商业团队6大样板盘点

    Noodles & Co.利用冲突来提高高管们的进取心。

    餐饮连锁公司Noodles & Co的CEO凯文•雷迪爱用“激将法”，因此2009年他把丹•福格蒂招进公司做营销总监。福格蒂与公司总裁基思•金赛多年前在奇波多墨西哥连锁快餐公司（Chipotle Mexican Grill）共事时就是出了名的不合。

    这两个人在个性、技能和风格上都截然相反。金赛是会计出身，做事按部就班，每天都吃同样的午餐。他同时也是个实用主义者，每个点子都得先考虑财务和后勤的可能性。而福格蒂是搞广告的出身，对于他来说，世上没有疯狂的点子。不管是吃正餐、喝威士忌还是旅游，他都讨厌一成不变，喜欢多姿多彩。毫不奇怪，雷迪经常得居中调停这两个人的矛盾，不过这两人终于在一次共同访问旗下门店的路上言归于好了。福格蒂说：“就像两口子接受了婚姻治疗一样，现在我们明白了共同的目标。”

    雷迪认为，高管们互相挑战对方，才会产生最好的点子，而不是为对方的点子摇旗呐喊。他戏称：“哪怕见点血也无妨，只要是轻伤。”从Noodles & Co公司的业绩上看，在过去32个季度里，同店销售额有31个季度都是增长。因此，雷迪显然能接受一些口舌之争。

    Noodles & Co. uses conflict to spice up the C-suite.

    Kevin Reddy craves a good debate. So in 2009 the CEO of restaurant chain Noodles & Co. (NDLS) hired Dan Fogarty as chief marketing officer -- even though Fogarty famously clashed with Noodles president Keith Kinsey when the two worked together years earlier at Chipotle Mexican Grill.

    The two were opposite in personality, skill, and style. Kinsey, a former accountant, is predictable; he eats the same lunch every day. He's also pragmatic, grounding every idea in financial and logistical reality. Fogarty, meanwhile, grew up in advertising. For him, no idea is too crazy. He loathes routine and seeks out variety, whether it's in fine dining, Scotch, or travel. Not surprisingly, Reddy had to referee many heated debates between his lieutenants, who ultimately achieved détente on a road trip visiting the company's restaurants. "It was kind of like couples therapy," says Fogarty. "Now we understand the common goal."

    Reddy believes that executives who challenge one another -- rather than validating each others' ideas -- produce the best thinking. "I don't mind if it gets a little bloody as long as it's merely a flesh wound," he jokes. Given Noodles & Co.'s performance -- same-store sales have grown in 31 of the past 32 quarters -- Reddy can accept the squabbling. --J.A.