The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 182 | Cheryl Bachelder on How to Turn Your Failure Into Success, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's Meteoric Turnaround Decade, and How Servant Leadership Really Works
Mar 6, 2018
Cheryl Bachelder, former CEO who led Popeyes’ dramatic turnaround and champions servant leadership. She recounts being fired, rebuilding trust with franchisees, using simple data to change debates, and a one-page strategy focused on brand, speed, and profitability. She also explains talent development, coaching rhythms, and how serving others goes hand in hand with high performance.
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Abused Foster Kids Comment Shaped Her Turnaround
- Cheryl was told franchisees felt like abused foster children and that comment focused her on rebuilding trust.
- That remark convinced her patience was required and it took about three years to reach a high-trust inflection point with owners.
Put The Stakeholder With Most Skin In The Game First
- Put the constituent with the most skin in the game first and design decisions around them.
- For franchising Cheryl prioritized franchisees because they invest capital, hire staff, train people, and sign 20-year contracts.
Collect And Publish Facts To Replace Emotion
- Collect and share facts to shift emotional disputes into productive decisions.
- Popeyes collected P&Ls from every restaurant and published transparent results to calm franchisee concerns and realign conversations.
