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The 3G Way: Dream, People, and Culture
The 3G Way is an introduction to the management style developed by three Brazilian entrepreneurs who took over some of the main icons of American capitalism: Anheuser Busch, Heinz and Burger King.
210 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2014
111 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
Francisco S. Homem De Mello
10 books6 followersFrancisco Souza Homem de Mello was born in Brazil, and is the founder and CEO of Qulture.Rocks, a technology company on a mission to help all companies have cultures that rock, abd that serves startups, middle-market companies, and Fortune 500 corporations (http://qulture.rocks). The company has also been part of Y-Combinator's W18 batch, and now ranks among other YC alumni such as Twitch, Stripe, Heroku and Dropbox.
At Qulture.Rocks, Francisco writes extensively about performance management and leadership, which make up the powerful intersection between performance reviews, ongoing, continuous feedback, goals and OKRs and one-on-one meetings.
The 3G Way, Francisco's most well known book, was the product of many years of intense study and thinking about some of the world's most intense and successful corporate cultures. He studied GE, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and finally, Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company that is the result of several mergers and acquisitions by Brazil-based Cervejaria Brahma. Brahma was first acquired by partners of Banco Garantia, a Brazilian investment bank where the current owners of AB InBev, Burger King, and Heinz, started out their careers. AB InBev served as the inspiration for The 3G Way, where the author introduces the management style and techniques that evolved from Garantia and took its creators to the forefront of world capitalism. The book is on its second, revised edition, and has sold more than 50 thousand copies worldwide, making Francisco one of the top 200 authors in business and management worldwide.
Francisco is also a triathlete, with multiple Ironman, Ironman 70.3 and olympic-distance finishes. He lives in San Francisco and São Paulo, with his wife, Danielle, and dogs, Eureka and Eugenia.
At Qulture.Rocks, Francisco writes extensively about performance management and leadership, which make up the powerful intersection between performance reviews, ongoing, continuous feedback, goals and OKRs and one-on-one meetings.
The 3G Way, Francisco's most well known book, was the product of many years of intense study and thinking about some of the world's most intense and successful corporate cultures. He studied GE, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and finally, Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company that is the result of several mergers and acquisitions by Brazil-based Cervejaria Brahma. Brahma was first acquired by partners of Banco Garantia, a Brazilian investment bank where the current owners of AB InBev, Burger King, and Heinz, started out their careers. AB InBev served as the inspiration for The 3G Way, where the author introduces the management style and techniques that evolved from Garantia and took its creators to the forefront of world capitalism. The book is on its second, revised edition, and has sold more than 50 thousand copies worldwide, making Francisco one of the top 200 authors in business and management worldwide.
Francisco is also a triathlete, with multiple Ironman, Ironman 70.3 and olympic-distance finishes. He lives in San Francisco and São Paulo, with his wife, Danielle, and dogs, Eureka and Eugenia.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 13, 2016
If you want to dive deeper on the management style of the 3G guys - instead of just hearing random stories about them such as in the Dream Big/Sonho Grande book - The 3G Way should be among your best choices to start, especially in terms of effectiveness (read: content per page). The book is less than 200 pages long, with double spacing between lines, and can be read in an hour and a half.
For various reasons I was already well-acquainted with the theme and can easily say that the author managed to deliver all that was important in a very organized manner. It's not for no reason that Jorge Paulo Lemann himself has been handling copies of this to friends.
The negative side is that, as an amateur project, the book has a lot of avoidable blunders, such as typos, English mistakes (the author is Brazilian), paragraphs that are repeated in subsequent pages, charts that are still in Portuguese, among others I might have forgotten.
Still, this doesn't detract from the nice job the author has done, and you shouldn't leave this unread because of it too.
For various reasons I was already well-acquainted with the theme and can easily say that the author managed to deliver all that was important in a very organized manner. It's not for no reason that Jorge Paulo Lemann himself has been handling copies of this to friends.
The negative side is that, as an amateur project, the book has a lot of avoidable blunders, such as typos, English mistakes (the author is Brazilian), paragraphs that are repeated in subsequent pages, charts that are still in Portuguese, among others I might have forgotten.
Still, this doesn't detract from the nice job the author has done, and you shouldn't leave this unread because of it too.
