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Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! Im Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Summer officially starts in a few weeks, but Ive already ordered and preordered the books that will keep me company on airplanes and trips to the beach. The first Modern CEO reading list was heavy on buzzworthy titles. Last years edition was a bit more dutiful, highlighting three works that explored the complexities of capitalism. This year, Im diving into the lives of the ultrarich, whose impact on culture, society, and policy continues to rise. The Haves and the Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich by Evan Osnos Thanks in part to social media, consumptionof luxury goods, five-star resorts, rare wines, and the likeis increasingly conspicuous. One place where the ultrarich can avoid prying eyes? Aboard their superyachts. As Evan Osnos, a staff writer and podcast host at The New Yorker, writes of such floating mansions: These shrines to excess capital exist in a conditional state of visibility: they are meant to be unmistakable to a slender stratum of societyand all but unseen by everyone else. Osnoss collection of essays promises to shed light on the excesses but also on how the rich amass and keep their wealth and the power that it affords. Personal History: A Memoir by Katharine Graham and Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein One of the biggest business stories of the yearWarren Buffetts announcement that he will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathawayand the ongoing struggles of The Washington Post under Jeff Bezos (a superyacht owner), are prompting me to reread two great books on my bookshelf. Personal History is Grahams candid memoir of the personal and professional hurdles she had to overcome en route to becoming CEO of The Washington Post Company and one of the most admired executives in media. Lowensteins masterful portrait of Buffett is part biography, part investing tutorial. Graham and Buffett were longtime friends, and Lowenstein seems to credit Graham with leavening some of Buffetts thrifty instincts. Stories of Buffetts frugalityhis primary residence is a home he bought in Omaha in 1958 for $31,500will surely be a good palate cleanser after the Osnos book. Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altmans OpenAI by Karen Hao Hao, an Atlantic contributor, is one of the leading journalists covering artificial intelligence (AI), and her book promises to be an unflinching look at the potential and perils of OpenAI CEO Sam Altmans ambitions for generative AI, which seem to mirror the move fast and break things ethos of many tech companies. Luckily for readers, Hao seems willing to explore the unintended consequences of unfettered AI expansion, including the environmental impacts of water- and energy-hungry data centers. So Far Gone by Jess Walter Walters latest bookmy one fiction pickhas many of the things I love in novel: a road trip, multigenerational conflict, and a gruff former journalist as the protagonist. In So Far Gone, Rhys Kinnick sets off to rescue his daughter and grandchildren from a radical militia group. Its a world Walter knows well: As a journalist for the Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review, Walter covered the 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho, which is credited with fueling the anti-government militia movement. Challenging stuff, but an early review from Ann Patchett confirms why I love Walters writing: Jess Walter managed to build such a warm, funny, loving novel out of so many horrible parts. What are you reading this summer? Whats on your summer reading list? Please send the name, author, and a sentence or two about why youd recommend it to modern leaders to stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. Ill publish a bonus newsletter with reader suggestions before the official start of summer. Read more: summer reading roundup 24 books to read this summer, according to The Atlantic The Economists latest beach friendly reads The 15 books USA Today says you should read this summer
Category:
E-Commerce
The Coca-Cola Co. just announced its newest limited-time soda, and its a combination of Sprite and tea that was initially floated by a team of interns six years ago. Sprite + Tea just hit shelves earlier across the U.S. and Canada, and is expected to remain on the market through October. The soda is available in both regular and zero-sugar varieties, and, according to a press release, it blends the crisp, lemon-lime refreshment of Sprite with the classically refreshing flavor of tea. The new product arrives just a month after Coca-Cola announced better-than-anticipated first-quarter 2025 financial results, logging a 2% year-over-year revenue decline but maintaining its growth forecasts for 2025, unlike rival PepsiCo. For years now, Coca-Cola has been experimenting with new, unexpected flavor combinations designed to attract younger consumers, ranging from Spiced Coke to last summers Sprite Chill and the ever-popular seasonal rerelease Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry. Most recently, the company introduced Orange Cream Coke, citing growing demand among millennials and Gen Z-ers for fun, unexpected tastes and sensory experiences as the inspiration behind the nostalgic flavor. [Photo: Coca-Cola] Unlike these other flavor plays from the company, Sprite + Tea might already be familiar to many fans. Thats because before it became an official product, the soda started as an idea floated by Coca-Cola interns that later became a viral DIY TikTok trend. TikTok saw it first In an interview with Ad Age, Coca-Cola Co. senior creative director A.P. Chaney explained that Sprite + Tea first landed on executives radars back in 2019, when a group of interns pitched a combination of the two beverages. It was an R&D project, and interns were asked to come up with different innovations and marketing ideas for different brands, and Sprite + Tea was an ideation of that, Chaney told Ad Age. From there, the idea seems to have sat on the back burner until summer 2023, when a DIY Sprite tea started popping up on TikTok. In an initial TikTok by Malaysian chef Hisham Raus, Raus is shown steeping Lipton tea bags in a regular bottle of Sprite and enjoying the concoction with a slice of lemon. The video, which has since racked up 19.8 million views and 1.3 million likes, has spawned dozens of copycat videos across platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Food influencer @shophocho7798 re-created the concept in a YouTube video with 3.7 million views, calling the result literally a carbonated Arnold Palmer. In another YouTube short with 8.3 million views, creator Jordan Howlett declared the hack delicious and encouraged his 4.4 million subscribers to give it a try. When [the trend] blew up on TikTok with millions of views, it was a gut check that we were on the right track, Chaney said in the companys press release. While its unlikely that Coca-Cola is actually using the tea bag hack to mass-produce Sprite + Tea, the release does note that Coca-Colas North American R&D team completed several rounds of consumer testing to fine-tune the formula for the amber-colored sparkling beverage. For Coca-Cola, Sprite seems to be a reliable base for flavor remixes: In 2024, the limited-time Sprite Chill became the companys best-selling drink innovation, and Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry has returned several times as a holiday fan favorite since 2013. Meanwhile, the recent Spiced Coke experiment was phased out after just six months when it failed to land with customers. TikTok is already flooded with videos of fans trying Sprite + Tea, with some reviews commending the drinks strong tea flavor,” while others recommend that viewers stick with the DIY version.
