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Andy Stanley and I had a great conversation on his Leadership podcast. I hope you enjoyed Part 1 where we discussed setting daring destinations for ourselves and our organizations. Today, in Part 2 of our conversation, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the power of bold decisions to
When I was about 11 years old, the oldest of four children, I wrote a letter to my parents telling them all the things that I would do when I became a parent. I would make the younger children behave. I would not let them have privileges until they did
Guest Post by Mark Deterding. Servant leadership is many things, but one thing it is not is “soft”. Servant leaders have high expectations, both for themselves, as well as for their team. There’s only one way I know to make things better in your organization. Create and share clear, reasonable,
It’s up to leaders to set the daring destinations for their teams and organizations. Daring destinations create the dynamic tension between daring and serving that leads to outstanding results and we all want results, right? I was honored to be a recent guest on Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast. Andy is
Apparently our human minds can only remember three or four things at once. Psychologists at the University of Missouri published a paper in 2008 entitled “An assessment of fixed-capacity models of visual working memory.”* Up until this study, most researchers thought we could remember seven things at once – like the
Week 2 video from the Leadership Discussion Guide – What is the Daring Destination? Why are we reluctant to pursue a daring destination for the benefit of those we lead? Is it fear of failure? Absence of ideas? Lack of courage? I’m not sure. But this I do know: A
Seems like the whole month of January is one big football game. I’m not complaining. It’s a great sport. This time of year, the stakes are high, as we approach the game of all games, the Super Bowl. The playoff teams are giving the games their best, with hopes of
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
This week we contemplate the last of forty reflection questions from the book I authored, Dare to Serve. I hope this journey has led you to new thinking about how you lead. I hope you are encouraged to act on these new ideas so that your followers will be well-served.
The following is an excerpt from Dare to Serve: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life I was once being interviewed for a leadership job in a restaurant company. The interviewer, a senior executive at the company, asked
The following is an excerpt from Dare To Serve: In developing dare to serve leaders, I have witnessed another stumbling block – the absence of personal responsibility. If one believes they have been a victim in this life or if they have a propensity to blame others for their problems,
The following is an excerpt from Dare To Serve: The stories of prisoners of war are both heart-breaking and inspiring. Our hearts break for the horrible things done to prisoners to defeat their dignity. And then we hear the story of the prisoner who was not defeated. Through intense focus,
Will having a personal purpose change your life? I believe so. But the bigger and more important question is – will your personal purpose change other people’s lives for the better? One of our Popeyes franchisees has a purpose “to make at least 10 restaurant leaders millionaires.” I realize this
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
When I was about nine years old, I begged my parents to let me take a gymnastics class. About halfway through the class, my parents came to observe my prowess as a gymnast. I gave it my best – but struggled through the somersault and couldn’t do a cartwheel. On
A couple of weeks ago my daughter was teaching me how to make a chocolate soufflé. She is amazing in the kitchen – and I am barely functional. As part of my soufflé training, she was explaining to me why you put cream of tartar in the mix instead of
Recently I was asked this question: when did you first know that you were a leader? My answer is too easy. I was the oldest of four children. Babysitting at the tender age of nine is my first memory of leadership responsibility. According to my siblings, I was a bit
Tuesday afternoon, I spent a couple of hours with fourteen emerging leaders at Popeyes. This is a group of young leaders who have organized themselves to connect with each other and grow their leadership capabilities. They are primarily Millennials who have been with Popeyes in office or field positions for
Wallenda does daring tight rope acts – over canyons and cities – while we stand and watch with awe. He is so bold and daring, we watch with terrified anticipation. There is a chance he will fall and die, and there is a chance he will safely make the crossing.
When you search the web for an image representing a big idea, you get a lot of pictures of light bulbs. Why is that? Was the light bulb the last big idea? Is it the only symbol of transformative technology? What is it about the light bulb that makes it
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
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