by Amanda Pittman | Jan 19, 2012 | Careers In..., COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Special Speakers
After being pushed from the fall, due to their appearance in the World Series, we are thrilled to welcome the CFO of the Texas Rangers, Kellie Fischer, to our campus on Feb. 7th.
Here’s Kellie’s bio, from the Rangers website:
Kellie Fischer was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Texas Rangers in March of 2005. She oversees all financial matters, human resources, information technology and legal operations for the Texas Rangers. Kellie joined the Rangers in 1999 and has served in many roles for the Rangers former parent company, Southwest Sports Group and the Dallas Stars.
We're excited to welcome Mrs. Fischer to our campus this semester
Prior to joining the Rangers, Kellie spent four years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the audit division of the Dallas office. She earned her B.A. in accounting from Baylor University in 1995 and is a Texas CPA. Kellie serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, and the Baylor Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board. In addition, Kellie recently served on the Baylor Accounting Department Advisory Board.
In October 2010, Kellie was awarded Chief Financial Officer of the year for private mid-size companies by the Dallas Business Journal.
Kellie and her husband Scott reside in Dallas and are active in promoting cancer awareness for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
The luncheon event, where Mrs. Fischer will be speaking, is free and only open to ACU students and faculty. For more information, click here.
by Amanda Pittman | Dec 6, 2011 | COBA Events, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Special Speakers
We are excited to share with you a bit about one of our Leadership Summit 2012 speakers. Jose Zeilstra was featured in a Fortune article back in July of 2001 (just two short months before 9/11) titled ‘God & Business: Bringing spirituality in the workplace violates the old idea that faith and fortune don’t mix. But a groundswell of believers is breeching the last taboo in corporate America’. (article written by Marc Gunther from Fortune magazine’s July 2001 issue; cited from CNNMoney’s website.)
Not only will Zeilstra be sharing about having faith in the marketplace with our students at Summit, she’ll also be sharing about her experiences as a survivor of Tower I on September 11, 2001. We are honored to have Jose Zeilstra as a guest speaker at our Leadership Summit 2012 this coming January.
Stay tuned for more Leadership Summit speaker spotlights and updates from Summit coming in January.
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 14, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Distinguished Speakers Series, Faith Infusion, Special Speakers
On Thursday, Nov. 3rd, the ACU community had a unique opportunity to hear from the President and CEO of AFC Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. Cheryl Bachelder is many things – a mom, a wife, a female, a successful CEO, a brand manager, a gifted speaker and teacher.
Cheryl Bachelder, President of Popeye's and CEO of AFC Enterprises, Inc.
Mrs. Bachelder guest lectured in our 9:30am Consumer Behavior class. EJ Johnson is a senior marketing major from Frisco. He said, “I truly enjoyed the class with Mrs. Bachelder today! Her work hits close to home as I am a Louisiana Creole and run the largest social media organization for Louisiana Creoles in the nation.” Bachelder spoke about the rebranding of Popeye’s and how she is leading the company by helping find its ‘true north’ – going back to the company’s roots and the things that made the food unique and special.
Consumer Behavior students listen to guest lecturer and Distinguished Speaker Cheryl Bachelder
Bachelder teaching
After the class, Bachelder addressed an audience of over 300 at our 2011 Distinguished Speaker Series luncheon in the Hunter Welcome Center. After discussing the how the brand has performed over the last three years (world’s second largest quick service chicken concept based on the number of units) and is expanding rapidly overseas, Bachelder discussed how character, competence and motive are essential traits in successfully leading in the marketplace. She challenged the audience to lead by serving – and to evaluate and define their purpose and principles.
Bachelder speaking at Distinguished Speakers Series luncheon
At the conclusion of her talk, Bachelder answered questions that were submitted via text messaging. We received a large number of questions and she was only able to answer about 3 or 4 before we had to wrap up the luncheon event. We emailed her the remaining questions and she’s provided her responses below:
> As I hear you stressing the importance of having leaders with right motives and character, what strategies would you recommend for a future college grad to use when looking to work for a company with leaders that uphold these qualities?
