THE WIT AND WISDOM OF JOHN PEPPER

November 7, 2017

THE WIT & WISDOM OF JOHN E. PEPPER Jr.
(Compiled by my former P&G colleague and good friend, Eugen Mihai)

“Life isn’t always pretty, but you have to put up with ugliness sometimes to get a big job done; and it only happens when very competent people believe in something deeply and act with all their might to make it happen.”

“Tell me what you think and act on what you believe to be true”

“Life is funny. It’s made up of dots that somehow connect”

“My wife and children have been my constant and underlying source of joy, energy and emotional stability and comfort in my life”

“You are making differences in people’s lives today you don’t even know you are making”

 “Everyone counts!”

“When I go to church the one thing I pray for is the wisdom to know the right thing to do and the courage and perseverance to do it”

“None of us are saints. All I can do and what I must do is do my best to fulfill our responsibilities and help other people whose lives we touch do the same”

“Everybody combines self-centered instincts and noble instincts”

“The greatest thing we will leave behind is the influence that we have on others; most importantly, on our family”

“It is MY choice: do I approach this new day positively or not?”

“Don’t stop pushing for an idea if you really believe in it”

“My two most important mandates: to be of service to others and stand out for what I believe is right”

“My three North Stars are: service, leadership and growth”

“Make sure you take vacation and long week-ends because the best ideas will come when you have some free space”

“The qualities of the best leaders I have met are:
-       Empowering vision and their commitment to it. They simply won’t give up
-       Laser-like strategy
-       A maniacal commitment to executional excellence
-       They build great teams.  They help people grow.
-       Character; integrity and courage.  Perseverance; they don’t give up.  They do what they think is right. 
-       They always look for a better way
-       They love what they do
-       They have respect for themselves and for others
-       They are genuine: what you see is what you get
-       They have an incredible zest to continue to learn”

“I want to be anywhere my wife and children are. That’s where I want to be. Nowhere else!”

“A good strategy is:
-        Based on capability (deliverable)
-        Truly choiceful (differentiating)
-        The basis for sustained advantage vs. competition
-        Robust”

“Be on somebody’s ‘If it weren’t for them’ list. It means you did make a difference in that person’s life”

“Be choiceful, strategic and principled in deciding what to do and how to do it”

“Accept yourself as you are even as you work to improve”

“Remember – God will help you if you trust in Him”

“Don’t worry about things you can’t affect”

“Respect, not popularity is what matters”

“We have a life to live – do it fully and authentically”

“Be true to your purpose and values”

“Let us never forget that we are in business to improve the lives of consumers by offering them better performing and better value brands and by giving them information that enables them to make the best use of these brands”

“Our success depends on our personal leadership in all those things that produce accelerated growth in our business and strengthen organizational capability”

“View navigating change as a growth opportunity, not a burdensome challenge (though at times it will seem and be that). Avoid negativism and grousing. Don’t get discouraged”

“Never give up on something you believe in strongly”

“Insist on quality with maniacal commitment”

“Ask what you can do to serve those to whom you owe service”

“Listen carefully and pay attention to your spouse. Keep having ‘first dates’ as years go on”

“Remember: family comes first!”

“Personal leadership makes things happen”

“Effective leadership grows out of LOVE. Love for what you are doing, so you become passionate.  Love takes you out of yourself and makes you focus on the purpose and the people of your organization”

“Our trust and respect are the greatest gifts we give one another.  They can’t be forced.”

“Life is all about relationships”

“Give people the benefit of the doubt”

“Intimacy with the consumer is critical if we are to perceive the true consumer need which we can fill”

“Creating holistic and highly integrated innovation and marketing strategies that make a brand more appealing and harder to imitate is increasingly important today”

“We need to be alert and responsive to changing situations, anchored to only one commitment – doing the right thing to provide superior consumer value”

“We must never give consumers a reason to switch from our brand”

“We are in business to serve all the world’s consumers, not just the rich ones”

“We need to be first and we need to be better in delivering what appeals to consumers and produces greater total satisfaction for them”




WitWisdom_EugenMihai110217