Leading the High Energy Culture: What the Best CEOs Do to Create an Atmosphere Where Employees Flourish

CHAPTER 7

Crack the Code to Your “Secret Sauce”

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.

—ALBERT EINSTEIN, THEORETICALPHYSICIST AND NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

In 1866, John Pemberton created “Merchandise X,” the secret formula for Coca-Cola. Decades later, company president Robert W. Woodruff astutely built a publicity, marketing, and intellectual property strategy around that closely guarded recipe.

And so it remains, apparently.

If you go to Wikipedia, you’ll see four purported recipes for the fabled beverage. All include the processed coca leaves—which also can be a source of cocaine—but the company refuses to comment on whether coca leaves are still used to make its drinks. The ...