we would have to bale hay. My dad was was very smart. So he had two daughters. I'm the youngest of four. But there were two of us at home at the same time, both girls. And so my dad would set the baler to 50 pounds, because that's what my sister and I could carry together. So he did this whole reverse engineering of what's the heaviest I could fit this bale, these girls can still help but help me do it. And then I thought he was the stacker you know, so he'd sit on the trailer and stack the hay. And I was like, great. So dad gets to ride and I have to be down here in the field. And so he goes fine, you come up and stack the hay and never again one time and never again. Because that was definitely what looked like an easy job was the hardest job to have. And so it was a lot of work. I didn't have as much free time as my friends did. But the work ethic and the value it gave me for the land is something that you know, I still I still believe in today. And I hear my dad about 930 in the morning. Because you know, when you're a farmer, it's like, you're up and you're out. So you gotta be out before it's like you gotta get outside and start working. But I hear my dad about 9:30am Say the day is half over. Becky, what have you done? I still hear that today. It's it's great motivation.

David Novak 11:25 

That is so great. You know, tell us the story of how you got your first professional job.

Becky Frankiewicz 11:30 

Yeah, so I was in, you know, again, the summers were working on the farm. And so when I hit 16, and could drive, it was everything I could to say I've got to go get a job that I'm actually paid for besides with room and board, because there was no pay for the other the other activities. And so I went and worked in a retail store at 16 years old, drove myself got myself there on time, had to manage my budget because you know, if you're a young girl, I was into clothing. And if I spent all my money on my clothing discount, I didn't have much to bring home. But I love that job because it taught me that I really liked people. And that you learn a lot more by listening than you do by talking. And you know, I've listened to my customers find out what they wanted, and then was able to delight them and they'd come back and see me again. And so I made a second sale, not just the first sale.

David Novak 12:13 

Yeah, it's funny how that works throughout your career.

Becky Frankiewicz 12:16 

Yes, that's right. Where'd

David Novak 12:17 

you go to college?

Becky Frankiewicz 12:19 

UT Austin UT

David Novak 12:19 

Austin. That's a that's a that's a great school. I love that place. And and so what was your what was the job you had out of college or

Becky Frankiewicz 12:28 

Yeah, so I went to work for Procter and Gamble right out of undergrad. So my undergrads in marketing and my master's in finance. And that was very purposeful, because I had this great marketing degree. And I thought I need to actually ground myself out. So I went back and got my master's in finance. But I went to work for Procter and Gamble in Field Sales. I had 66, Albertsons stores, I'll never forget that I had to hit once a month, and I went door to door store to store. And I'm so grateful for that in my professional life. Because it taught me if you understand how the retail operations works, you'll be effective, whatever level of retail that you were calling on, and I continued my career in packaged goods. And that foundation always served me well. And it also again, taught me that it was 66 different personalities, you know, you had to adjust yourself and stay focused on how you could help them. It could never be about you. And that was humbling. Many times humbling. I had a couple of messages, you know, this was back and people leaving messages that weren't so kind because they were mad at me for some reason or another. But it was really humbling and taught me to seek the solution first, before I try to sell

David Novak 13:28 

something. Tell us your your most difficult sales challenge. Oh, in

Becky Frankiewicz 13:32 

my career. So I know that back and when you were when I was

David Novak 13:38 

67, there had to be somebody who was really tough. Do you remember that person? And how yet?

Becky Frankiewicz 13:43 

Yes, I had a department manager who was a female. And she was tough, David, I mean, hardcore. If you didn't come at not just the day you were supposed to come the time window she gave you because not all the managers had you set appointments, but she was an appointment person, she would be on you. But one day I came in and she wasn't there. And this is back in the day of where you placed an order at the store. So I placed an order. Oh, and she just lit me up in a voicemail that she left me on. You know, this is not how it works. And I've been calling on her like we had a great relationship. So I thought, but it also taught me that I crossed the line. And that was one time and I had to go back in and say I'm so sorry, here was my intention. Like I get that the impact was bad. But my intention was to serve you even when you weren't here. And I followed all the rules that you know you and I had set. But yeah, that was that was very tough learning for me. What do you do after proctor? So I was with proctor for several years and then I went into consulting so I left p&g again. I'd gone to school full time to get my MBA while I was working full time. So that was a crazy time alive. I like to be busy. That's a that's a theme. But I went into consulting. So I went to work for Arthur Andersen and Anderson Consulting. And then after you know the just devastating situation with with Enron, I left there and went to Deloitte Consulting and I loved it. I loved my time in consulting. Procter and Gamble taught me lot about depth of the consumer. And consulting taught me about breadth of the business. And that's when I knew that I wanted to be a general manager, like I loved the levers of the business. And that's when I knew I wanted to pursue that for my next career.