I would encourage you to find out all you can about the leader of the team or department you would be working for. What is their leadership style? Is it driven by personal ambition or by ambition for the enterprise? What values can you detect? How do they treat people? What adjectives do people use to describe them? What are their interests/passions outside of work? Are they direct, candid, transparent? Are they willing to admit mistakes or expose vulnerability? If the company has a vision, mission, and/or values statement…ask them how they would explain it. Is it a plaque or does it have real meaning to the individual? I would also investigate the CEO of the company….read every article about them and explore what they mean to purpose and principles. The top leader sets the direction and sets the cultural norms. If you find concerns in the top leader, they will likely result in dysfunction somewhere in the enterprise. And conversely, if the top leader has a positive leadership motive, you can expect that will positively influence decisions that are made in the company.
> Can you elaborate on the Isaiah verse about grasshoppers? In what ways are we like grasshoppers?
New International Version (©1984) “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.” Isaiah 40:22a. I lean into this verse as a constant reminder of my humble role in God’s kingdom. The Creator of the universe is so much greater than I. I am merely one of his “grasshoppers.” I intend to be the very best grasshopper I can be, but I don’t want to lose sight of the fact, that God’s plan is far more encompassing and huge than any plan my small mind could think up. So for me, grasshopper= humility.
> How do you incorporate Christian values into a publicly held company? Legally…
I believe all leaders, with faith or not, bring their values into the workplace…so values are something we can and should discuss in the workplace. To work together effectively, we must know one another well. This requires time invested in building relationships with people and treating people with care and respect. If people know you well and believe that the work environment is a healthy one of candid conversations, they become open to values conversations. There is nothing illegal about discussing values like honesty, respect, and accountability. In fact, these conversations are essential…values conflicts will hurt the performance of the team.
For sharing faith, I have found the best approach is to live out your faith in your day to day actions. People will then see something special and genuine about you, and they will want to know more about it. If you are a content person, because of the peace you have found in faith, you will stand out from other discontented, anxious people. You will be asked where your peace comes from. If you have experienced trials and shared them with people, they will learn how you coped with those trials. They will be interested in hearing your story, including your faith lessons.
But importantly, no one will be open to hearing about your beliefs, if you have not invested in building an authentic friendship with them over time. Only in the safety of this relationship, do you have the opportunity to share your perspective and impact lives. Focus on building relationships, and this will bring forward the God-given opportunities to share your faith with others.
> How much of a role does technology play in your business? How do you leverage new technologies, such as iphones or ipads?
Technology plays a role, but perhaps not as large a role as other businesses. We use technology to track and analyze our business. We use sophisticated point of sale terminals that collect data on every purchase in a restaurant and allow us to analyze results and opportunities for improvements. We now use “cloud” type web solutions for collecting data and analyzing it, because it is cost-effective to do so. We have tools that allow us to track restaurant video cameras 24/7 on our ipads so that we can see what is going on at any time. And of course, like you, we communicate 24/7 with our PDAs…email and text. That allows us to work constantly, even on vacationJ.
> What was your best learning experience at a former employer that you have used at Popeye’s?
There are three learning experiences that I have applied at Popeyes.
1) ROADMAP: The leader must express a very clear picture of where the company is headed. We call that our roadmap for results. It gives the goal and the strategy we must pursue to be successful in our industry. We talk about these four goals and four strategies at every single communication opportunity so that the “destination” becomes well understood….and all people can contribute.
2) SUCCEED: The leader must be tenacious about helping the organization reach the goals, the destination. Failure is not an option. A winning team has to win. The leader has a responsibility to competently lead the people to successful performance, and to stop them from doing things that could interfere with getting to the goals. Without succeeding, the leader has let down the organization. Competence is a character trait.
3) ENVIRONMENT: The leader must create a healthy environment for people to grow and develop. It must be an environment of high trust, constructive conflict, candid communication, sincere concern for people. Without these traits, the environment is “toxic” to people; they do not thrive; they do not advance and grow, and eventually that holds back the capability of the company.
> Could you tell us what kind of challenges you face as a female CEO in a big company such as Popeye’s?
