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The best CEO I worked for in my career was at RJR Nabisco; his name, Lou Gerstner. He was exceptionally smart and exceptionally principled. I watched his leadership closely and found many lessons that would guide my career over the years. So when he was selected to be CEO of
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
It is Friday night and I am headed to LaGuardia airport in New York City– in the borough of Queens. The traffic is heavy. It is raining, and chances are good flights will be delayed. If you have ever traveled through a major airport on a Friday night, you know
One of my favorite childhood movies was The Sound of Music. I think it may have been the catalyst for my lifelong love of music. Maybe I was a romantic at the age of 9, but I can’t think of a more beautiful scene in a movie than where Julie Andrews
For over 18 years, I’ve been in a leadership position with small business owners, the franchisees who invest in and run restaurants. Let me share with just five things that are annoying about a small business owner: They have a lot of emotion and relatively few facts. They always want
When I joined Popeyes in 2007, my first day was the international franchising conference in Orlando, Florida. As you would expect, on my first day I was brimming with excitement and anticipation about this challenging new leadership opportunity. This would be my first chance to meet the Popeyes franchise owners
I’ve only been a waitress once, for one day. I was sixteen years old and had just passed my driver’s test on the second try. Excited to have the independence my age deserved, I realized I would need money for gas. It was time to get a job. Applications submitted.
Last night I enjoyed a dinner conversation with a Popeyes leader who oversees more than a dozen restaurants. In our chat, we were reflecting on how grateful we both were for the momentum in our business – and how blessed we felt to be a part of this company. I was
My father was my encourager in life. If I wanted to try something new, he was all for it. He was my greatest fan and his encouragement made me feel special. I only have one memory of my father saying a discouraging thing – and that was at my tumbling
Looking back over the years, it is so easy to see why you were my favorite boss. But at the time, I didn’t have enough life experience to know just how special you were. Please accept this letter as my way of honoring you for the positive impact you made
While touring restaurants in Chicago a few years ago, I met a restaurant manager who was doing a great job and doing it with great joy. It was obvious in everything she did that she was in this job for a reason. I asked her what she enjoyed most about her job
When I think of you, I wish that every employee in our company had your traits. I can only imagine what our business results would be if they did. To celebrate the way that you contribute to each day, I have brought together this list of the Top 10 Things
It’s January, and everyone is working on our New Year’s resolutions. We’re goal setting. We’re working out. We’re dieting. We’re planning new projects. We’re organizing our calendars. In our work life, many of us have a goal this year to get promoted, change jobs, and perhaps join a bigger company.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for following my blog The Purpose of Leadership in 2013. I am grateful for your insights and comments — you are enriching my own leadership journey each week. Because it is hard to keep up with weekly blog posts, this week I
In America it is the season of Christmas. The familiar holiday carols are playing on the radio. The Christmas trees are decorated. The malls are full of shoppers hunting for gifts. And the calendar is full of holiday parties. The season is both a festive celebration and on the other
A Popeyes employee sent me an email recently. He said he had been working on a school project with his daughter on the Maslow theory of human needs. He wondered if I had considered how this theory applies to the workplace and to servant leadership. My response – if leaders
Over 30-years ago, a friend told me a story. I’ve never found a source. A rabbi asked his congregation to go to the worry tree and place every difficulty and worry they had on the branches of the tree. He then asked the people to walk around the worry tree
This weekend I had the honor of teaching leadership at The Gloucester Institute Emerging Leaders Program entitled. A Brand Called You. This program assembles approximately thirty highly motivated African-American undergraduate students with excellent leadership potential. Over the course of the year, they are trained in leadership, writing, speaking, and critical
Servant leadership is so important, so aspirational, so ambitious, we must take time to rest. This week the purpose of my blog is simply to remind you that great leaders rest. “Everything needs a break.” ~ Toba Beta “It is the joy of work well done that enables us to enjoy
One of the blessings of my role at Popeyes is the opportunity I have to meet and learn from amazing leaders. This week was exceptional, meeting 10 leaders in four very different businesses: CEO of General Electric, Jeff Immelt; former U.S. President, George W. Bush; CEO, Jim Haudan of Root
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
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