Category:
E-Commerce
A few years ago, a sales executive I worked with found himself in a difficult position. His company was under review for a potential buyout, and his director asked him to present a version of the companys story that, while technically true, left out critical details. The omission would make the company look healthier than it was, protecting its valuation and the leadership teams positions post-acquisition. He knew this wasnt an outright lie, but it didnt feel honest either. Was this just strategic messaging or something more ethically concerning? And how could he navigate this without jeopardizing his reputation or future at the company? A third path He chose a third path. Instead of outright refusal, which might have been career-limiting, he started by asking clarifying questions. What was the real outcome that the leadership team wanted? Was there a way to tell a fuller, more balanced story that acknowledged challenges while highlighting future opportunities? In the end, he was able to get leadership buy-in to reframe the story to focus on how the company had learned from its struggles and was taking steps to improve. It wasnt a spin. It was honest, forward-looking, and hopeful. The CEO praised the approach, and the executive maintained his integrity without derailing his career. The Institute of Business Ethics found in a study that one in three employees felt pressured to compromise the businesss ethical standards. Many comply out of fearworried theyll face retaliation, be labeled difficult, or lose opportunities. But there are ways to push back without risking your career. UNDERSTAND BEFORE OBJECTING When confronted with a questionable request, most people respond in one of two ways: They comply out of fear or they push back immediately, putting their job security at risk. Theres a better first step: Push to understand. Not all uncomfortable requests are unethical. Some are simply poorly communicated or misaligned with your values. Clarify: Start by seeking to fully understand the request. You may find the issue is one of discomfort rather than unethical intent. Question: Explore the outcomes they want and whether the request achieves those goals in the best way. Asking thoughtful questions often makes leaders rethink their approach on their own. Redirect: If appropriate, propose a solution that meets the same business objectives without compromising integrity. For example, rather than omitting challenges, highlight how those challenges spurred innovation or improved future outcomes. These conversations can reveal that the person making the request is open to alternatives, they just hadnt thought of them yet. UNETHICAL VERSUS ILLEGAL If youve clarified, questioned, and still feel uncomfortable, its important to assess whether the request is merely unethical or actually illegal. That distinction determines your next move. If the request is illegal, you will want to tread carefully. If you feel psychologically safe, it can be helpful to start communicating via email to keep a digital trail (although it is possible that your manager will cover their trail by refusing to engage on email). Further, if your company has an HR department, you can share the request with them along with expressing your discomfort. One friend who works in compliance found himself in this exact situation. His manager asked him to manipulate data, a clear violation of regulations. He responded by email, explicitly stating why the request was illegal and citing the relevant regulatory code. He was never asked to do it again. Sometimes, simply stating the facts is the most powerful shield you have. However, if the request is unethical but not necessarily illegal, your next move should be a personal decision that minimizes future regret. REGRET MINIMIZATION FRAMEWORK If youre facing this kind of dilemma, its already a bad situation. Theres no playbook that guarantees success or protection. Sometimes, doing everything right still results in backlash or career limitations. This is why I recommend applying whats called the regret minimization framework. Ask yourself: If I look back on this 10 years from now, will I regret how I handled it? This is the core of the regret minimization framework, a decision-making tool made famous by Jeff Bezos. It doesnt promise a perfect outcome. But it helps you act in a way that minimizes long-term regret, even if it leads to short-term discomfort. When you apply this framework, youre not just considering whether youll keep your job next month. Youre asking which version of yourselftodays self or your future selfyou want to protect more. Do you want to be someone who went along to keep the peace? Or someone who held the line when it mattered? This doesnt mean you have to become a whistleblower or burn bridges. It simply means choosing the actions that leave you at peace with yourself, knowing you did what you could with the power and information you had at the time.
Category:
E-Commerce
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