David Novak 15:13 

You know, being a consultant is really, really challenging, you got to add value with your to your clients. What did you learn, in that experience that that really gave you a competitive edge, you know, as you as you think about then moving back into packaged goods?

Becky Frankiewicz 15:29 

Yeah, so you know, you said something really interesting. It's all about adding value to your clients. And I learned that back when I took my first retail job at 16. You know, it's all about adding value to your clients. And in consulting, what I learned is, if I could get a little knowledge in a space, that I was comfortable, then diving deep to really learn to add value, because consultants have a bad rap of you're thin and not deep. But that's not fair to clients, if they have a solution you're working on, you have to be deep. And if you're not deep, you have to get there quickly. And so one of the key things I learned is how do I identify through through pretty fast synthesis, where the real problems are, and then go deeper around that problem to pay for myself. And it's all about earning your, your place at the table. And I've always felt like I had to earn my place at the table. So I had to go to school a lot.

David Novak 16:15 

Can you give a couple bits of advice on how to go deep on when you have a situation or a problem identification?

Becky Frankiewicz 16:22 

Yeah. So first, I would say you know, it's it's a it's definitely a PepsiCo learning, but you asked the five why's, you know, why is this happening? And the first answer will come back kind of surfaced. And you say, Well, why is that happening? And by the time you get to the fifth, why you'll have the real core of the issue. So step one is identify the core of the issue. And another trick to that, that I learned early on is always ask yourself, what problem are you trying to solve? Because emotion comes into things, egos come into things, politics come into things. And I always try to step back. And when things get confusing, and say, Wait a minute, what's the problem we're trying to solve? And you know, that's early marketing, thinking, David, you think about a brief and you start with the objective. But in business, we don't always do that. And so starting with what problem you're trying to solve is a great lesson for all of us, to keep us focused and on track. And that's so the the first step is how do I synthesize into a problem, and then to go deep, you know, you, we have to be lifelong learners, all of us. I mean, that's something that doesn't stop when you get out of college. And if anything in today's, you know, limited supply, talent environment, we have to be continuous learners. And so I would read now you can now it's a lot easier than it was when I was younger in my career. Any Google searches, any company that you know, of this most working at that you can call and say, Hey, tell me how you're handling this. You know, you can't, it's about learning. It's not about, it's just not about you. It's not about what you know, and don't know, it's about what you need to know, to actually serve your client and solve a problem. And I was fortunate that I wasn't raised with the belief that not knowing is bad. Like, I'm okay. Not knowing something and learning how to do it.

David Novak 17:52 

Well, what took you to the land of Frito? Lay and Quake? Yes. So

Becky Frankiewicz 17:56 

I was in consulting for several years up for partner. And I had three young daughters. So I had I had one of my daughters at p&g, and the other two I hadn't consulting. And so I had this life on the road, like that was the life I had. And because my girls were younger, David, I can't say that. They were saying like, Mommy, why are you leaving again this week, they were pretty young. But I wasn't sure that's the path I wanted for the next 10 years. And when you bind to a partnership, that's what you're looking at. And so it's really a crazy story. I had interviewed with PepsiCo several times in my career earlier, and things just didn't work out. And this was the third time, and it wasn't gonna work out again. And then true story, Irene Rosenfeld, her office called me, and I was on site at a client. And I was like, this is a joke, like, irate. I mean, I'm like, you know, low level, she's not calling me. It was her calling me. And I still don't know to this day, how she got my resume. But I went in and spent an hour and a half with her. And it was it was not like any interview I've still done to this day. She just wanted to hear about how do you think and how do you solve problems? And what do you do? And when were you faced with something like this, but not the traditional, you know, content action response kind of interview. It was really born out of curiosity about what makes me work. And then the next day, they offered me two different options. I could come into the finance organization, into strategy or I could go into innovation. And so it went from nothing's gonna work out to meeting this amazing woman who I still don't know how she even knew who I was to go into work for PepsiCo, and I spent 11 years at PepsiCo, and it was a amazing experience the company was was gracious to me. I started with Frito Lay and then I worked at Quaker and at some point I was full bag calling on customers. But I I basically path myself through functions to become a general manager and PepsiCo allowed me and supported me in doing that and so I'm very grateful to that system for everything that I was able to learn

David Novak 19:43 

well, I mean, obviously saw getting some great leadership and you and you know, I know Fast Company is hailed you as one of the most creative leaders in industry today. Tell tell us a story of one of your most creative ideas.

