"Spotlight" Leadership

Many leaders love being in the spotlight, thinking they're the main attraction. They tend to be pretty self-centered, always wanting attention and making sure everyone knows they're in charge. These types of leaders usually like to tell others what to do, never really letting them shine.

But then some lead differently. They don't hog the spotlight; instead, they work closely with their team, listening to their ideas and sharing the praise. These leaders focus on serving others and doing what's best for their organization, not just themselves. They're the ones who take risks and lead their team to exciting new places while supporting them every step of the way.

Dare-to-serve leadership creates a vibe where top-notch team members thrive. These leaders opt to serve others. With assurance, they boost their team's belief in reaching goals beyond personal gain. They make sure everyone pulls their weight and supports them in honing their skills. They motivate their team to take bold steps forward.

"Servant Leadership" in Practice

When Cheryl Bachelder became CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2007, things were not looking good. Sales were dropping, customers weren't happy, profits were down, and morale was low. The US economy was on the brink of a recession. Bachelder and her team had a big job ahead of them: turning the company around. They began by reading books on leadership by authors like Patrick Lencioni and Stephen Covey. They learned from leaders who put their people and their companies first. This style of leadership is called "servant leadership," as described by Robert Greenleaf.

Bachelder and her team set out to inspire leaders who serve and get great results. They pinpointed six key leadership principles for managing Popeyes: passion, listening, planning, coaching, accountability, and humility.

Leadership Focus: Serving with Courage at Popeyes

However, the top brass at the company started to view their workers and franchise owners less positively as the company's performance declined. An essential aspect of leading with courage is keeping a good attitude toward your employees while prioritizing their needs over yours. The leadership crew pledged to prioritize the people involved with Popeyes, so they pinpointed who they wanted to focus on. These groups included customers, shareholders, franchisees, team members, vendors, and others. Although they valued every group, they placed serving their franchise owners at the top of their list.

Breaking with tradition, Popeyes took a different approach from the usual industry practices. Despite the mutual dependence between franchisees and franchisors, their interactions often turned sour. But Popeyes' leadership saw an opportunity for success by going against the grain. They understood that their profits came from royalties and fees paid by franchisees. With this in mind, the new leaders changed their mindset. They acknowledged the significant investments franchise owners put into their businesses. Popeyes' fresh leadership, adopting a servant-leader mentality, appreciated the dedication franchisees showed, recognizing it deserved respect, love, and commitment.

Benefits and obstacles

Becoming a leader who dares to serve isn't a walk in the park. It means choosing to commit and work hard. When you face opposition, you might want to boss people around to get your way. It's tempting, especially when you're convinced your idea is the best. But, when you value your relationships more than being right, it's easier to listen to others.

Blaming others when they don't agree with you is tempting too. But, taking the time to persuade them instead of using your power makes them more invested in your plans. Don't see resistance as a lack of trust. Remember, you have to earn trust with each new idea. Even though it's tough sometimes, daring to serve as a leader has its perks. Your team will share info, take the lead, aim for excellence, support your vision, and have your back.

Adventure Awaits

To reach your goals, you need to know what they are. Leaders who aren't afraid to lead set goals that are both daring and achievable. They back up each goal with a solid business plan and take the necessary steps to make sure the organization hits those targets. These leaders create an environment where everyone can contribute their best. To make your goals seem real, start by figuring out what's most important. Put the company's resources behind your main goals. Create a positive work environment by putting people in roles that suit their strengths, forming teams with different skills, and making sure everyone can pitch in. Check and share the results - the good and the bad.

Bachelder's leadership team laid out bold goals for turning things around in a plan called Roadmap to Results. They aimed to "Build a distinctive brand, run great restaurants, grow restaurant profits, and speed up quality openings." By stating these big goals clearly, they gave everyone a vision of success they could get behind. At a top leaders' conference, the executive team listed the brand's main challenges, like losing market share, slow service at drive-throughs, and low food ratings. They matched these problems with the 128 projects the company was working on. It became obvious that many of these projects wouldn't help solve the big issues. This helped the executives see where they needed to focus their efforts.