January 8, 2020
O livro é muito bom em especial para pessoas em cargos liderança . O autor desde o início se propõe a ser sucinto e direto nos apontamos acerca do grupo 3g.
Como brasileiro é motivador ver como uma empresa brasileira conseguiu chegar tão longe, mas o que se destacou no livro é a visão aprofundada de práticas e frameworks de gestão utilizados pelas empresas do grupo 3g.
Como brasileiro é motivador ver como uma empresa brasileira conseguiu chegar tão longe, mas o que se destacou no livro é a visão aprofundada de práticas e frameworks de gestão utilizados pelas empresas do grupo 3g.
February 22, 2017
The masters of zero-based budgeting
http://www.bain.com/publications/arti...
Videos
http://www.the3gway.com/videos/
Simple formula: Dream, People, Culture
Dream: BHAG, PDCA, Gap analysis: 5 Whys? Fishbone analysis
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek...
People:
*Hiring and retaining the best
*Meritocracy (results, team work & cultural fit); up or out; compensate top performers disproportionately (bonus pool = x%EVA where EVA = NOPAT - IC*WACC)
*Informality; non-hierarchical flat organization; open plan office; casual dress code (Silicon Valley); simplicity
*Growth & training
Culture:
*Ownership mindset
*Employee stock ownership plan w/ skin in the game not just stock options
*Accountability
*Benchmarking
*Focus: underspend on non-strategic costs in order to over-spend on strategic ones
*Efficiency, TQM, 6 sigma, lean manufacturing, zero-based budgeting
Garantia's 18 commandments:
1. A big and challenging dream makes everyone row in the same direction ("Dream Big")
2. A company's biggest asset is good people working as a team, growing in proportion to their talent, and being recognised for that. Employee compensation has to be aligned with shareholders' interest.
3. Profits are what attracts investors, people, and opportunities, and keep the wheels spinning.
4. Focus is of the essence. It's impossible to be excellent in everything, so concentrate on the few things that really matter.
5. Everything has to have an owner with authority and accountability. Debate is good, but in the end, someone has to decide.
6. Common sense is as good as fancy concepts. Simple is better than complicated.
7. Transparency and information flow ease decision making and minimise conflicts.
8. Hiring people who are better than yourself, training them, challenging them, and retaining them is the main attribution of a manager.
9. Leading through example is vital, in both heroic gestures and the simple actions of the company's day-to-day.
10. Luck is always a function of sweat. Work hard, but with joy.
11. Things happen in the business' operations and in the market. You have to pound the pavement.
12.Being paranoid about costs and expenses - the only variables under our control - helps ensure long-term survival.
13. Constant discontent, a sense of urgency, and zero complacency help ensure a sustainable competitive advantage.
14. Innovations that add value are useful, but copying practices that already work is usually easier.
15. Corporate and personal discretion are helpful. Showing off is only allowed when done with concrete objectives.
16. Constant training and improvement have to be ongoing efforts and should permeate our routine.
17. Name, reputation, and brands are precious assets that take decades to build and days to destroy.
18. Trickery and cheating can rot a company from the inside. Ethics pay off in the long run.
AB InBev 10 principles
http://www.ab-inbev.com/our-story/our...
http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/u...
Goldman Sachs' Business Principles
http://www.goldmansachs.com/who-we-ar...
http://www.goldmansachs.com/investor-...
Toyota Way's 14 Principles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toy...
Buy, squeeze, repeat
http://fortune.com/kraft-heinz-merger...
Burger King deal - $12.5b in profits and counting
http://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinega...
http://www.bain.com/publications/arti...
Videos
http://www.the3gway.com/videos/
Simple formula: Dream, People, Culture
Dream: BHAG, PDCA, Gap analysis: 5 Whys? Fishbone analysis
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek...