Becky Frankiewicz 19:56 

To me, creativity is fun. Creativity is around solving problems. It's just The tool that you bring to the table when you're solving problems, and I had a situation where we were not doing as good a job as we could do with with attracting women into snacking. And so we were charged with, you know, how do you attract women to snacking? And so everything from the marketing mix to the products to, you know, do you do products that, you know, women can eat in the car, you know, put in their purse, that was one of the early projects that we brought a lot of creativity to that one I'm probably most proud of. And at the same time, as I assembled a team, we staffed it, actually, we didn't set out to staff it with with females, but we ended with an I believe in almost 100% female leadership team, which was great having women solving problems for women, like that was just a really neat time of life.

David Novak 20:41 

What a novel idea. That's great. I love that. You've mentioned your desire to be a general manager, and you ended up heading Quaker, you know, tell us, you know, you touched on this a little bit earlier. But when it really hits, you wanted to be a general manager. And then how did you go about making sure it happened? I mean, you are definitely making happens.

Becky Frankiewicz 21:07 

Cypher glass. Yes. Yeah. So there's, you know, there's a story for everything, David. So I, I knew I wanted to be a general manager when I came out of consulting, only because, again, I was comfortable not knowing and learning, and I love the levers, you know, it's it's a puzzle, you pull this lever and what happens to the business, you pull this lever and what happens to the business. And I also learned by consulting with companies, that if you're a student of the p&l, you will know how decisions are made in the organization, like you don't need somebody to tell you, you don't need to understand the politics, just study the p&l and where money's made, and, and investments happen will tell you a lot about the political landscape of the company. And I learned that also in consulting, and so I knew coming out of consulting, that's what I wanted to do. And again, to PepsiCo credit, I said early on to someone in HR, you know, I want to be a general manager. And, you know, the response was, hey, you know, we really grow functional leadership at the time when I had joined the company. And I said, I'm not asking someone to make the way, I'm just asking for people not to stand in the way because consulting taught me how to create pull for myself, you know, it's one of the gifts of consulting, you have to pitch your own capabilities to actually get put on jobs. And so I knew how to pitch myself, if you will. And to PepsiCo credit, I was able to, you know, go from the finance strategy organization over into marketing into sales, into general manager role, and the company allowed those doors to be open. And honestly, I went and raised my hand, you know, so when a job would come open, David, I don't care if the person had been successful or had failed before me, I was raising my hand going, why not me? Like, why can't I do that? I'll put the investment in to learn it. Let me have a try. And the first few times, it's hard, you know, because you get more senior, and it's hard for people to take a bet on you. But after you get a track record of a few of those, then it's easier. But the first few times, and I got some great advice from somebody that that you and I both know. And and the advice was, I had two jobs I was looking at at one point in my life, actually, before Quaker one point life, one was a sales leader role, and one was another role in a customer team. And the advice that I got was do the job that you uniquely can do. If there are five people that could do this other job, don't do that one, do the one that you're uniquely qualified to do. And I thought that was such great advice. And it led me I ended up leading the Costco business for PepsiCo. And you know, to this day, it's one of my favorite jobs. And you know, my definition of favorite is I learned a ton. I want a lot and I lost a lot, which leads to the learning. But that advice is really what led me there. And I'm very grateful for that. Who gave you that advice? John Compton?

David Novak 23:35 

Oh, that's great. You know, you say you've basically had for career so far, as there have been if you're going to pick one constant trait that's helped you be successful? Would it be?