The challenges I face are fewer than you might think. But that reflects the fact that I chose this company (and this industry) because it is a good place for women to develop and lead. My Board is very supportive of my leadership and I believe they value and respect my contributions. My shareholders have focused on my results, and appear indifferent to my gender. My team members and franchisees have been open to my leadership, and over time, I believe have gotten to know me well and respect my approach.
Occasionally, there is a truly funny event. Like the time I went to Japan to help negotiate an acquisition. The Japanese executives assumed that I was at the meeting to take notes, so they offered me a lovely gift of writing pens with perfume in them. My team found this amusing, but I accepted the gift, and we moved on without incident.
Are their awkward times as a female CEO? Yes. People are often uncomfortable around me at first. They probably don’t know what to expect. They may have some assumptions about how female leaders lead. They may assume that I am unmarried and have no children. They may assume I do not have faith in God. So I make it my mission to reach out first with a warm, approachable conversation. I often share personal stories about my family as an ice breaker. I often hold back announcing my “title” until asked or after we’ve established rapport. It is still very unusual in our culture to be a female CEO. There are only four female chain restaurant CEOs. So I think that means I have to help people get past that first awkward moment.
> How has female leadership changed/improved the enterprise?
I do believe women are created differently than men, and that is a good thing. Women, as a group, have strong relationship skills. They are sensitive to people’s needs and are often, very responsive and caring. This contributes to a healthy workplace where people are valued and treated well. Women are often more candid and transparent in business discussions. They cut to the chase. They are less guarded. This contributes to a more open dialog of the real issues, and it saves time. Women often have strong business instincts that deserve further exploration. This more intuitive thinking leads to more creativity around innovation and problem solving. Lastly, I’ve noticed that women juggle many tasks well, and as such, they are often highly productive and help others figure out how to juggle as well. These are broad generalizations, but my experience has been that teams with a blend of men and women perform particularly well. Gallup research supports this. They found teams that were 50/50 male/female outperformed teams that skewed either male or female.
> What is the best way to get people on board to help you start up and fund your business plan?
The first thing is to have a thorough, thoughtful and complete business plan. I’m amazed at how many business proposals I have been given that were thinly prepared. No one will invest in something that they do not understand or that they cannot see a path towards performance results. When developing a business plan, take it in “draft” form to many experienced business people and ask them what you are missing. Asking for feedback, then filling the gaps will results in a much stronger presentation for your potential investors. The second recommendation is to have some “proof of concept.” You need some data that supports your premise. If you want to own a restaurant, you may want to cater for a few months to demonstrate that people love your food and service…and it generates repeat customers. As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.”
> If the most competent people in your business lack good character, what should you do as a servant leader?
The first step is to be sure you have set crystal clear expectations for character traits and that you have given the leader an opportunity to adjust to these new expectations. You will know by how much effort the individual takes to change their own behavior. If they make significant effort, and the team is noticing progress, you can afford to give them more time. If they do not make effort and it is obvious to the team that they do not share the character traits, you must confront the situation. This person, left in place, will essentially message to your organization that the character traits really don’t matter, or else this person would not be allowed to continue. This is a cancer on the team and will hold back their performance.
One caveat:, I am constantly amazed at how many people have been “trained” by leaders without strong character traits. The result is that a person shuts down their own character traits and operates at work by the leader’s “rules.” They do not share the leader’s values, but they fear that they must simply conform or be fired. Therefore, you must assure your employees that your character traits are genuinely desired and that they are in a safe environment to become more authentic in their actions. By seeing this situation, I have been able to turnaround a few of these situations.
> How did you change the environment without being another flavor of the month?
Good question. I think many people DID view me as “flavor of the month” when I came to Popeyes. I was the seventh CEO in about 10 years. What else would they think? This made it very important for me to act with consistency in everything that I did, so that over time, trust would build.
I think that our business culture and financial markets have allowed this short term, flip-the-leader environment to develop and it is not healthy for any business entity. High performance comes from strong deep rooted leadership teams (trust). Trust builds from stable, consistent business plans and culture, not from short flips for financial gain. And legacy companies understand this.
