In the latest episode of Turning Tables, host and growth strategist, Kathleen Wood, and her guest, Blaine Hurst discuss lessons in leadership. Hurst is the retired CEO of Panera Bread, a member of the Fast Casual Hall of Fame, a four-time Fast Casual Mover and Shaker, author of 8 patents, and is regarded as one of the highest-impact restaurant leaders of recent times.

Today Hurst is an active Executive Board Member of Hero Bread, an ultra-low net carb bread products company, and says that his real passion is people with intellectual disabilities. In March he will be speaking at the Franchising and Innovation Summit discussing the untapped labor pool. He said, “ ​​this emerging population that are very hireable that are very dedicated that walk into your building every day with joy and I just think there's a huge opportunity.” Wood refers to Hurst as a visionary, a trailblazer, and an innovator that is trying to bring a whole new generation into the workplace.

Wood and Hurst talk about the power of a culture that's never satisfied and Hurst shares his perspective saying, “I call that culture of dissatisfaction and people sometimes react to that negatively, to me it's quite the opposite and it's actually a very positive trait.” They break this down and relate it to today’s operator and the choice of prioritizing the changes to make improvements. Hurst says, “so my recommendation to the restaurant manager is to make a choice about what matters most and I will guarantee you it's people first I guarantee you there's really no debate about that in my head because people are the underlying foundation of great operations.”

Hurst talks about working with ClemsonLIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) which is a post-secondary education program with the specific purpose of helping young adults with intellectual disabilities. He is also an investor and advisor in the Sheperd Hotel and Delish Sisters restaurant in downtown Clemson where 40% of the staff are people with intellectual disabilities.

To hear about Hurst’s tagline, running the race with joy, and its significance as well as its impact tune into this episode of Turning Tables Podcast on Apple Podcasts.