Becky Frankiewicz 23:47 

Yeah, so informed risk. So I'm a big believer in informed risk, and it goes back to the ability to synthesize so another Irene story. Irene asked me in this interview, she asked me a question, David, I've never been asked before, and honestly haven't been asked to this day. And she said, What are you uniquely good at? And I mean, come on. She's the first female president, CEO of Frito. Lay, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, what? Am I unique, anything compared to you? But I never answered that question. But I did. And I told her, I said, I have an A keen ability to synthesize like, I can go through a ton of data at one time and identify the three or four key things. And then I have the ability to think strategically and act tactically against those. And that really, I've never said it out loud. But you know, growing up in marketing companies like you and I both did, we think about whatever your job title is, that means you're similar to everybody with that job title. But that's, that's not true. We all have our uniquenesses and so early on, answering that question around synthesizing has really branded me if you will, as someone who takes risks like people would say she's a risk taker, but what they don't see it's all the synthesis and the the analytics that go behind that. So I would say I am a risk taker, but I'm always informed. And it doesn't mean that you know if there's risky or not risky or I won't, I won't place the bet. But I do a lot hallmarks, I know the, from a synthesis perspective, what's most important the decision? And so that's what I'd say I'm an informed risk taker.

David Novak 25:07 

You know, a lot of people learn a lot from their failures, there's something that's gone wrong or whatever their career, has there been a failure or an apparent failure that in the end basically set you up for success? Do you have a favorite failure story you could share with

Becky Frankiewicz 25:22 

us? Yes. Well, you know, the word failure always creates anxiety. But yeah, I do. And I love that you asked that question, because so many people don't ask it because people don't want to answer it. I had a significant failure early in my career where there was someone that I respected, you know, senior to me, but I respected and wanted to role model myself after, you know, that also happened to be in my line of leadership. So ultimately, I reported to this person, and we were launching a new product, and I felt strongly we should do it, you know, one way versus another. And, you know, you have those conversations at your peer level, and then one level up, and now I'm having it, you know, two or three levels up, and this person that I hold in such high regard, and still hold in high regard to this day, said, Becky, why would you suggest doing it that way? Like, that's not the that's not the way to do it. And, and I knew I was right, David, like, I had done the homework, I knew I was right. But I was so taken aback by, you know, this person who I respect so much having a different point of view, than in the moment of courage, I failed, I failed in the moment of courage. And afterwards, what happened is then a competitor launched the product the way that I thought we should launch it, and they were successful. And we were not, you know, you know how that story ends. But that's not even important. I knew I was right. And because I had such regard for this person, I felt like I that I couldn't be right. I couldn't be right, because he had to be right. But now that I look back on that, and I'm so grateful it happened young in my career, and I'm not sure I would have won the battle anyway. But the real issue is I didn't fight hard enough with the knowledge I have. And I've made that mistake once in my career, and I will never make it again.

David Novak 26:53 

You know, you'd mentioned the interview question that Irene had for you. And you know, you're now an expert in recruiting people. What would be your favorite interview question?

Becky Frankiewicz 27:03 

Yeah. So I love the failure ones, I have to say, that's one of my favorites. Because people are really afraid to ask the only question I know of David that people are afraid to ask and and to answer. Like, nobody wants to ask it because you're scared, you're makes me uncomfortable. But also answer. I love ones that talk about, you know, where's the biggest impact that you've made? And how did you measure impact? You know, if you make the assumption impact is measured around business, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it's not increasingly today, it's about building the people around you and taking others with you. You know, I'm asked often around, you know, work life balance and how you do that. And you know, what I would say is, it's just one life, like, we all have to live one life. And so I love to ask people about things outside of total employment. Like, why, you know, what do you do in your spare time? Always a good question. And then if I was interviewing a marathon runner, what so what do you love about running marathons? What is it about that that you love? And it's a whole other way to get into what makes them the person they are? That has nothing to do with the work that they do?

David Novak 27:55 

You said something interesting, it's just one life. Explain a little bit about that. Yeah.

