Industry Leader: Harland David Sanders
Industry Leader: Harland David Sanders
1. Name of my Industry Leader (IL): Harland David Sanders
2. My IL worked in the fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) part of the industry and his specific job was the whole company’s goodwill ambassador and he was the corporate symbol of KFC.
3. Some biographic Facts about Sanders:
-He lived from September 9, 1890 to December 16, 1980
-He was born in Henryville city, Indiana in the US, to Margaret Ann and Wilbur David Sanders.
His mother did not have a job while his father farmed in Henryville and worked part time
4. Was there something special that shaped your leader’s future (e.g. Family history, some events and/or training)? Explain in detail.
According to Llanas (2015), Sander’s challenging childhood and the poor state of his parents really shaped his future life ambitions. His father’s sudden death from fever when David Harland was 6 dramatically changed his life. With the mother forced to take up odd jobs to fend for the family, Sanders was left at home to babysit his siblings. The author notes that the fact that Harland Sanders learnt or acquired the experience of hard work at an early age due to the circumstances of his family enabled him to be who he became later in life.
5. What was your leader’s career path? What jobs, successes and/or failures did s/he experience to get to a position of impact and leadership?
At the age of 15, Sanders joined the US Army as a volunteer, where he worked as a pilot to a steamboat. He would later get employed as fireman by a US railway corporation but was later dismissed on grounds of insubordination whereupon he decided to take up a course in law but never completed. Undeterred, Sanders was determined to succeed and hence at the age of 40, he used the little social security money he had accumulated to purchase a motel, service station and a café at Corbin town near Kentucky. It is here that he came up with the idea of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and being located along the highway, business soon began to boom. In 1935, he was a Kentucky Colonel title by Ruby Laffoon, the county’s governor in reposition for his services to the US army. However, at certain points in time he had to contend with a plethora of challenges such as when his motel got burnt down (Feloni, 20156).
6. What specifically made/makes her/him an Industry Leader and not just a famous or wealthy person? Was/is it their actions, books, financial success, community service or something else? Explain in detail.
David Harland Sanders is known for his people-oriented skills and qualities and values. Moreover, his endurance and hard work even in the face of challenges make him a great leader in the fast foods industry. This, according to josh (2012), was evidenced by the manner in which he treated his customers and the way his restaurants would be fully packed al the time. He also had respect for his customers and competitors Moreover, his leadership skills are evident during his time with the army and his entrepreneurial leadership qualities come out due to the fact that he was able to build and manage one of the best and most famous motels in the US fast foods industry. Harland has also written a book titled Kentucky Fried Chicken together with Kezia Jessica Moonlight, Michelle Anna Burton that was published in 2012. In this book, the authors have offered some of the unique fast food recipes that are being used at KFC to make the tastiest fast foods ever.
7. Anything else important about your Leader?
He franchised his company, Kentucky Fried Chicken, at the age of 62 and later sold at when he was 75. He has been honored by the University of Houston as a legend at the institution’s Hospitality Industry Hall of Fame (Feloni, 2015)
8. Is there a famous quote, saying or story associated with your Leader?
Colonel Sander is famous for various business success quotes such as “Feed the poor and get rich, or feed the rich and get poor.” Other quotes associated with him include:
“One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping-stone to something better”
“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it.”
“Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service.”
9. After researching this person do you consider him/her a Leader? Why or why not?
Yes, I consider him a leader given the fact that he was able to successfully manage KFC for long without running it down or losing the trust of his customers and employees.
10. What is the one question you would ask your leader if you were to meet her/him?
I would ask him the other personal and business leadership qualities and values that enabled him to build one of the best chicken restaurants in the US fast foods industry.
References
Feloni, R. (2015, June 25). KFC founder Colonel Sanders didn't achieve his remarkable rise to success until his 60s. Business Insider. Retrieved February 13, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-kfc-founder-colonel-sanders-achieved-success-in-his-60s-2015-6
Josh, O. (2012). Colonel Sanders and the American dream. Texas: University of Texas Press.
Llanas, S. G. (2015). Colonel Harland Sanders: KFC creator. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Abdo Publishing .
