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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
We are living in a bad boss reality. Are you doing anything to change it? In November, 2012, Inc. magazine featured these statistics in a website article called Jerk Alert: The Real Cost of Bad Bosses by Maeghan Ouimet. Three out of four employees report their boss is the worst
On Friday afternoon, I taught a workshop on The Purpose Of Leadership at the national convention of the business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi. The audience was primarily college campus leaders of the fraternity’s chapters. Time with student leaders is my favorite kind of opportunity – to speak with young people
Monday was my first day back after a four-day vacation. I must confess, I am not good at taking vacations. For the first two days I didn’t even know I was on vacation. I kept answering emails, taking calls, and reviewing work. Somewhere around day three, I notice that I
This fall, I will have the opportunity to speak at the Gwinnett Leadership Forum, on September 5, 2013. The Leadership Forum is all about helping local leaders connect to their highest potential – a mission that is right up my alley. Twice a year they bring in world-class leaders to
My observation is that sacrifice is not a popular notion in our culture. It has bad implications. When you sacrifice, you lose something, you give something up. It might be hard, uncomfortable, even painful. Who would want that? Pleasure is a very popular notion in our culture. It has a
While speaking on a panel at the Women’s Foodservice Forum a few years ago, I was asked if mentors had played a large role in my development of a leader. I struggled with the answer because, honestly, I wasn’t sure that I had been mentored. But I certainly remember wishing
We often gain insight from questions we are asked. Particularly when the questions are on topics we were not thinking about at the time. Recently, I have been asked twice to describe my career path to groups of young leaders. Ostensibly, the young leaders were interested in how one gets
In my work, I often have opportunities to meet great leaders and to learn from their wise counsel. Recently, I met such a leader and he was kind enough to spend an hour with me sharing his observations about leadership. It was a gift. This leader served in elected and
When my daughter was getting ready to go to college, my husband gave her Cal Newport’s book, How To Win At College, to read. Among other things, it gives the future college student real world tips on what the top students do to succeed on campus. It includes advice on
One of my many shortcomings is that I hate exercise. I’ve never experienced that adrenalin rush thing that athlete’s talk about. For me, exercise is just sweat and muscle aches, and I don’t enjoy either of those things. Now rationally, I know that exercise is good for my body and that is
There is a book titled Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch, by Curt W. Coffman and Kathie Sorensen, Ph.D. The title makes corporate culture sound important, strong, high-impact. Yet in far too many places, building corporate culture is considered a “soft skill.” Squishy, hard to pin down, outright marshmallow material. So
Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in lots of discussions about compensation for business leaders. Perhaps the most common thesis for motivating executives is “make them feel like owners.” That typically leads to a discussion of bonuses and stock awards — that are paid when goals are met. No doubt,
The Inconvenience of Leadership Was it convenient for Winston Churchill to lead England through World War II? Was it convenient for Florence Nightingale to lead the nurses in the Crimean war? Was it convenient for Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the fight for civil rights? Was it convenient for
A few years ago, I went to see the movie Hugo – the story of a young boy, who loses both parents at a young age, and ends up living with a drunken uncle in the clock tower of the Paris train station. The child, Hugo, is fascinated with the
As we end 2015, I want to thank you for following and commenting on my blog posts each week. I am grateful for the dialog we are having about leaders who dare to serve. This year, my favorite blog post came from a pizza lunch shared with a landscaping team
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