Becky Frankiewicz 27:59 

Yeah. So again, if you go back to how I was raised by two working parents, I was raised at a time where there was a belief that who you were at home had to be different than who you were at work, you know, you had these dual personas. And again, credit to my mom and dad, like, that's way too much stress for me, like I can only be who I am. And so early on, I was like, This is who I am. I can't I can't keep up with two different and I don't mean two different total people, but you know, the things you talk about. And so I was raised at a time where work life balance was it was a topic. But now I will tell you, it's not about balance, like that, to me is a false, a false sentiment, like I had budget week, last week. So I was working 24 hours a day. And this weekend, I was at the grocery store and cooking and all the things that I love to do that I hadn't had a chance to do in the last week due to budget. But it all comes together as one big life, like who I am at work is the same as who I am at home. And, you know, the other thing I observed as a young woman is guys would leave like to go leave the office to go COACH T ball or soccer and everybody's like, Oh my gosh, look at Davey, such a great dad. And then I was like, Well, where are the women, like they were gone. They weren't in the office, but they never announced where they were going. And so early in life, David, I said, I'm gonna live out loud. So I'm gonna live my life out loud. And it is one big life. And so if I if I need to leave to go to school play, I'm telling everybody, I'm leaving today to go to school play. Because if I don't do that, then the the young women and men that are increasingly both looking for this one life concept, don't see that you can be successful. And, you know, I reject the idea that you that I can't be a great mother, a great employee, a great wife, I reject the idea that I can't do all three of those things at the same time.

David Novak 29:32 

That's great. You know, tell us the story of your your My Path program.

Becky Frankiewicz 29:37 

Yeah. So we, again in the space that we're in limited supply, increasing demand skills, changing the pace of technology, we have to shift from being a staffing company to a skills provider. So what I mean by that is we have to know what's around the corner, you know, old packaged goods saying you're looking around the corner. So I brought that sentiment here like we have to be looking around the corner. And so this Manpower Group created this program called my path where we know, you know, by zip code, what's in demand in a marketplace. And we know what the supply of labor is. So if it's, you know, cybersecurity is in demand, I can tell you how many cybersecurity experts that you have in that zip code, if you will. And so based on knowing what supply and demand is, we've created six different paths to upskill people from where they are into these high in demand opportunities. And so you know, I gave you a high example, I'll give you another example. If you want to be a it, helpdesk, huge demand for IT help desk today, and you're a shipping and receiving clerk. So something you and I would know a lot about shipping and receiving clerks in six weeks, with assessment and training, we can take you from a shipping and receiving clerk to an IT help desk, which you know, is several dollars an hour raise. And we're actually creating the skill workforce that is in demand in the marketplace. And, you know, it helps people make more money, it helps them have much more secure careers. And it helps us create a supply base that is skilled. And I worry, you know, about our country in terms of, we need to have workers to grow like we need an employment base to actually have economic growth. And we all need to be focused on how we create skilled workers in our country.

David Novak 31:12 

You know, you mentioned that this is the one time where there's five different generations at work, you know, millennials, as everybody talks about millennials these days, probably the most, they often get a bad rap. You know, what's your, what's your perspective on this generation of leaders?

Becky Frankiewicz 31:27 

Yeah, so I think there's, they're, they're really neat, because they're hugely optimistic. And so we did a survey and said, hey, you know, what percent of you are happy in what you're doing. It's like 70% are Super 68% Super happy and what they're doing. And then you ask, okay, well, what if something happened to your job, you know, not that you get fired or anything? Because they don't, they're optimistic, they don't wanna hear that. But what if just something changed? And over 70% said, no worries, I could go out and find something equal or better in three months, you know, so they're there, they're hugely optimistic around their own capabilities. They're impatient around growth, which I know has been talked about, you know, in the trade journals in the press, David is as negative, no, that's not being patient around your growth is a positive and today's skill economy, you know, where skills are the currency, you want people who are impatient around growth. And so, you know, again, you ask them how long they want to stay in a certain job without getting a promotion, you know, they'll tell you, almost almost 70% will say two years or less, they think they should be moved after two years. And 32% of staff should only be in the job 12 months. And so I think they're optimistic. They're redefining, you know, career paths. And they're redefining career security they want if you ask you want job security, they'll say yes, but then when you dig into that, they see it as their responsibility to keep themselves current and relevant. And that's why they're so impatient. It's they've redefined what job security is into career security. And so they're impatient in service of, you know, of security.

David Novak 32:55 

You know, I, I've seen lots of studies in the first seven to 10 years of somebody's career, very often, there's no leadership development or no programs to help people develop as leaders. Why do you think that is? And what do you recommend others on that front?

