Leave Everything Better Than You Found It: Interview with PepsiCo Executive Shay Hobby

I recently went one-on-one with Shay Hobby, SVP Commercial, West Division at PepsiCo Beverages North America.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Shay: I am proud to say I started my career at PepsiCo as a frontline sales rep almost 20 years ago. From there, I have broadened my experiences and leadership through a series of frontline leader roles that led to customer-facing positions and then ultimately into wider, more senior-level, strategic and operations positions. 

I joined PepsiCo after graduating from Washington State University, where I majored in Business, but I was also a busy student-athlete, playing Division I soccer. Sports have always been a big part of my life, teaching me the importance of showing up, working hard, and staying focused. Competing in a high-performance environment taught me the values of teamwork, hard work, and perseverance, which I have carried over to my professional career. In twenty years, I have never missed a day of work, and I believe consistency and reliability are key to success and building strong relationships and businesses. 

Throughout my career, I have faced numerous challenges, but I have never let them define me and have always approached them with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and grow. For example, when I was assigned to call on an important customer for our company, I initially had a gap in my skills and knowledge. However, by asking questions, listening, and treating people well, I was able to improve and build strong relationships inside PepsiCo and with the client.  

I’ve also had an opportunity to pursue several roles that required moving to different parts of the U.S., including to Phoenix where I am based now. During those twenty years, I moved nine times. Throughout my career, I have learned from and worked for a wide range of impactful leaders at PepsiCo all over the country who are legends in the CPG industry. I greatly appreciate those opportunities and strive to have a similar impact with my leadership. Personally, moving has been hard, but I’ve remained committed to what I value most. Even with the long distance, I always make sure to keep in close contact with my friends and family -- and I am proud to say that I have never missed a wedding or big event. I have made keeping in touch a priority in my life. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?  

Shay: The key to growing any CPG business is to 1) know your consumer cold, and 2) build plans with your retailers/business partners to get those consumers excited about your product.  

Being in the non-alcoholic beverage business, I like to remind my teammates that “people wake up thirsty every day.” – the demand is there, it’s ours to go capture. The point is to keep focused on who you’re trying to serve as a company, listening and understanding how people, culture, and society change over time, and finding new ways to show up and delight consumers. A business can only scale as far as it stays relevant and in tune with its customers, and this idea is so important to keep in mind when scaling the business.  

That said, putting that into a process can be quite a daunting challenge and very complex. We are fortunate to have over a century of refining our business processes to understand how to grow and scale.  

Beyond internal processes, it also takes a more fundamental commitment that we think of as the “three ‘C’s.” If your product is attractive to the consumer and your customer partnership is working, the final “C” to accelerate your business is to show up in the community. That means engaging with people in authentic ways where they are in their neighborhoods. It is not an easy task for an organization as big as ours, and it takes every individual at the company to focus on building meaningful interpersonal relationships to get there. 

When you are keeping your customer front and center, refining your processes for reaching customers, and authentically engaging with the community, there’s a high ceiling to what any business or organization can accomplish in terms of scale. It sounds easy in practice, but it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to get there.  

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? 

Shay: I believe leadership is earned; not granted with a title. I define leadership in terms of personal character and the passion, drive, and commitment to challenge their team towards successful outcomes. For me, it starts with consistency and treating people with respect and integrity. You must model the behaviors you expect from your team – folks can smell a faker – and you can never ask someone to do what you are not willing to do yourself. 

I also believe it’s important to recognize that there are many different approaches to leadership. The DISC assessment, for instance, is good about breaking down and helping you find your leadership style. For me, it helped me lean in and start to realize and define myself as a consistent and coordinated leader, compared to others who may favor dominance or influence.  

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Shay: Leaders can start by taking joy in accomplishing a big goal as a team. It truly takes a team, united and motivated around a single vision, to accomplish a big task. 

But for leaders to take their skills to the next level – at least from my perspective and the way that makes sense for who I am – it is important to adopt a “coaching” mindset. The role of the coach is well-known in sports. Growing up playing sports, my past coaches were always there, setting a clear vision for the team and helping individuals play their roles and push themselves to compete at a higher level. Now that I’ve gotten past my playing days and into a more senior role at the organization, I focus on building out my coaching skills, coordinating the team, finding the north star, and keeping positive, while staying focused and motivated on accomplishing our shared goals.   

