Herman Cain: Founder of Xisheng Enterprise Management Company, Former President of Godfather Pizza

[Exclusive interviews with leaders]

Translated by Mo Zhuoyijuan Xiurun/Weng Jingyu

The Bible says:“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

That's absolutely true, that's what my family is like, and that's what parents expect from their children - if you don't go to church, you're going to be in trouble. Not wanting to get into trouble, we spent our childhood attending church services on time and participating in church activities such as youth choirs, Easter celebrations, and plays. We love doing these things, but it is obvious that a child cannot fully understand the true Christian faith from the activities.

After college, his first job was with the U.S. Navy. It was my first trip away from home and I stayed with a friend in a military camp. We are two single men who want to enjoy life to the fullest. On the first Sunday morning after joining the army, I woke up and said to myself:"Who can force me to go to church? I'm an adult now, I work here, no one is watching me, and I want to stay home and watch a football game."

Seven days passed like this...

When I woke up the next Sunday, "even my bones were on fire" and I felt a sense of certainty:something is wrong. This intuition went deep into my heart, as if the Holy Spirit was saying, "No, you must not stop meeting, like those who are in the habit of stopping." So I immediately got up and drove to a small church nearby.

Q: Changing careers is a common occurrence in your life. How do you live out the testimony of your faith during the transition?

Over the years, people have often asked me a similar question: "Have you ever done anything that goes against your conscience and beliefs in order to succeed?" The answer is: "Absolutely not."I never "justify the means", nor do I trade my confidence, morals or beliefs for success.

Young people tend to think that fighting and ruthlessness is the way to advance in the enterprise. No, not at all. I often say to young people: "You always have a choice - you never have to compromise your beliefs or morals. You always have the opportunity to leave sin or change your job."

When I was at Bisbai Foods, I followed the Bible's instructions:"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Luke 6:31)I firmly believe that good things will come to good people. Even though some people genuinely dislike me because they are jealous that I was chosen for a particular position, it does not change the way I treat them. I never retaliate tooth for tooth or eye for eye.

Then I joined Burger King as a member of the Fast-Track Program. Even though I was once a well-known executive at Bisbeth and had worked at Coca-Cola, when I went to Burger King, I still started as a junior employee in the branch.

After I had been working in this branch for a month or two, one night I was fifty dollars short. At closing time, the manager usually checks the receipts in the cash register and settles the cash, then does a balance sheet and deposits the large bills in the bank, leaving enough petty cash to open the store the next day.

The manager will close the shop at eleven o'clock and spend another two hours completing the closing duties. I usually leave around one o'clock in the morning. I stayed there all night trying to find the fifty dollars and figure out what had gone wrong.

I stayed until four o'clock in the morning, counting and counting, trying to find the missing fifty dollars. Did I do something wrong? Are all invoices and receipts correct?It's driving me crazy! This has never happened before. When the manager opened the door at five o'clock the next day and started work, I finally gave up. Typically, any difference exceeding twenty-five dollars will be recorded on the employee's fault file. I wrote in my report, "Fifty dollars short," and returned home.

The next night it was my turn to close the shop, and when I did, guess what happened? Fifty dollars more! I wonder:"This is really weird."

Despite that report, after a while I became the manager of the branch. Later, that branch became the best-performing one in the area. Frankly, it's simply the atmosphere I create in restaurants.

I was promoted from a junior employee in that branch to district vice president. Before I took over, I said goodbye to every employee in the branch, and one of my assistant managers asked me if I could go out for a drink to celebrate.

"Okay," I said, "but why not ask the other assistant managers to come with us?"

He said, "Oh, no... I think, just the two of us."

As we drank coffee together, he confessed that he had taken the short fifty dollars on purpose and put them back on purpose. He cried as he spoke.

"Why are you doing this?" I was puzzled.

He said: "When you first came to this district, the former district vice president told everyone that you were going to suffer something - he didn't say your name explicitly, but he used an insulting word to imply it. This was a test. It was a test. If you were fifty dollars short, would you put money in the register to make up the shortfall, or would you tell the truth?"

He asked me in tears, would I forgive him? I also said that during the time I was there, he was so impressed by the way I treated others that his conscience would be troubled if he did not confess his sins. Now that I'm about to be promoted, he regrets what he did.

I immediately replied: "Kevin, I forgive you." Next, Kevin and I started chatting all over the place, and finally asked about my employment status. He was extremely surprised: "How could this be? You have become Bisbai's Vice President, why bother coming to Burger King again?" So I drank my coffee and took out my dreams and plans. As we chatted, we also talked about his dreams and plans. He admitted that he actually did not want to stay in the restaurant industry, but wanted to become a securities dealer.

