Panera Brands CEO Niren Chaudhary on Creating a Culture Where People Feel Loved and Cared For
Panera Brands CEO Niren Chaudhary on Creating a Culture Where People Feel Loved and Cared For
If you take care of your people, they will take care of your profits
Today’s episode of the Great Leadership Podcast is life and career changing (links below to listen and watch). Niren talks about tragic loss in his life, his most important leadership and life lessons, the importance of taking care of others, and creating a people first culture.
One of the most critical responsibilities of a leader is to create the company’s culture and work environment. Leaders set the tone for how the company operates and how it feels to work there.
For Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera Brands, that means creating a people-first culture. Niren oversees 4,000 stores and nearly 130,000 global employees across three areas of Panera Brands: Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, and Einstein Bagels. He says his job and the job of leaders across the company is to love the people. Some leaders shy away from loving their people, saying it creates relationships that are too personal, but Niren firmly believes that leaders must lead in love.
When employees feel loved and supported, it impacts their work and the entire company. Niren said,
“If we love our people, then they will delight our guests. And if they delight our guests, we will also serve our communities. And if we do that, that’s how we’ll create enterprise value.”
Creating a holistic environment and culture where people truly feel loved and cared for is Niren’s guiding leadership philosophy. With that as his reason for coming to work every day, other leaders in the company follow his example to build relationships with employees and love them.
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Niren says consistency in how you show up builds trust. And that trust is what unlocks human potential.
Instead of developing leadership competency, Niren believes leaders must spend time nurturing their character and developing consistent habits. Character is shaped by the people we surround ourselves with, what we read and listen to, and how we spend our time. If leaders develop habits and values and show up consistently, they become much more influential and impactful to their people than if they focus all their time on being the most competent leader.
Niren says there are three stages of leadership. The first is as an individual contributor who does things for themself. The second is as a manager who tells people what to do. That’s where most people stop, saying that as long as they’re efficient, delegate effectively, and empower their people, there’s nothing else they can do.
But Niren believes leaders can do much more and reach for the third stage of leadership, where they inspire people to go above and beyond. He says the magic is when employees do it because they want to, not because a leader asks them to. That inspiration only comes when people feel loved, cared for, and respected. They have a sense of autonomy and feel aligned personally with their professional work.
Niren realizes he sets an example for his employees with his dedication and effort. When he is intentional and committed, he can fire up all 130,000 employees to want to come to work every day and be the best versions of themselves. More than just being managed, Niren wants his employees to be inspired to be the best they can be. And in making themselves successful, the company also succeeds.
People should always come first in culture. As Niren shows, empowering and loving employees can lead to great results.