Becky Frankiewicz 33:09 

That's probably the last 10 years, David. So if you think about the changing role of HR, you know, there was a time, let's say, 15 years ago, maybe even 20 years ago, where the role of HR was all about training in development, like that's everything it was, then as globalization happened, and margin compression happened across industries, HR really became about spans and layers and org structure to drive efficiency. And now, I believe we're entering the third wave of HR and people in culture, depending on what the company calls it. And this third wave is all about training again. And so I think the reason that we didn't see it to your question is because that wasn't the era of HR we were in. But now given limited supply and changing demand, we're starting to see more and more companies invest in training and development fact over 50% are now investing. And that's up considerably. And so we know, companies have gotten the message now that they actually have to train their workers.

David Novak 34:03 

You know, I know you could talk about this next question for an hour. Okay. But if you had to add to give one thing that you would recommend to business leaders to win the war on talent, what would that one thing be

Becky Frankiewicz 34:15 

at differentiation? Differentiate yourself? So it goes back to the Irene Rosenfeld question she asked me except for a company, what is your unique benefit as a company? And you know, now, employees if they drive up to your front door, and it is inconsistent with the brand you say you are, they will turn around? We see it happen all the time, they literally drive off? And so inside outside Glassdoor is the new Better Business Bureau, in terms of bringing transparency to what workplaces are like, you have to live the brand that you put out into the into the press, it has to be really, really who you are. And so I would say live your brand and differentiate yourself from others.

David Novak 34:52 

You know, you've mentioned Irene a few times in this interview, and you know, you talked about her being the first female CEO of Friedle Like, how important was it for you to see a leader like that? And you know that to give you the confidence that you could you could get it done.

Becky Frankiewicz 35:09 

Yeah. So David, I know people expect me to say it was really, I mean, it was important. But I would say I didn't, you know, I had a mother, that role modeled that for me. So I never knew I couldn't do it. Like, I mean, you know, I said earlier, I'd raise my hand and say, why not me, like I didn't know, thanks to my mom that this was not something people do. Like I didn't know. And like said, My mom worked, and you know, and was a great mother at home. And so that'd be the first thing. But I'd say more impactful to me had been the the sponsors I've had in my life. And so I didn't figure the difference and mentor and sponsor until about, honestly, 15 years into my career. And so, you know, everybody talks about mentorship and mentors are awesome. They're important. They give you feedback, they give you perspective, but this idea of sponsorship, someone that speaks on your behalf when you're not in the room, that was a game changer for me, that I could actually have someone speak on my behalf that knew me and could you know, obviously advocate for me, that was my part of the deal. But there was a difference in a mentor and sponsor was really game changing for me. And it took me about 15 years to figure that out. And that's what's had the biggest impact on me. And to be really candid, most of my sponsors, most have been male, a few have been female, but most have been male. You know,

David Novak 36:18 

you have three daughters. And you know, you speak about it, when you talk to listeners, you can't see it, but every time she misses her daughters, she smiles, okay. And you know, but as they become they go into the workforce, you know, and become aspiring leaders, what three bits of advice would you give your three daughters on how to have ensure that you have a growing happy career?

Becky Frankiewicz 36:41 

Yeah. So you know, I think you said the last thing, he says most important, happy, happy, you know, where you're happy, I think that you grow. And so I would say fine, you know, find something that you love, don't commit. So what I mean by that is the days of going to a company and staying there your lifetime, David, those are, those are for the most part gone. And so don't commit to one job or one career. And the last thing I would say is focus on collecting experiences. That's the only thing that you can take with you. And it makes you more marketable. And it makes it more fun, which I've learned makes you know, people happier. And so those those would be the three things that tell my amazing girls, it's it's

David Novak 37:19 

pretty clear to me that you're constantly evolving your own your own leadership and trying to learn. If you look back and just say the last five years, what new belief behavior or habit Have you taken on that's most improved your life?

Becky Frankiewicz 37:32 

So inside or outside of work? David matter? Doesn't matter? Well, I would say, honestly, it's probably outside of work. So I'll give you an answer for both. Outside of work, I work out six of seven days, every single day before work, I'm working out and I'm you can tell if I don't, I'm a little grumpy. I'm not quite happy. And it's because I'm not happy with myself, I'm not happy that you know, I either got home too late the night before and didn't get up and get it done. Because to me, it sets the tone for the day. So get up meet a commitment early. So my commitment is I'm gonna give them workout and then I can check it off. You know, I'm still old school with my checklist, even if they're in my head, check that off. I've already started something great today. And so working out has been a great discipline for me. And then on the other side, I learned this from our Carrie, one of the amazing leaders of both Frito Lay and PepsiCo, I write note cards. And so I'll send note cards to people, you know, that I worked with for something I saw great that week, or something I saw great in in one of their presentations. And this with all the the Instagram and social media and Facebook and I do all of those to the idea of someone taking the time to write a handwritten card is still, in my view, priceless. And I learned that from I'll carry and I still do that today. You know, 80%

David Novak 38:45 

of people wish that their supervisor recognized them for what they do. How do you look at recognition? You just mentioned the note cards is a great example.