Popeyes' Turnaround Story

Everyone at Popeyes knew things weren't going well, even though they didn't have much data to prove it. But then, a new team took over. They started looking closely at things like sales, profits, and how much of the market Popeyes had. They also checked out other stuff, like how fast they served customers. They shared what they found with the people who own Popeyes restaurants, the workers, and the shareholders. With this info, they could figure out what needed fixing and make plans that made sense.

When you don't back up your goals with the right resources, it can mess up your leadership and make your team lose motivation. The big shots at Popeyes faced this exact problem when they wanted to run a big ad campaign across the country. The restaurant owners agreed to put their money into the ads and asked the main company to pitch in $6 million more. That was a lot to ask, but the bosses said yes. And you know what? It paid off. The ads worked, and more people started coming to Popeyes.

Purpose and Meaning

According to a 2013 Gallup study, just 30% of American jobs interest the people doing them. This means a lot of lost productivity, costing between $450 billion and $550 billion each year. When jobs have meaning and fulfillment, people work better. Good leaders help employees see the purpose in their work, boosting their motivation.

Sometimes, catchy slogans like "Inspire servant leaders to achieve superior results" sound great. But leaders need to turn these slogans into actions that every team member can understand and connect with.

Popeyes workers go to a day-long workshop called Journey to Personal Purpose. They craft statements about their own purpose after watching presentations and doing exercises to figure out their values and strengths. For instance, team leaders have come up with statements like:

• "My purpose is to unleash each individual's unique gift to drive innovation."
• "My purpose is to inspire others to know that it is never too late to live, to love, to matter."
• "My purpose is to inspire others to passionately share and pursue their big ideas."

Sharing personal statements with colleagues during seminars fosters support, encouragement, and deeper understanding among team members. It also holds individuals accountable and adds significance to their work.

Firm values shape organizational culture.

Leaders who dare to serve step up to the plate by setting the values of their company and ensuring its actions match those values. Popeyes leaders have outlined six guidelines to guide their decisions.

1. "We are passionate about what we do" - When the corporate team suggested changing the restaurant's look to franchise owners, they didn't like it at all. But instead of getting upset, the leadership team respected their strong feelings and listened to their ideas. Two years later, when they tried a new design, everyone loved it.
2. "We listen carefully and learn continuously" - Leaders and franchise owners didn't agree on a supply-chain problem. But after talking it out, the leaders understood better why it was tough for the restaurants. The franchise owners were open to new ideas, and together, they found a fair solution.
3. "We are fact-based and planful" - Leaders need facts to make good choices. When a franchise owner said a promotion cost too much, the corporate office showed them data that proved it made more money.
4. "We coach and develop our people" We train and support our staff" - This involves HR processes like performance evaluations, individual development plans, personal coaching, and leadership workshops.
5. "We are personally accountable" The leaders of the company expect franchise owners to fulfill their commitments without blaming others. They also lead by example, holding themselves accountable just like they expect their franchisees to do.
6. "We value humility" Leaders who are willing to serve prioritize the organization's needs over their own desires.

Beliefs in leading by serving others.

Leadership based on three key principles-human dignity, personal responsibility, and humility-can be summed up as dare-to-serve leadership. It's about treating others with respect, regardless of their position or achievements. Dismissing or belittling your team members steals away their dignity.

A crucial aspect of this leadership style is recognizing the importance of personal responsibility. Some leaders fall into a victim mindset, where they're focused solely on their own issues, unable to see the struggles of those around them. The "Accountability Ladder" offers a path out of this mentality, guiding leaders to move from blaming others to taking ownership of their actions and moving forward. It's a journey from unawareness to acceptance and action.

Striving for true humility is a worthy aim. When leaders are humble, their team members like it because they admit when they're wrong, say sorry, show they're not perfect, and prioritize others' needs.