TWI PROFILES


TWI PROFILE: LTC DOUGLAS TWITTY, COCA-COLA CO.


TAKE OWNERSHIP, ADD VALUE


Two things surprised LTC Douglas Twitty when he went to work with Coca-Cola Refreshments through the Training with Industry (TWI) program.


Te first was the speed of change. Because the company is in such a competitive industry, he said, things happen very fast. For some changes, we “did not always have the opportunity to determine if they were successful before additional changes were made,” he said. “Tat’s totally different from how the Army operates. We have systems in place, and those systems are in place for a long period of time.”


Te other thing that surprised him, he said, was that the com- pany very quickly asked him to be a leader. “Adjusting to the commercial environment wasn’t hard,” he said, “because the experiences that the Army has given me over the years—take ownership when in charge and be an added value in every situa- tion—applied to me when I came here to Coca-Cola.”


Still, it surprised him that Coca-Cola had the “willingness to put me in the lead on projects and, based on those findings [in the projects], it could affect their sales, their customer service and their profits. But as I look back on it, it just shows me how much confidence Coca-Cola has in Army leadership experience to make a direct decision for the company.”


TAPPING ARMY SKILLS Tat experience is important to Coca-Cola, Twitty said. “Tere are managers who request me by name, just because of that Army experience,” adding that the reception he received at Coca-Cola was “fabulous, really second-to-none.”


Jerome Richard, manager of Coca-Cola Refreshments Talent Acquisition Program, shed some light on why that is. “Military servicemen and women bring strong leadership skills, commit- ment and can-do attitudes to their jobs every day,” he said. “It’s inspiring and motivating to other team members and encour- ages everyone to perform at their best.”


Coca-Cola’s support for the U.S. military dates to 1941, Richard noted, when former President Robert Woodruff committed to


A STUDY IN LEADERSHIP


During his TWI assignment at Coca-Cola Refreshments, Twitty was able to observe similarities and differences between the company and the military in how leadership works and careers advance. (Photo courtesy of LTC Douglas Twitty)


see that every man in uniform got a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he was and whatever it cost the company.


Coca-Cola “remains focused on implementing enhanced programs to recruit, retain and develop our nation’s heroes,” Richard said. “By participating in the TWI program, we’re able to do just that—and benchmark our organization against the Army’s performance standards. Te program also gives us a better understanding of Army officers’ skill sets that are trans- ferable to the civilian business environment.”


Twitty received Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training for four weeks leading up to his first project, learning “their process for a project. Coca-Cola has this DMAIC process—define,


144


Army AL&T Magazine


July–September 2014


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