Denny’s CEO Christopher Bode shares advice from a mentor who continues to shape his approach to leadership.
Denny’s CEO Christopher Bode said the lessons from his longtime mentor have served as a guide as he works to transform the iconic restaurant chain.
Bode, who took the helm of Denny’s this year, told FOX Business that he followed a simple phrase he learned earlier in his career from former Dunkin’ Brand CEO Jon Luther.
“Manage what you must, not what you can,” Bode said.
Denny’s chief says he now shares that advice with his leadership team every day to keep the company focused on the priorities that can have the biggest impact.
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Denny’s CEO Christopher Bode told FOX Business that the lessons of his longtime mentor have become his guiding principles. (Danny)
“Now I talk to my team about this every day, because it means there’s a lot you can manage, but these are the things you need to manage in order to change the trajectory of the business you’re running,” Bode said.
“So we stay focused on that routine.”
Bode says organizations can fall victim to “organizational creep” when they take on too many projects and don’t know what to do next.
“That’s what really kills organizations, because they try to be too much, too much, and accomplish too much in a short period of time,” he said.
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Bode said staying focused means keeping the company centered on the five main pillars of “Project Grand Slam.” (Photo by Marcin Golba/Nur via Getty Images)
At Denny’s, Bode says staying focused means keeping the company focused on the five main pillars of “Project Grand Slam,” its broader turnaround strategy.
“We keep the team laser-focused on every day, and we don’t allow creeps to come,” Bode said.
Bode said humility and listening are also important to leadership, especially when working with franchisees who have millions of dollars invested in their business.
“We have people investing millions and millions of dollars, and you have to listen with a good ear,” Bode said. “These are the people who have taken all the risks. They enter paper money, they pay people, they have utilities, they have all this, all the pressure on people. I get a salary every week. They don’t.”
For entrepreneurs and other business leaders, Bode said his advice is to stay humble.
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Bode says humility and listening are also important to leadership. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Franchisee relationships are important, and so is staying humble at the end, especially as your career continues to grow over time,” he said. “Don’t forget where you came from.”
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Bode says another sentence guides his approach to leadership.
“It’s the power of ‘us,’ not individual ‘me,'” he said.