Cheryl Bachelder is the current CEO for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and is enjoying quite a bit of success. However, when she first joined the company in 2007, the story was quite different. In the article, “The CEO of Popeyes says becoming a ‘servant leader’ helped her turn around the struggling restaurant chain”, author Jenna Goudreau speaks to Cheryl Bachelder about her strategy to save the company.
One of the most important aspects of servant leadership involves the leader’s intention to work for the followers and not their own self-interests (Northouse, 2013). Bachelder states that the best way to apply servant leadership is through listening because that is where solutions are found (Goudreau, 2015). Listening is the number one characteristic of a servant leader because it’s that the time when leaders are receptive and acknowledge varying perspectives (Northouse, 2013). But listening is not the only characteristic.
Equally important is a leader’s ability to empathize. Bachelder reveals that one of the hardest parts of servant leadership is re-wiring how one thinks. She states that competition and recognition are the norm but in servant leadership, one must remember that it is about the organization’s success (Goudreau, 2015). Empathy is an important characteristic because it is showing the follower (in this case the stakeholders) that the leader is validating their needs –which in this case was save a sinking ship (Northouse, 2013).
Bachelder executed an ambitious plan that including expanding stores, going international, improved profit and altered supply chain strategy (Goudreau, 2015). The success of Bachelder’s plan was due to her ability to conceptualize (another characteristic of servant leadership) and see the overall picture regarding where Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen needed to be (Northouse, 2013).
By taking a servant leader approach, Bachelder was able to improve organization performance by increasing Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s stock from $13 per share to $60 (Goudreau, 2015)! A leader taking a servant position may sound counterintuitive but with a little caring, a leader can rally their followers, supporting them for success.
References
Goudreau, J. (2015). The ceo of popeyes says becoming a ‘servant leader’ helped her turn around the struggling restaurant chain. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-ceo-servant-leadership-traits-2015-3
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications