POWERHOUSE WOMEN
IN FRANCHISING
One of my main mentors in this industry
was a man named Bob Leonard who started
in the restaurant industry when he was 14
and spent his career at both IHOP corporate and as a franchisee, so he knew this
industry backwards and forwards. Bob was
a generous, kind man both in his personal
life and professional life and always willing to offer his perspective and share his
experience. He was very encouraging and
supportive and, equally important, frank
and honest with me and everyone around
him. I learned a tremendous amount from
him about the business and how to treat
people, and I’ve tried to pay that forward.
Bob also made time to give back to his
community and support charitable organizations, and I’ve tried to emulate that as
well. I miss him very much.
Are you now mentoring others? While
not a formal mentor, I spend time with
virtually every member of our leadership
team on a monthly basis. What’s important is that our discussions aren’t just about
running the business, they are about where
we are taking the business—together—and
how I can help them grow and develop to
lead their teams and see them develop. I
believe developing leaders is one of the
most important things I do. In addition
to the internal folks I’m able to help develop, I also have the opportunity, from
time to time, to work with leaders from
the non-profit organizations and for-profit
companies where I am a board member,
as well as women and men in the industry
I have met through the Women’s Foodservice Forum.
What communication skills helped
you reach the top? Listening is probably
the most important communication skill I
possess, and one that I emphasize with my
team. My style is inclusive, and you can’t
be inclusive without listening. We have
bright people leading our company, and
the best franchisees in the business. All of
them have important, valuable things to
say, so listening is key. With that said, it is
equally important that I have the ability to
clearly state a vision, direction, and strategy,
that the audience—be they our Dine team,
franchisees, shareholders, vendor partners,
or the media—quickly understands, both
the message and the reasoning.
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What other skills were important? All
of them! Seriously, the role of the CEO
in today’s business world is so diverse and
so quick to evolve that it is hard to define
a specific skill set. I’ve mentioned having
a core set of values that drive and guide
my decisions: listening, building a great
team, and being inclusive. All of those are
important, but the most important to me
is to learn every day, whether it be a new
skill, more about your people, or how to
thrive in a world driven by social media.
Did you encounter stereotypes/sexism, and how did you overcome that?
While there isn’t anything specific I’d
point to, there was a certain amount of
stereotyping in my career, and I’m sensitive to that. But while I faced that, and
I’m sure others have as well, the principle
that guides me is that, as CEO, my success depends on having the most capable
person in every position. And with that as
your standard, you will automatically have
diversity, which counters any stereotyping
by resulting in success.
Do you think women bring a different approach to leadership? How? I
don’t think so. Leadership is blind to race,
age, sex, and religion. If you are capable
and you help your people develop [