People:
*Hiring and retaining the best
*Meritocracy (results, team work & cultural fit); up or out; compensate top performers disproportionately (bonus pool = x%EVA where EVA = NOPAT - IC*WACC)
*Informality; non-hierarchical flat organization; open plan office; casual dress code (Silicon Valley); simplicity
*Growth & training
Culture:
*Ownership mindset
*Employee stock ownership plan w/ skin in the game not just stock options
*Accountability
*Benchmarking
*Focus: underspend on non-strategic costs in order to over-spend on strategic ones
*Efficiency, TQM, 6 sigma, lean manufacturing, zero-based budgeting
Garantia's 18 commandments:
1. A big and challenging dream makes everyone row in the same direction ("Dream Big")
2. A company's biggest asset is good people working as a team, growing in proportion to their talent, and being recognised for that. Employee compensation has to be aligned with shareholders' interest.
3. Profits are what attracts investors, people, and opportunities, and keep the wheels spinning.
4. Focus is of the essence. It's impossible to be excellent in everything, so concentrate on the few things that really matter.
5. Everything has to have an owner with authority and accountability. Debate is good, but in the end, someone has to decide.
6. Common sense is as good as fancy concepts. Simple is better than complicated.
7. Transparency and information flow ease decision making and minimise conflicts.
8. Hiring people who are better than yourself, training them, challenging them, and retaining them is the main attribution of a manager.
9. Leading through example is vital, in both heroic gestures and the simple actions of the company's day-to-day.
10. Luck is always a function of sweat. Work hard, but with joy.
11. Things happen in the business' operations and in the market. You have to pound the pavement.
12.Being paranoid about costs and expenses - the only variables under our control - helps ensure long-term survival.
13. Constant discontent, a sense of urgency, and zero complacency help ensure a sustainable competitive advantage.
14. Innovations that add value are useful, but copying practices that already work is usually easier.
15. Corporate and personal discretion are helpful. Showing off is only allowed when done with concrete objectives.
16. Constant training and improvement have to be ongoing efforts and should permeate our routine.
17. Name, reputation, and brands are precious assets that take decades to build and days to destroy.
18. Trickery and cheating can rot a company from the inside. Ethics pay off in the long run.
AB InBev 10 principles
http://www.ab-inbev.com/our-story/our...
http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/u...
Goldman Sachs' Business Principles
http://www.goldmansachs.com/who-we-ar...
http://www.goldmansachs.com/investor-...
Toyota Way's 14 Principles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toy...
Buy, squeeze, repeat
http://fortune.com/kraft-heinz-merger...
Burger King deal - $12.5b in profits and counting
http://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinega...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2015
If you need a simple and fast way to understand the most important traits of 3G culture and management style, read this book. Good to complement with "Dream Big", the book that tells the history of the three partners of 3G.
December 27, 2017
i have personally worked in 3G culture and hence wanted to understand whether this book states and shares similar insides however found it very different from reality.
Undoubtedly there are many great business management idead and methodologies, which again are not alien to 3G world however the culture that crops post cost cutting and not actually paying high performers as per commitment can be seen as very normal in such setups. I have personally felt that such culture of internal competition leads to blame games and not sp good working atmosphere when all teams are not realising that they are one , aiming to reach at same goal differently.
Hence this books is only thworetical good however challenges are not highlighted and addressed in right manner.
Undoubtedly there are many great business management idead and methodologies, which again are not alien to 3G world however the culture that crops post cost cutting and not actually paying high performers as per commitment can be seen as very normal in such setups. I have personally felt that such culture of internal competition leads to blame games and not sp good working atmosphere when all teams are not realising that they are one , aiming to reach at same goal differently.
Hence this books is only thworetical good however challenges are not highlighted and addressed in right manner.
Read
August 4, 2018“Innovations that add value are useful, but copying practices that already work is usually easier.”
“Profits are what attracts investors, people, and opportunities, and keep the wheel spinning.”
“Focus is of the essence. It’s impossible to be excellent in everything, so concentrate on the few things that really matter.”
“Common sense is as good as fancy concepts. Simple is better than complicated.”
“Trickery and cheating can rot the company from the inside. Ethics pay off in the long run.”
“Profits are what attracts investors, people, and opportunities, and keep the wheel spinning.”
“Focus is of the essence. It’s impossible to be excellent in everything, so concentrate on the few things that really matter.”
“Common sense is as good as fancy concepts. Simple is better than complicated.”
“Trickery and cheating can rot the company from the inside. Ethics pay off in the long run.”
July 28, 2017
Interesting though basic
I nave read the book with interest and it serves as a good introduction to the 3G management method.
