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ARJUN:
Randy, I have known you for nearly 25 years. I had the best seat in the house to see you accomplish great things at Boston Market. During your time there, you have moved up to the highest levels. You are now serving as president, a promotion that’s truly well deserved.
I’d like to talk first about your time there as general counsel. We know there are stereotypes about lawyers, but you were so highly respected in that role. You have always come across as seeing the bigger picture for your brand, caring about people. How did this start? How does this super legal counsel so successfully get wired into a brand and the pulse of the customer?
RANDY:
I think I've just been blessed with the opportunity to do things that most general counsels may not have the opportunity to do. Through that, I believe I've been able to show that I have the ability to think more broadly about our business. This led to opportunities back in the early 2000s for me to broaden my horizon and undertake more things that allowed me to understand our guests and our people better.
ARJUN:
I want to dive a little into the people side of the business. Two phrases that people universally use to describe you are, number one, you really get people, and second, any time people need to have access, you always have time. What is it about that connection to people that drives you?
RANDY:
The main thing is being compassionate, having the ability to listen to others and learn from them. Those things are really part of my core. I think interpersonal skills and relationships are very important in business. I was given the opportunity to go out into restaurants and meet with guests and understand their mindset when they visit us. Maybe even more importantly, I was able to interact with our team members on the front lines. They see the business in a way that you can't see from a corporate office. You have to be in the restaurants to see it live and they have a front row seat to that every single day.
ARJUN:
You mentioned being fortunate about having the opportunity. Sometimes we see in the corporate world that once people move up and they become brilliant, they also demonstrate a bit of arrogance. How do you stay humble? How do you always put people and customers first?
RANDY:
I probably am arrogant at times, but I try not to be. I just remember where I came from. I didn’t come from the most well-to-do background. I put myself through college and law school. I drove a truck and I worked in a recycling plant. At 16 I started working as a cook at a Sizzler Family Steak House. All of that was designed to put me on the path toward where I wanted to get to eventually. I just try to remember my roots, remember who I am, remember that all of us are in this thing called life together, and I try to check my ego everywhere I go. My wife will tell you that I don't necessarily check it when I walk in the back door to my home after the end of the day, and she's probably right. Maybe I save it all up for my family.
ARJUN:
You are an amazing human being and family-oriented person. I am fortunate to know you and your family. We both joined Boston Market nearly at the same time. You’re still there, 25 years later, and I have total respect for your commitment to the brand. The average tenure of a person at the senior management level is five and a half years.
Your longevity at such a position is an incredible story. I want to understand your secret to being so committed to the brand; to staying so excited and passionate for this extended period of time.
RANDY:
First and foremost, I fell in love with this brand because I believed then, and I still believe today, that our brand fits a white space in the restaurant industry. We really were the pioneer of fast-casual and high-quality food that you can access quickly. In 1994, when I joined the company, I felt that was missing in the industry. I think people coming to our restaurants feel a warmth because we offer such traditional fare. It's comfortable food for people to consume. I'm passionate about the brand and passionate about returning it to the days when we had 1,200 restaurant locations. My goal is to see us get back to at least 500 locations before I have to call it a day. I remain committed to the vision of this brand; the vision of founders Kip Kolow and Arthur Cores and what we built in the 90’s and early 2000s. I want to see that and continue that journey with this brand.
ARJUN:
That is so beautifully said. What you just said is exactly true in a relationship. You have to start by falling in love. If that is not there first, you’re starting the relationship for the wrong reason. Are there any fascinating memories along this incredible journey that you are willing to share?
RANDY:
I remember the early days with Boston Chicken. In those days I had tremendous fondness for the team of professionals that was pulled together in that organization. I believe, at that time, we had the best management team and restaurant operators in the industry, and I was proud to be a part of that team. I have tried to carry forward some of the things that I learned then. Scott Beck, the CEO when I joined Boston Chicken, once said in a meeting not to be afraid to make a mistake, but only make that mistake once. That stuck with me. I saw the way he, and other leaders at that time, embraced collaboration and were not shy about conflict.
From a professional career perspective, being part of the legal team that guided us through bankruptcy from 1998 to 2000 was probably one of the most significant achievements in my legal career here, but the memories I have of the people I've interacted with in the restaurants are what I really feel warm about. Just last week I walked into a restaurant in Dallas and met somebody who's been with the brand as long as I have, and we share a kindred spirit and a bond centered around our passion for the brand and the people. Those are probably the things that I value most as I look back over time.