> What should I do when I have a passion I feel God has called me to? Witness through as also a business…but no one in my family supports it at all. (verbatim text, not totally sure what her second question/statement is saying exactly)
God gives us our unique strengths and our gifts….and out of those talents, he provides us opportunities to serve him…our calling, if you will. As you read the Bible, you find many Biblical leaders had to pursue their God-given calling, despite the opposition of their friends and families. This is really hard to do. I urge you to spend much time in unhurried conversation with God to be sure you hear his calling clearly. This affirmation from God is critical if you receive a lot of conflicting feedback from others. I have experienced this at a very personal level. There are many people who think it is wrong that I have worked, while raising a family. There are many people, including a few of my pastors, that challenged whether I had accurately understood my calling. In my case, my brother has challenged my calling on a regular basis. Like you, I yearn for the love and support of my friends and family. But at the end of the day, my calling is between me and God, and I must be obedient to Him. When I am obedient to his call on my life, he blesses me with peace, that can only come from Him.
> How do you make time for your family?
I plan my time with my family, just like I plan work projects. This may seem a bit clinical at first, but it is the way that I ensure I block out meaningful time for meaningful conversations and experiences with my family. And I rarely allow business to override these commitments to my family.
Examples…I always plan my vacations for the full year ahead…so that we can plan, talk, and think about the next fun time we will all be together for a week. I plan dinners at home for my husband, daughter and I to eat together, not every day, but about 3 times a week…where we have unhurried time to connect, share and talk about our weeks. I have an “iron rule” that I will talk to my husband every day no matter where I am in the world to make sure we stay close and in conversation. Now that my two oldest children have left home, I make sure to call them once a week and send a thoughtful email once a week to encourage them. I also plan trips to visit my daughters when we can have one on one mother-daughter time. I just did a three day weekend retreat with my 20 year old and we both were better for it! Deep rooted connections are essential to family. I value them and I plan them to make sure I don’t lose sight of that important value.
> Is Chic Fil A included in your QSR?
Chick Fil A is considered a quick service restaurant, but not a chicken quick service restaurant. For some reason, the independent research firm categorizes them as a sandwich competitor…like a burger chain. We compare our performance to both chicken QSR and total QSR so that we stay aware of their performance.
>Do you have a daily routine to help keep you organized and focused?
I have more of a weekly routine and quarterly routine. I plan out my life in 3-4 month blocks so that I can see the “long view” and make sure my priorities are on my calendar. I then have a weekly meeting with myself to work on the details of that particular week. That is when I put my exercise, quiet times, and family connection points on the calendar. My goal is to honor my calendar to a grade of B+. It will never be perfectly balanced. I will have to make some tough trade-off decisions, but on the whole, I need to believe that my time is primarily working on the most important things.
> How do you balance family life and your career?
It’s important to allow yourself to be imperfect and to have a sense of humor. Some days are not balanced at all. Some days miraculously come together. Maybe in heaven I’ll experience perfect balance, but in the meantime I am a flawed human being that aspires to be better at living my life obediently to God’s purpose. So I am deeply grateful for the GRACE and FORGIVENESS given by a merciful God. And when it gets really bad, I watch old DVD episodes of I Love Lucy and laugh out loud.
We are so grateful to Mrs. Bachelder, for the gift of her time, talent, passion and advice. Join us in showing her our gratitude by heading to a Popeye’s and enjoying some chicken, red beans and rice and a biscuit – Louisiana fast!
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 11, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Executives In Residence, Special Speakers
So, as we’ve mentioned here earlier, 27 business students, 2 COBA faculty members and our Executive in Residence (and his sweet wife) traveled to the Big City. For four days, our students took in an impressive line up of meetings: they visited NYSE – and took in the view from the Exchange floor; Tommy Hilfiger’s corporate headquarters, and received a tour of their facility from his sister; AmEx headquarters; CNN New York, and a tour of Johnson & Johnson’s corporate headquarters, in New Jersey, as well as an opportunity to hear from a variety of J&J executives.
COBA students at AMEX headquarters
We recently asked some of the students who went to reflect on their experience:
What was your favorite part of the trip?
- “The most enjoyable part of my trip to NY would be the chance we got to walk the floor of the NYSE. Standing on the floor was an overwhelming feeling after seeing it countless times on the news and in movies.”
