The Leadership Question That Won’t Go Away
As founders and leaders, we carry weight.
Of vision. Of performance. Of people.
And often, we feel pulled in every direction.
Do I focus on growth or on culture?
Purpose or performance?
Speed or sustainability?
So I asked a question I believe many of us wrestle with—whether in boardrooms or in bed in the early hours of the morning:
“What advice would you give to CEOs or founders who really want to prioritize people—but often feel pressured by profit, growth, and external expectations?”
I posed this to Niren Chaudhary, the former CEO of Panera Bread and a seasoned global leader who has stewarded iconic brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme, and Caribou Coffee across 50 countries. What I received in return wasn’t a corporate playbook—it was a soul map.
And in this article, I want to share the essence of that conversation.
Not as theory, but as a practical guide for leading without losing yourself.
Start Here: Love Your People Like Family
The first thing Niren shared was this:
“Organizations are just humans working with other humans in pursuit of a goal.”
Simple. But inspiring.
He described his leadership model not in terms of KPIs or shareholder returns, but in this sequence:
- Love and take care of your employees like family.
- That creates trust and emotional engagement.
- Engaged employees delight customers.
- Delighted customers come back.
- Loyalty builds—and loyalty is the most valuable currency in business.
This, Niren said, is a ripple effect. And it’s where business value is born—not from systems alone, but from humans who care.
At Panera, this wasn’t just lip service. When the company furloughed 25,000 employees during the pandemic, they didn’t cut ties—they kept showing up:
- Partnered with CVS and Walmart to help employees get new jobs.
- Offered weekly free meals to furloughed workers and their families.
- Sent regular updates to keep them connected to the Panera community.
“Culture is revealed in the hard moments,” Niren told me.
“It’s not what you say. It’s what you do when things get tough.”
Culture Is Not a Slogan—It’s a Shared Language
Another insight that struck me deeply:
“Don’t define your values in words. Define them in behaviors.”
Too many companies have posters that say “Integrity” or “Excellence”—but they remain abstract, unmeasurable, and often uninspiring.
Instead, Niren urges leaders to translate values into observable, daily actions. For example:
- Instead of saying “Be courageous”, say:
“Focus on what you can control—not what’s happening to you.” - Instead of “Integrity”, say:
“Be congruent in what you think, feel, say, and do.”
This creates alignment not only across functions but across geographies.
At McKinsey, I remember how this kind of behavioral consistency let partners from different offices collaborate seamlessly—even without prior coordination.
Why? Because we weren’t just talking the talk. We had lived the same expectations, rituals, and practices.
When values are clear, lived, and measurable, they cascade.
That’s how you scale culture—without losing soul.
Hire for Attitude. Train for Skill.
Niren’s approach to building high-performing, values-aligned teams begins with one rule:
“You can’t train character. You can only hire for it.”
Yes, technical skill matters. But he believes attitude is the foundation.
If you want to scale a people-centered culture, every hiring process must become a filter for values.
This requires clarity on the kind of culture you want—then designing interview questions, onboarding experiences, and even exit conversations that reinforce that DNA.
One simple shift I recommend to leaders:
Start hiring for resonance, not just experience.
The Butterfly Effect: Small Actions, Big Ripples
Of all the metaphors Niren shared, the butterfly effect may be the most powerful for leaders feeling overwhelmed by complexity.
“Find the place of maximum leverage. That’s where the butterfly effect begins.”
In a chaotic world, we chase everything—growth, metrics, transformation, innovation.
But in doing so, we often dilute our energy. We run hard, but in circles.
Niren’s wisdom was to focus on the one point where your actions create cascading impact.
In his experience, that was always people.
By investing in people—deeply and consistently—you create a ripple:
- You reduce attrition.
- You amplify productivity.
- You boost customer satisfaction.
- You attract better talent.
- You lower operating costs.
- You grow revenue faster.
All from one decision: to lead with care.
I’ve seen this firsthand in our work at Happiness Squad.
In companies that elevate well-being from a side benefit to a core strategy, we’ve seen 20–40% increases in engagement, 2–4x improvements in psychological safety, and major reductions in burnout.
Not because they overhauled everything—but because they picked the right place to begin.
Flourishing Isn’t a Tradeoff
Many leaders still believe they have to choose between high performance and people-centered leadership. But that’s a false choice.
The best leaders—the ones who create companies people want to work at, buy from, and believe in—know something different:
You don’t have to trade off profit for purpose.
You just have to align them in a loop that reinforces both.
And that loop always begins with people.
Learn more about Niren on Linkedin.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Niren below.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.
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