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Excerpt from Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others Why does work have such a bad reputation? Or is it just my former line of work that has a bad reputation? When you work in the restaurant business, you take a lot of flak for your
Excerpt from Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others Getting the best performance from teams is the subject of countless leadership books. It can be a complex subject, but I suggest you start first with creating a space for success. Dare-to-Serve Leaders create work environments that
Excerpt from Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others Dare-to-Serve leadership is based on the idea of servant leadership. It’s about having the courage to put people first. When I talk about this concept, I often get a question about results- can serving others drive productivity
Full disclosure: I suffer from what psychologists’ call “hurry sickness.” I didn’t know it had a name until recently, but nonetheless, I’ve always known that I suffer from it. I jam-pack my days. I overschedule. I say “yes” way too often. The benefits of my disease include getting a lot
Do you know what an idiom is? It is a collection of words that have a meaning not obvious from the words themselves. Examples in the U.S. include: “Barking up the wrong tree” — looking for answers in the wrong places. “Crying over spilt milk” – complaining about something that’s
If you enjoy watching Wimbledon tennis, you already know this to be true: No athlete who wins Wimbledon made it to the winner’s circle fast. Serena Williams won first place in both singles and doubles in 2016. It was her 22nd Grand Slam title and her 16th Grand Slam doubles
Last month, I attended the first high school graduation at a school my father had helped found nearly 20 years ago, which now serves over 350 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The first graduating class was three young men, who proudly represented the school — its past, present, and
My grandson is 3 years old – and if you’ll allow me to say so – he is really smart. He knows me. He knows my principles. How do I know that? Recently, I was giving him a bath. He started playfully splashing me. I said, “Stop it,” but without
Dear blog readers, This is my first post since leaving my role as CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Thank you for the the many emails and posts wishing me well in the next adventure. I am grateful for the outpouring of encouraging words and support. Last fall, I planned
How many goals have you set for 2017? Or how long is your list of things you hope to do in 2017? Ten, twenty, thirty? Be honest. It’s January. We’re in our ambitious, we-can–do-it-all, highly motivated state. The excitement level is high. The energy is palpable. And the list is
I get asked often to share my favorite leadership quotes – so I thought I would close out 2016 with some inspiring words for the Dare to Serve leaders working to be a better version of themselves! Here we go: “Consider others more significant than yourselves.” – Ancient Literature This
Leaders have many balls to keep in the air: staffing, profitability, safety. The list goes on and on. But one item that can never be left off the list or ignored is ethics. Companies that don’t make ethics a priority create needless problems and challenges for their businesses, staff, and
Leadership apart from personal accountability is detached superiority. Lack of personal accountability on the part of leaders results in isolation, artificial interactions, and shallow relationships. Leaders who stand aloof from personal accountability: Lean toward authoritarian exclusivity. Practice hypocrisy, if they expect others to be accountable to them. Exude arrogance. Stay
Recent events have once again reminded us of the impact of unethical business practices on a famous, trusted brand and company – this time the name is Wells Fargo. The banking giant was fined $185-million dollars after an investigation determined more than 2-million bank and credit card accounts were opened
A lot of businesses are having a difficult year—and it has raised this question to the top of my list: What does leadership look like in challenging times? What does a servant leader do when facing trials at work? Here are some thoughts and questions to help you when you
Some say that you cannot be humble and confident at the same time. How would you respond to that statement? So much depends on how we think of these two qualities. If humility means being easily dominated, or weak, there’s not much incentive for a leader to be humble. If we
Previously published on BecomingMinimalist.com. “We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.”– Rabindranath Tagore Humility is a funny thing. In fact, my grandfather used to tell us that he won a medal for his humility, but it was taken away when he began to wear it.
One of the more interesting servant leadership questions I am asked is this: can you be humble and confident? This question stems from inaccurate assumptions about these two words. First, the assumption that humility looks weak. Second, the assumption that confidence looks like self-centered pride. Both are wrong. Humility is acknowledging that
“3 Rules to Being a Leader, Give, Give, Give!.” Millennials—currently and most commonly described as lazy, self-interested and entitled—will make up 75% of the workforce over the next decade. The shift is inevitable… but you have the power to really be a leader and influence how millennials will evolve as
Great leaders are transparent. Statements like this, or any others involving the words leader and transparent, have become so common or in vogue by those who write or speak about leadership (in other words, people like me) as to be cliché, and transparency in this context is now seen as
In servant leadership, which is more important – a good relationship or the pursuit of excellence? A challenging question. This matter is tested daily in the workplace. Office teams work collaboratively to accomplish goals and relationships are essential to the process. Yet, the business must perform better than the competitors
When our toddler children asked us the why question all day long we thought it was charming. It meant they were curious, smart, and exploring the world to learn new things. Then we went to the workplace as adults and things changed. Those people asking why questions all day long
Friday morning I was mentoring four young female leaders. They had asked me to spend an hour with them sharing my experiences and responding to some of the questions that were facing them as leaders. I view this as an honor and a responsibility to mentor the next generation of
Have you given any thought to whether your leadership will matter today? Saturday, I sat on the 50 yard line and watched my nephew play football for his college team. In addition, to enjoying a good game and feeling very proud of my nephew, I found watching the coaching staff
The best leaders own their destiny. They make a conscious personal choice to rise above any circumstances they face. They own whatever it takes to achieve the desired outcome. They wait for no one. They blame no one. They are not victims, ever. No industry teaches this lesson better than restaurant franchising. In franchising, the
I challenge you this week to examine the assumptions you make about the people that you lead. I believe that if you assume great things about the people you lead, you will get great things. If you assume the worst, expect to get it. At Popeyes, we run quick service restaurants
Last week, I shared with you the traits of the leader as teacher. This week we’ll examine the leader as a student. When our daughters left to go to college, my husband would write them a letter to guide their journey as a student. As I look back at these
Today I share with you a blog post from Kevin Eikenberry titled Seven Lessons Leaders Can Learn from Great Teachers. I’ve always believed that the best leaders are great teachers. Leaders who explain, demonstrate, gently correct and inspire performance in those entrusted to their care. The teaching leader is no
Tens of thousands of marchers converged on Washington, D.C. five days ago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” Day in the United States, I reflect on these words. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should
Last week our leadership team toured six new restaurants in Indianapolis. The highlight of the trip was the opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions of our restaurant team members. We thanked Sherrie for packing orders fast and always smiling for her guests. We admired Jesse for his sense of urgency
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