Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others

Bachelder, CEO of the Popeyes restaurant chain, provides a slim, unsatisfying guide to leading for the good of your employees. After being fired from KFC, Bachelder found herself at a crisis point; soon thereafter, she was offered the position at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. But the job came with its own difficulties, as she immediately faced leadership distrust, employee unhappiness, and a company-wide need for an attitude adjustment. Bachelder proposed a radically new approach: servant leadership, meaning that the company would shift focus from her to the people she was leading. According to the book, this kind of selfless service might be most associated with non-profit and charity work, but it can and should be applied to businesses as well. As Bachelder explains, it did indeed lead to the turnaround of the Popeyes chain; Bachelder goes on to describe the possible benefits for other executives, which include finding a renewed sense of meaning in one's work, clarity of purpose, and improved teamwork. She also makes the case for avoiding the spotlight in favor of letting rank-and-file employees do noteworthy work. All of this is to the good, but ultimately the material feels stretched thin; readers will have to skim and glean the lessons for which they're searching. (Mar.)