As far as specific events, I remember when we changed from Boston Chicken to Boston Market and the complexities of that, but also our ability to eliminate the veto vote in the restaurants. I think that was a momentous day. I also think of the acquisition when Sun Capital bought us. Then going through COVID; that will stick with me forever. That was a very difficult time for us and we came through it and got back into the light.
ARJUN:
I asked one of your former bosses at Boston Market, Lane Cardwell, to describe you in one word. He told me he couldn’t do it. He said, “Incredibly smart and a thorough gentleman.” Let’s go back to the brand for a moment. As you're building the brand, if you could have one unlimited resource, not including funding, what would that be? What resource would you love to have to get the brand to the next level and see your vision through?
RANDY:
That's a tough one to answer. I think the critical asset of our organization is the people who work in the restaurants. That has been difficult this year as we've gone through COVID. To me, your people are the most important resource any organization would need. I suspect that even a brand like Starbucks would tell you that. Their coffee model is phenomenal, but I also love their people. That's probably the single most important resource that we need, people and talent.
ARJUN:
You're totally right. The right coffee or the right rotisserie chicken doesn't feel the same if it doesn't come from the right person with the right smile. Those are like micro moments of love as we talked about. Now I’d like to toss out a “What if.” If you had not become an attorney or gone into the restaurant business, what do you think you would be doing career-wise?
RANDY:
My initial passion was actually politics. As a young man, I felt that was a way to have an opportunity to really impact people in a very positive way. That was where I wanted to see my career path go. I did have opportunities to participate in the political scene out of Chicago. It didn't disenfranchise me, but it led me to think I was maybe not well suited to battle in that arena and get into the position where I could actually have an impact. I don't look back on that with any regret whatsoever because I've ended up in a great place. My life is really good, and I'm really happy.
ARJUN:
This section is about rapid questions and short answers. Let's go beyond the restaurant industry. What would be your advice to anyone, in any walk of life, regarding being a successful leader?
RANDY:
Surround yourself with talented people and leave your ego at the door.
ARJUN:
How do you define a big win?
RANDY:
Teamwork that achieves the intended result.
ARJUN:
What's the one reason companies fail to win big?
RANDY:
I think they get distracted from their intended goals.
ARJUN:
Many leaders rule out some words from their mind. I have worked with some top athletes who, as kids, literally took a dictionary and removed the word “no” from it. What word would you would remove from your dictionary?
RANDY:
Impossible.
ARJUN:
How do you overcome that? We all are human beings. Sometimes we feel that some things are not possible. What's your first reaction when you face something like that?
RANDY:
I have a poster in my office of Albert Einstein. It was one of the original Apple promotional posters. In the corner above his face, it says, "Think different." I try to follow that every single day when a problem presents itself. We just need to think differently. There's typically always a way. I don't find things impossible.
ARJUN:
If Randy today could go back and talk to himself, the young kid graduating from college, what would be the one piece of advice you would give him for his upcoming amazing career?
RANDY:
Pursue your dream, stay true to yourself, and listen to others.
ARJUN:
Finally, I find success without a plan or a process cannot be repeated. Do you have a process? What is the first thing you do when you begin your day or the last thing you do when you're winding down and finishing a day of work? Do you have a routine that you're comfortable sharing?
RANDY:
At the start of my day, the first thing I think about is making sure that nothing bad happened in any of our restaurants the night before. The second thing is seeing how we did in sales. Those are the things that pop into my mind immediately when I wake up in the morning. I run downstairs to grab a coffee and get my laptop going. What I think about at night is how I can be better. How can I help others more? I tend to think through my day and think about where I may have disappointed myself, and maybe someone else, in either my words or my actions, or my lack of words or actions. Those things tend to stick with me and they're usually in my mind. Sometimes they don't let me fall asleep right away when I'm going to bed.
ARJUN:
Thank you for sharing. If you were in my shoes and you were interviewing Randy Miller, is there a question you would have asked that I didn't ask?
RANDY:
No, I can't really think of anything, Arjun. You've hit me with some interesting questions that I haven't really thought about before. I especially like the one about a word I would take out of my vocabulary. Talking with you has been really fun. As I said earlier, I do believe people are the key to business and everything that we do in business. I think it's important to listen to others and not always think that you've got the answer. Someone else may have it, and someone on the frontline may be that person.
ARJUN:
Here a few things I'm taking away. Nearly everyone we meet anywhere in the corporate world talk about people as priority number one. It's all about living that. The second big “aha” point for me was check your ego. I think that's very important because that's connected to listening to everything else. The third was, as you start going through, you talked about how you start by falling in love. That's an amazing line for me. I'm going to use it shamelessly. Thank you Randy.