Our goal is to make the Pepsi-Cola system a lot more competitive and a lot more responsive to our customers, ... This new structure will move us closer to that goal by taking greater advantage of our excellent leaders and creating units that will be sharply focused on their respective businesses.

If you look at who gets a competitive advantage -- companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Gillette -- the big global companies certainly are positioned very well to not have an impact from this interest rate increase. Primarily overseas is their growth market so any slowing here won't affect them.

The point is that you want to have a system that is responsive.

In really good companies, you have to lead. You have to come up with big ideas and express them forcefully. I have always been encouraged -- or sometimes forced -- to confront the very natural fear of being wrong. I was constantly pushed to find out what I really thought and then to speak up. Over time, I came to see that waiting to discover which way the wind was blowing is an excellent way to learn how to be a follower.

The soft stuff is always harder than the hard stuff.

that are our strength and heritage.