- “I loved getting to tour the corporations and learn from the executive’s experiences. It was also really encouraging to meet ACU graduates that have achieved so many things in the few years they have been out of college.”
- “My favorite part of the trip was going to visit with Johnson & Johnson. The culture of that company is amazing; they have a love and passion for people, be it the employees, customers, or just people in general, they truly want to help above all else and that really showed through in their presentation.”
- “Visiting Central Park!”
On the Exchange floor
What business meeting or conversation did you learn the most from?
- “If I had to choose one business we met with that I gained the most from, I would have to leave it with CNN. I had no idea the level of involvement a news provider has in the actually news being announced. CNN has the knowledge of more details involving most news than the public is aloud to know.”
- “Johnson & Johnson was my favorite stop along the tour. They did a really great job of telling us about their company and its values. We got to soak up their culture while we were there. They showed us their athletic facilities and we ate lunch in their cafeteria. It was nice to see that a successful company that has been around for 125 years has values that match mine.”
- “I learned the most from the Sunday morning conversation at the Manhattan Church of Christ. There were so many business professionals there from all different kinds of industries and they gave us great insights and advise. I especially liked that we got a little time to connect with some of them before and after the panel conversation. It was truly amazing hearing from both young and older, hearing their perspectives, stories, and how their lives as Christians play a part in how they do business.”
- “I learned the most from visiting the New York Stock Exchange. We met with a young professional who was in marketing, he created markets for stock by buying and trading at incredibly fast rates. The process of doing business at the NYSE has radically changed in the last 4 years. It was awesome to have the opportunity to experience that.”
- “Interacting with Johnson and Johnson was the most beneficial conversation through out the whole trip. Johnson and Johnson really emphasized on teamwork and not so much grades which really impacted my life as a hard working ‘C’ student. “Its not the grades you make but the hands you shake.””
COBA students in NYC
How has going on this trip affected your studies and/or focus here in COBA?
- “Before going to NY, I had a goal to establish a moderate sized, successful business from my own hard work. My goal of a successful business has completely evolved into a much higher benchmark after seeing what was accomplished by the people we were so fortunate to meet with.”
- “The trip helps put some of your classes into perspective and reminds you why you’re taking these classes. It will definitely help me push through to the end of the semester and look forward to my future career.”
- “I want to push myself to take classes that are going to help me not only in the field I’m majoring in but classes that could help me differentiate myself and help me in whichever field I end up working in after I leave ACU.”
Tommy Hilfiger's Corporate Offices
What advice do you have for current students who might be considering going on this trip next time?
- “Don’t miss an opportunity to go on this trip. This trip will show you more successful businesses and individuals than you ever knew existed. I am so thankful for this trip, and I was blessed to be able to go. The best way to describe a trip of this scale is, “priceless.” “
- “I would highly recommend going on a trip like this. You will receive great advice from successful people and you will also receive several contacts that could possibly lead to a job offer one day. It was great to see what the business atmosphere in New York City was like and to meet some of the top executives at Fortune 500 companies!”
- “I would tell anyone that this trip is amazing; I was afraid about being in NYC without friends or family but with Dr. Lynn, Dr. Stewart, and the Swearingens, I was very comfortable and learned so much on the trip. You will have a lot of fun while learning about the city and the companies, it is a worthwhile experience. “
- “GO! Don’t hesitate attending this trip. You have to learn how to experience ‘the city life’ on your own time, and a COBA trip is the perfect time to be able to interact first hand.”
Meeting with Johnson&Johnson executives
COBA students had a mentoring session with business executives that are also members of the Manhattan Church of Christ
For more pictures from the trip, visit or facebook page.
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 8, 2011 | Careers In..., COBA Events, College Decisions, Special Speakers
In early September, COBA hosted two successful event planners, Luanna Cole and Rachel Hollis, for a Career Connect: Event Planning event. Over 75 students turned out to hear these two women share advice, insights and experience from their careers in wedding and event planning. You can read more about the events here.