Becky Frankiewicz 38:55 

Yeah. So you know, one, I think recognition is saying when someone does a good job, but I also think David, feedback is truly a gift. And I fear in corporate America, we've lost a little of that, especially as people are all about retaining talent. And you know, what I tell my team is if I'm not giving you feedback, then I'm not invested in you. If I don't care enough to say, this is what I saw you do great. And here's some areas that you can improve, then I'm not really invested in that. And by the way, if I'm not getting it, then people aren't invested in me. And so that would be one of the things I think is a bit of an art form that we need to return to the center of leadership is this concept of feedback truly being a gift. And if you're not getting it, you should ask for it. And, and give people the room to give you constructive feedback because we all like to ask you, we all like to say good things. We'd like to hear good things. But give people room to say hey, tell me a couple things that I could have done better and invite that into the conversation. Because people have it if they're not saying it, it doesn't make it not true. And so I've just learned to just ask for it.

David Novak 39:55 

Becky, what's your unfinished business? Now as you look forward, you know you You've done so much. I mean, you know, already for careers and you know, what's your unfinished business?

Becky Frankiewicz 40:05 

Oh, that's gonna be my new favorite interview question, David, my unfinished business. You know, my girls are just starting to go to college. And so making sure that I've raised independent, you know, thought leading women, very, very important to me, you know, human beings that want to contribute to this world that isn't, it isn't just about them. Um, that would be first and foremost, unfinished business. And I would say, you know, specific to my current role and why I came here, you know, I'm at a phase of life where purpose is important. And to work for a company, like Manpower Group, where I mean, I, you know, I shared we put three people to work a minute of the day, like, that's, I've never been so aligned on the inside of me and the outside of me and my life. And so growing, that seeing that have more impact impacting families, you know, the my past program that we talked about, we just had our first college graduate. So we have a graduate college program embedded in that we had our first college graduate, and to hear the wife of this graduate say, This doesn't just change our lives, it changes the lives of generations behind us. More of that is my unfinished business.

David Novak 41:12 

That's fantastic. You know, Becky, I love it when I meet people that just absolutely inspire me. You know, you've got me raring to go, I gotta come out of retirement. Go back to work. All right. Let's do it. Thank you very much, Becky. Appreciate it. You're awesome.

Becky Frankiewicz 41:27 

David, my really my pleasure to meet you. You're a legend. And I learned a lot from your book as well. So thank you for that.

David Novak 41:33 

Thank you. Thank you.

Well, I gotta tell you, that conversation was just one great insight after another, it's really easy to see why Fast Company calls Becky Frank woods, one of the most creative leaders in any industry. Now, you know, of course, Becky is wicked, smart and driven. But there's more to success than that. She has learned she's good at simplifying data and then determine how to act on it. She leans into that ability no matter what role or industry she's stepping into. And she pinpointed that about herself because someone once asked her, What are you uniquely good at? So let me pay it forward here and ask you to what are you uniquely good at this week as part of your weekly personal development plan? I want you to answer that question. Now, you can't just describe your job skills, dig deeper, get specific, try to articulate the key strengths you carry into any work you do. The strengths that are uniquely yours, not just the skills that anybody with your job description has got to have, then ask the same question of anyone who reports to you. What are you uniquely good at? When we give ourselves and our team members the space to truly consider our unique strengths. We can go past job descriptions and find more fulfillment at work, both for ourselves and for our team members, and most importantly, leverage that unique skill that we have for the good of our business. So do you want to know how leaders lead what we learned today is that great leaders know what they're uniquely good at. Thanks again for tuning in to another episode of how leaders lead where every Thursday you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world. I make it a point to give you something simple on each episode that you can apply to your business so that you will become the best leader you can be