Bali Padda is the operations maverick behind LEGO's remarkable transformation from a business basket-case, struggling to deliver on its orders, into the biggest and most profitable toy company in the world.
As Chief Operations Officer at LEGO, Bali overhauled the company by shaking up its operations and instilling essential business fundamentals. He resolved issues across the supply chain and forged close partnerships between functions. He cut unpopular product lines and diverted the company's attention to hero items. He developed a relentless focus on customer service - of delivering what was promised - and he instituted weekly performance briefings known as the Visual Factory, which ultimately spread throughout the whole organization and transformed culture and performance. LEGO became the largest toy manufacturer in the world, and Bali was honoured with becoming the company's first non-Danish CEO in 2017.
In Deliver What You Promise, Bali distils his methodology at LEGO into ten essential, fundamental lessons. From how to reduce complexity to why prize reliability over agility. Why a business should be treating like a living organism and how to bring everyone together under a shared sense of purpose. On when to use soft and hard managerial skills and the hidden risks of success.
Illustrated by insider stories from LEGO, these are enduring principles that both young starters and established leaders alike need to know and can implement straight away, to deliver on what is promised. As Chief Operations Officer at LEGO from 2005, and in earlier operational roles from 2003, Bali Padda played a decisive role in the recovery and growth of this iconic toy firm. Bali and his colleagues executed a remarkable turnaround, from a near-terminal crisis to a return to profit within 18 months. In 2016, Bali was asked to step in as CEO of the LEGO Group while a search for a new CEO was initiated, becoming the company's first non-Danish CEO.
Currently, Bali Padda is a highly sought-after business adviser and independent consultant. Essential business lessons from the operations maverick who helped make LEGO the biggest toy brand in the world. An unprecedented insight into the inner workings of LEGO - one of the best-loved brands in the world As long-standing COO, Bali was the main figure in a core group of maverick senior executives who turned LEGO around from bankruptcy to behemoth He was responsible for overhauling the entire supply chain right up to delivery, and he was rewarded with being made the first non-Danish CEO in an interim capacity Reveals Bali's amazing immigrant story: learning about supply from working in his family store and reading business books between working shifts as a taxi driver Full of timeless, insightful and essential business strategy with great stories ... Bali knows how to keep a successful company firing Every day I think about how Bali would do things. My company is 100% run in the Bali Padda style Bali Padda's mind and writing shed light on some of the most complex challenges faced by organizations. There are two kinds of leaders: those who ask for clarity, and those who bring clarity. In today's uncertain, volatile and complex world we need more of the latter. Bali Padda stands out in this rare category. An amazing book about how mastering the supply chain became a fundamental pillar to save LEGO and to make it a formidable company. It is probably the most needed book today for companies facing unprecedented supply chain disruptions.