And this past week, Rachel Hollis appeared on The Nate Berkus show, a nationally syndicated talk show focusing on interior design, decorating, entertaining and homemaking. Rachel is the Entertaining Contributor for Traditional Home magazine and she recreated a table scape from her September column for Mr. Berkus. Enjoy the clip! (Click on the sentence)
The Nate Berkus Show with special guest Rachel Hollis
<
Rachel Hollis on The Nate Berkus Show
by Amanda Pittman | Sep 29, 2011 | Careers In..., COBA Events, Current Students, Special Speakers
Earlier this month we hosted our first Career Connect event of the fall semester. We were honored to welcome two very successful wedding and event planners – Luanna Cole of The Plantation House in Pflugerville, Texas and Rachel Hollis of Chic Events based in Los Angeles, CA. Event planning and hospitality are two industries that our students have become very interested in lately. As two seasoned and successful entrepreneurs and veterans of the wedding and event industries, Luanna and Rachel brought lots of stories, wisdom, advice and encouraging words to our students.
Luanna and her husband, Norris, has been owner/operators of The Plantation House for 17 years, having hosted over 700 weddings, receptions and corporate events at their venue. Rachel begin Chic Events almost 8 years ago in her basement and has planned and styled weddings, corporate events and parties for various celebrities, motion picture studios, non-profit organizations and magazines. She was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs in 2008.
Event Planning panel featuring Luanna Cole (L) and Rachel Hollis (Center)
We sat down with two students who attended the event. Calli is a sophomore journalism and mass communication major from Carrollton; Kelsey is a senior management major from San Angelo.
1) What’s one thing you learned (or that really stuck with you) about the business of wedding and/or event planning?
Calli: “One thing that really made an impact on me about the business of event planning was how much of your time you have to invest in order to be successful, therefore those with passion for the business will most likely be more motivated to devote themselves to their work.”
Kelsey: ” I found it interesting that a common misconception in regards to event planning is that it is a glamorous line of work. Hearing Rachel and Luanna talk about their experiences allowed all of the girls in the room to recognize that a great amount of time, energy, and hard work is placed into their event planning jobs. I enjoyed learning tactics that each of the women used to balance their careers and family lives. It was interesting to hear that from an early age, Luanna involved her children in the process of setting up events at their home. Her stories about her daughters ending their dates by inviting the guys over to help set up an event were quite comical. It was neat to see that each member of the family contributed in some way to ensure the success of their family owned business.”
Career Connect: Event Planning
2) Did you learn something that will change how you approach the rest of your time here at ACU or has encouraged to try something you wouldn’t have otherwise?
Calli: “Yes. I learned that I want to attain as much experience in the field as possible before I graduate so that I feel prepared for the “real world”.
Kelsey: “I was encouraged to dream big just as Rachel and Luanna did, but to realize that with big dreams comes great responsibility and time commitments. Pursuing a career that you are passionate about has many phenomenal rewards but comes with a lot of hard work.”
Luanna Cole shares with ACU students interested in event planning
3) Did these events encourage you to pursue this career track? If so, how?
Calli: “I definitely want to get more hands on experience. Both Rachel and Luanna encouraged us to work in all sides of the field such as the florists, rental companies, caterers, photographers, etc.”
Kelsey: “I am not drawn to this particular career track, but I feel like the speakers gave great advice that can be carried over into any future career.”
Rachel Hollis sharing with ACU students
4) How does hearing from industry professionals (no matter the industry) enhance what you are learning in the classroom?
Calli: “I have never really heard experience first hand like this so I was incredibly inspired to hear what they had to say. It affirmed every idea i had about the field and reassured that this is exactly what I want to do with my life.”
Kelsey: “Hearing real life experiences straight from a successful business person, enables us (students) to learn far more about a specific industry and/or valuable life lessons that could not be communicated as effectively from a textbook or lecture. One of my favorite parts about listening to the “powerful” speakers that ACU brings to campus, is hearing how the individual overcame a variety of failures and conflicts to get to where they are today. The wisdom that we receive through hearing about other’s past failures gives us the opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes and the ability to put into practice the tactics that the speaker has found to be the most effective. We are encouraged to live humbly just as the speakers do. It seems like usually one of the main differences that sets ACU speakers apart from other successful career people is the fact that the speakers we listen to are so down to earth and exhibit humility as they share their stories with us.”
