How Do We Go from Good to Remarkable? What I Learned from a Coca-Cola Executive About Leadership
When I delivered a keynote titled “How Do We Go from Good to Remarkable?”, I didn’t just want to throw around abstract ideas about innovation and disruption. I wanted to bring something real — something that challenged me.
So I told the story of my visit to Coca-Cola’s global headquarters in Atlanta. I was invited to speak to their global team about the disruptions shaking up the beverage industry. What followed was a lesson in leadership that I still carry with me — and that I now share with others on their own journey from good to remarkable.
The Most Blasphemous Slide of My Career
During the Coca-Cola presentation, I showed the team an image of Prime — the drink launched by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI. Kids were drinking it everywhere, and it was eating into traditional market share. I put up a massive Prime flag — basically the competitor’s banner — in the middle of Coca-Cola’s house.
It was like putting a Kim Kardashian poster in Taylor Swift’s living room.
After the session, I was waiting for an Uber when one of Coca-Cola’s veteran executives came up to me. I asked, “Hey, was it okay that I threw that Prime flag up in the middle of the meeting?”
He smiled and said:
“Shawn, we didn’t even blink. We’ve seen thousands of competitors. Some take market share. Most don’t.”
He even mentioned one I’d never heard of — Hubba Bubba soda from 1979. That was a real product. It even had a diet version. I later found an old ad with a kid reviewing it. Classic.
But this conversation was about more than just nostalgia.
“Do You Drink Coke?”
The exec turned to me and asked, “Do you drink Coke?”
Now, I knew this was a loaded question. So I crafted a PR-safe answer:
“I don’t drink Coke, but my wife does. We love Minute Maid — part of your family.”
That’s the good-news–bad-news–good-news sandwich.
But he just laughed and said:
“We already knew that. We see the data.”
Coca-Cola is, at its core, a data and AI company now. But then he said something that caught me completely off guard:
“Shawn, our biggest disruptor isn’t Prime. It’s not a startup. It’s not even AI.
Our biggest disruptor… is good leadership.”
The Real Disruption Isn’t External — It’s Internal
He explained that Coca-Cola has all the tools:
Advanced AI
World-class data
Incredible marketing engines
Resources most companies could only dream of
And yet — something was missing.
“We used to be the best marketing company in the world,” he said.
“Now we’re asking ourselves: how do we become remarkable again?”
That hit me hard. Because here’s a company with everything — and yet they were humble enough to admit they needed to unlearn, to rethink, and to rediscover their magic.
The Leadership Lesson That Changed How I Think
In that moment, I realized this:
Good leaders optimize the past. Remarkable leaders imagine the future.
It’s not enough to be efficient. It’s not enough to have data.
If we want to be truly remarkable, we have to:
Question what got us here
Be willing to disrupt ourselves
Step back from the dashboard and lead with imagination
That’s the core of the message I now share in every keynote.
That day at Coca-Cola didn’t just inform my thinking — it transformed it.
Final Thoughts: From Good to Remarkable Starts with Leadership
You can have the best tech, the smartest teams, the deepest data.
But if you don’t have leaders who are willing to step into uncertainty, challenge the status quo, and reimagine the future — you’ll stay good. You won’t be remarkable.
So the next time you look at your own organization, ask yourself:
Are we optimizing the past or imagining the future?
Are we playing it safe with what works, or are we brave enough to question it?
Are we waiting to be disrupted — or choosing to disrupt ourselves?
About the Author:
Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized disruption strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations adapt to change and leverage disruptive thinking. Named one of the "Best New Speakers" by the National Speakers Bureau, Shawn has spoken at some of the world's most innovative organizations, including IBM, Walmart, and 3M. His expertise in digital disruption strategies helps leaders navigate transformation and build resilience in an increasingly uncertain business environment.