How do you transform an ailing company into an industry darling? According to Cheryl Bachelder in her book Dare to Serve, you do so by adopting servant leadership.
Servant leadership, as defined on Wikipedia, is a leadership philosophy in which the main goal of the leader is to serve. This is different from traditional leadership where the leader’s main focus is the thriving of their company or organizations. A servant leader shares power, puts the needs of the employees first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
When Bachelder was named CEO of Popeyes in 2007, the stock price had slipped from $34 in 2002 to $13. The brand was stagnant, the team was discouraged, and the franchisees were just plain angry. Nine years later, restaurant sales were up 45 percent, restaurant profits had doubled, and the stock price was over $61. Servant leadership is sometimes derided as soft or ineffective, but Bachelder’s book confirms that challenging people to reach a daring destination, while treating them with dignity, creates the conditions for superior performance.
The second edition of this bestselling book includes Bachelder’s post-Popeyes observations and new examples of how you can switch your leadership from self to serve. Bachelder takes you firsthand through the transformation of Popeyes and shows how anyone, at any level can become a Dare-to-Serve leader.
Welcome to Inside Out Leadership with Robb Holman
Robb Holman is on a mission to interview 12 of the world’s greatest Inside Out Leaders over the next 12 months.
These transformational leaders are leaving an extraordinary mark within their sphere of influence resulting in transformational change. They have faithfully demonstrated inspiration, humility, courage, perseverance, and servant leadership!
Robb will be honing in on the inner work of each of these leaders individually and how that has contributed to their outer work of influence. The interviews will be recorded and then featured on Robb Holman’s Inside Out Leadership Podcast
Inside Out Leadership w/ Robb Holman
Ep. 4 – Cheryl Bachelder – Director at US Foods, Chick-fil-A
In this fourth live installment, Robb’s guest is Cheryl Bachelder – a passionate, purpose-led business leader –the former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Cheryl is known for her crisp strategic thinking, a franchisee – focused approach, and superior financial performance. Guided by the servant leadership thinking of Robert Greenleaf, she believes highly caring, collaborative leaders with big ambitions for the enterprise, not themselves, generate the conditions for people to perform their best work. Visit Cheryl’s website at www.cherylbachelder.com.
About Robb Holman
Robb Holman is an internationally recognized leadership expert, executive coach, keynote speaker, podcast co-host, and bestselling author. Robb has a heart for authentic relationships and a talent for equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge needed for true success. You can visit Robb on the web by going to www.robbholman.com.
Robb is also an Affiliate Partner here at AutoConversion. Robb played a leading role and was an executive producer of White Collar Therapy & Leadership, which ran from September 2018 through late spring 2020. Robb is presently the face and leader of the Get Paid to Speak Bootcamp, a six-month course designed for those who want to get paid speaking gigs and make a career from it.