However, I found the book to be poorly researched and very superficial. The author's introduction to the book seems aptly apologetic in this regard as he unashamedly admit to have aimed for completion rather than perfection (and he definitely aimed his aim).
I nave read the book with interest and it serves as a good introduction to the 3G management method.
However, I found the book to be poorly researched and very superficial. The author's introduction to the book seems aptly apologetic in this regard as he unashamedly admit to have aimed for completion rather than perfection (and he definitely aimed his aim).
May 30, 2021
Quick, easy read that gives an overview of business concepts that could be easily implemented in my/many businesses. I liked the large type and examples. Could be better edited to reduce some of the redundancy and spelling/grammatical errors.
November 2, 2017
Great!
Easy to read and full of good advice from the famous trio and Falconi. Recommended for those who want to implement a results driven culture.
Easy to read and full of good advice from the famous trio and Falconi. Recommended for those who want to implement a results driven culture.
November 19, 2017
Amazing read. Francisco summarized the 3G management philosophy in plain, simple terms, as it should be. Don’t listen to the haters: it takes amazing effort to write short and sweet as this is.
April 12, 2018
Great piece!
This small gem captures a lot of the mindset of the biggest brazilian management case study. If you like it, check out “sonho grande” as well.
This small gem captures a lot of the mindset of the biggest brazilian management case study. If you like it, check out “sonho grande” as well.
July 15, 2018
Brilliant
Loved that this book was short and sweet with all the information required. Every words had meaning and the “fluffing” was non existent.
Loved that this book was short and sweet with all the information required. Every words had meaning and the “fluffing” was non existent.
November 4, 2018
That samizdat is in dire need of proper editing. Countless white pages, typos, and double spacing distract from the otherwise interesting story.
June 4, 2021
Repeated material, so longer than it could have been.
There’s more content out there, so shorter than it should have been.
Covers most bases, but in no depth.
There’s more content out there, so shorter than it should have been.
Covers most bases, but in no depth.
November 29, 2023
As soon as the author expressed disdain for fluffy business books, I knew I was going to like this. It’s super succinct and can be read in a sitting - almost like a manual.
May 12, 2018
A concise and plain introduction to the 3G’s no-nonsense management style, in which meritocracy is the key to success.
March 18, 2017
This is horrible. I read this in under an hour.
Save the money and do a google search.
Save the money and do a google search.
February 25, 2017
Terrible. Waste of time, effort and energy . Rather watch Carlos Brito's talks on YouTube.
December 30, 2016
Simple but useful book as there is a lack of quality content on 3G founders and their story.
November 21, 2021
An easy light read. Hard to disagree with the lessons, principles, and strategies written in this book. I don’t know about touting Burger King as a positive though, that fast food chain has declined so much over the years. I don’t know if 3G contributed to its decline but they definitely did not make it better. One of the principles towards the end of the book is the customer is the boss and looking at the numerous Burger King locations that closed in my area over the last few years, I could not agree more.
December 29, 2015
Strongly recommend for any business person. Great essence of principles and commandments of brazilian entrepreneurs (known as "Trio" - founders of 3G Capital) who led their $60m private equity investments in Brahma (Rio de Janeiro brewery) in 1989 to become after multiple successfull acquisitions the world's largest brewery (known as AB InBev with brands like Budwiser, BudLigh, Corona). Short and easy read. I'm even more convinced to read "Dream Big" about the Trio.
June 15, 2016
Pick this book up by chance. A fast and brief introduction to the management style of 3G, which to my ignorant, I haven't heard of. :/
A lot of key takeaways from this book and definitely need further reading reinforce the information presented.
A lot of key takeaways from this book and definitely need further reading reinforce the information presented.
October 12, 2016
Good summary of The 3G principles. Easy to read.
February 5, 2017
Quick and simple read on how the 3G guys built a culture to acquire talent, fine tune ops, unlock values in companies. Michael Porter frameeork analysis of Anheuser Busch and Heinz is neat.
April 22, 2017
It was okay. As a 1-2 hour read, it made some nice points, but the brevity prevents it from diving more thoroughly into the issues.
Useful to read directly before structuring our pay for performance programme.
Useful to read directly before structuring our pay for performance programme.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews