Daring To Serve

I spent an hour today participating in the Becoming A Dare to Serve Leader webinar with Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc.

Cheryl presented the information in such a compelling way. I walked away feeling like I, too, could use the principles she discussed to make a difference in the world. 

Cheryl Bachelder has chosen to make a difference in the food service industry. The three core principles she espoused can apply in any industry.

It occurred to me that our Leading Voices, Instigators, and Lead Change Group Members have touched on these principles in many of their writings. Let's take a peek.

Declare A Bold, Daring Destination

Cheryl stressed the idea that having a bold destination builds confidence. When she first assumed her role at Popeyes in 2007, things were not looking good. At least six major metrics, including sales, guest traffic, and profitability, were declining. She and her team decided to embark on a grand experiment. It's not like there was much lower they could go at that point; there was nothing to lose by choosing boldness.

Lead Change Instigator Bill Benoist wrote in his Bold, Innovative Leadership article:

"This is what bold, innovative leaders do. They lead you to a better place."

Choose To Serve Others Well

Cheryl's decision to lead Popeyes in a direction of servant leadership was born early on in her tenure. The original focus group of leaders who she asked about what needed to change all answered that they wanted to be leaders different from them. Them is defined as the kinds of leaders who spread negativity, toxicity, and fear. Those first meetings led to a focus from Cheryl on leadership characterized by bravery and humility.

In her article entitled The More We Serve, Lead Change Instigator Sharon Reed echoed Cheryl's concepts:

The more we seek ways in which to use our gifts for a greater good than just our own self-promotion, the more opportunity arises to share these gifts. In placing the needs of the whole above the self, we position ourselves as leaders; and through thoughtful leadership, we create openings for others to grow.

Perform & Deliver Results

Cheryl emphasizes that our results focus is not once a year, it is every day. She notes it is a daily battle to track and perform your results, but it is a worthy battle if you want to create an organization that serves people well and outperforms the rest.

Lead Change Instigator Sean Glaze values results/ It's right there in his website's name - Great Results Teambuilding. In his Smart Teams Focus on Incremental Improvements post, he stresses the importance of incremental improvement:

If you are interested in truly lasting team success, you will want to focus on incremental improvements over time instead of overwhelming and immediate change. Smart teams know that small changes, over time, provide great results.

I left my hour "with" Cheryl feeling optimistic that there are organizations out there who don't abandon a caring attitude about their people in order to maximize profits. When you Dare to Serve, the two can co-exist fruitfully.

Now that you have had a taste of Cheryl's approach as well as a glimpse into our Lead Change Instigators' take, I am sharing the full webinar with you below. In addition, I am sharing a request from Cheryl.

She would like you to visit her website, www.cherylbachelder.com, and share a story about a leadership lesson you've learned around these principles in the real world.

Here's the full recording of the webinar!