Creating a culture of feedback and continuous improvement is also important. Encouraging open communication and being receptive to feedback helps leaders refine their approach and support their team’s development. By focusing on these areas, leaders can inspire their teams and drive success, as I have experienced at PepsiCo through treating people well, building strong relationships, and staying committed to personal and professional growth. 

Underlying all of this is a sense of commitment – not just to the team and to the goal, but to the broader community as well. As people wake up thirsty every day, it’s crucial for you as a leader to wake up motivated to serve your team as well. That kind of ethic and culture takes us forward, and consistent and sustainable progress is what fills my cup up to keep striving for more. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?  

Shay: I think the first thing you must do is to start embracing continuous learning and adaptability. This means you must stay updated on industry trends, seek professional development opportunities, and be open to new ideas. All of this is essential for navigating challenges and seizing opportunities effectively. The ability to adapt to change and remain flexible in your approach will help you stay ahead in a fast-paced world. 

Secondly, leaders sometimes overlook that building strong relationships and fostering collaboration are fundamentals to success. Treating people well, listening actively, and showing genuine interest in their perspectives can create a network of trusted mentors, peers, and team members who provide valuable support and diverse insights. This encourages open communication and creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute can significantly enhance team cohesion and effectiveness. 

Thirdly, it all culminates under leading with a vision and a purpose – both of which are essential for inspiring and guiding your team. Set long-term goals, communicate your vision effectively, and align your team’s efforts with the broader mission to drive success and create a positive impact. This will empower your team by creating a shared sense of responsibility and providing growth opportunities and a sense of ownership and accountability. Of course, do not forget to recognize and celebrate achievements, which boosts morale and motivation while helping to build a legacy of positive leadership. 

There are a lot more than just three tips to bear in mind, but I think continuous learning, a focus on relationships, and a clear vision will help anyone looking to elevate their leadership skills and drive meaningful change in their organizations and communities. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams? 

Shay: Establishing trust is essential. Over the years, I have emphasized the importance of this and have made it my mission to build trust with teams as fast as possible. If people trust you, that cultivates honesty and open dialogue with how people truly feel. This allows me to better understand what the best decisions to make are and what’s the most efficient way to lead.  

An effective way to build the speed of trust is to recognize a teammate’s strength publicly. Tell your teams’ stories, brag about their impact, and highlighting their efforts and outcomes. They are due the recognition and verbalizing it outward inspires trust.  

Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing, and branding? 

Shay: I think it is so important to understand the needs of your customers. How you fulfill those needs is up to you and what you believe works for your business. What are the pain points? What are customers motivated by? This is where the strategy comes in. 

Strategy should vary from business to business and be specialized to industry of course, but execute a vision based on how you answer those questions. Build relationships internally to best work as a unit and, of course, externally which will establish brand loyalty as you have gained that trust from customers that will continue to support your brand.  

Finally, consistency is key. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change methodology and practices. But once you find what works keep delivering on that as you grow your brand. When your business is in a steady place, don’t be afraid to also experiment and try new things as your good business can always have room for growth and be better. This can also be a way to expand your audience too, which is key for growth.  

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Shay: The number one best piece of advice I have ever received is to “leave everything better than you found it.” To me, that is such a simple piece of advice, but when you put it in practice and commit to making every interaction, every sales call, or community engagement better than it was before, net-net, you create truly positive outcomes for people and your communities.  

This principle carries over to many parts of the business, whether that’s being a mentor to people -- helping individuals become better at what they do – or helping our customer’s businesses better serve consumers in every community.  Conversely, I’d say that in my tenure with PepsiCo, the organization has also helped encourage and develop my skills into better serve our customers and drive positive outcomes.  

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Shay: Prior to me taking a big job for my new boss at the time in Southern California, I’ll never forget a phone call I had with him. “Welcome to the big leagues, Shay – we’re going to have some fun!” I believe “fun” isn’t valued enough by leaders who are running businesses. I have been with PepsiCo for twenty years because it is a fun company to work for. We have a fast-paced culture, we work hard, we have high standards, and push each other outside our comfort zone, but underlying all of that is a fun, appreciative culture. Our PepsiCo teammates are like family, and we care about each other. We should always be asking ourselves as leaders: are we creating a fun culture for our employees? 


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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