"Why don't you do it?" I asked him.

"I don't know, I've never taken that step," he said.

"Kevin, you are a young man, now is the time for you to take the first step, otherwise, you will never have real happiness." This is what I say from the bottom of my heart.

After I left, I went to another job, and Kevin really left there to learn to be a securities dealer. About five years ago, he called me to thank me and said that he had changed his career to a broker. Now he is not only a securities dealer, but also manages a large business office for his company.

You see, this is how I practice faith! I could have lost my temper with Kevin and felt sorry for his evil plans, but if I had done that, I would have had a bad spirit and a bad motive. However, based on my confidence and sincerity, I chose to forgive him. Even going the extra mile, that's when Kevin asked me back, and I tried to help him find ways to make his life more exciting.

Am I digressing? So, let me answer you with a more common answer. I change careers more often than most people. Every time I change careers, I do so with unparalleled confidence that I will succeed in whatever I do. This is entirely due to my faith in God and myself.

I have always believed that as long as you work harder and devote longer hours, success is not a dream.I am also encouraged by the Bible to never look back when trying to move toward a dream or goal (see Luke 9:62). When I make a decision to move from one company to another, whether it is from computer technology to the catering industry, or to managing the National Restaurant Association, once something moves in my heart, it means that I have prayed about it.

Q: Do you pray for every employment decision?

For sure! I prayed fervently every time. Every time I changed careers, I had in-depth discussions with my wife. She is a devout believer. When you make decisions like these, it's best to discuss them with people who are close to God and who can give you honest advice.

I would listen carefully to what my wife said, as if the Holy Spirit was admonishing me through her. After praying, thinking carefully, and listening to opinions, I accepted these positions with full confidence and courage without hesitation, believing that things would be successful.

If I encounter a fork in the road or a rough road, I can take it calmly because I always keep my eyes on the reward in heaven. simply say,When I make major decisions in my life, I always have this assurance: I am convinced that this is the direction God wants me to take.

Q: Once you are promoted to supervisor, will you establish any rules or verbal rules? Or would you rather lead by example?

Leading by example is better than words and regulations. When Bisbai was promoted to information management director, he had about fifty subordinates. This was a big change for me, because the analysis team I worked for only had fifteen people in charge. Then, less than a year later, we merged with Green Giant and I was put in charge of an organization that doubled in size and suddenly had a hundred people working for me.

During my tenure, I actively talked with all my subordinates and also with those who reported directly to me. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Luke 6:31) This is the basic biblical rule that I apply to any organization I run. Even if we have to fire someone, we have to do it with compassion and put ourselves in their shoes, and we did that.

The influence brought by leading by example is more effective than any words and norms.. Good examples and good behavior are clearly discernible to everyone. Leaders should do their best, excel, and then talk to their subordinates to encourage them to be as productive as we are. It all depends on communication.

Q: Is it possible for even a large enterprise like Godfather’s Pizza to achieve that level of communication?

Yes, whether they are vice presidents, district managers or district managers, I often talk with my subordinates, not only about the success of the company, but also about how to achieve a truly successful life.

At the invitation of the district manager, I will also attend district manager branch meetings. Although I may not have one-on-one contact with everyone, in Godfather's Pizza, a large organization with 12,000 employees, I still show one thing - do my best. When I speak at conferences, I don't just talk about how the entire company needs to be successful. I always talk about what we need to do as humans to be successful and what we need to do to be happy. I also often mention that people need to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives.

I am not the kind of president or CEO who “stays in the office with my legs crossed,” but rather the CEO who “goes outside to the factory and interacts with employees.”. I meet them in restaurants, I talk to them in restaurants, and the goal is to build rapport. It's important to build good relationships with those who come into contact with you regularly so that you can have an impact that affects the entire organization.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter times when someone doesn’t understand or appreciate it. Of course those situations have to be handled, that's part of leadership. I never take lightly situations that get out of control or violate corporate culture.

Q: If you own a multinational listed company like Godfather Pizza, you will encounter many people of different faiths. How do you get along with them?

I believe that all major religious faiths have something in common, no matter how they are stated. When I give a speech, sometimes if I say "God", I will explain it:

"In my religion, I believe in 'God.' And you have your religion. Whoever has the higher power in your religion is your personal choice."

Send this message immediately to let people knowYou are not forcing them to use "your" word, "your" name, "your" way of doing things, or "your" religion. Preaching is the last resort. What people value is the way we treat others, our words, deeds, and correct attitude.

I often travel to various places to speak, so I often face audiences of different faiths and even give speeches across countries. For example, when I went to Egypt recently, I did not dare to jump into religious topics. However, I believe: most religions are much the same.

I do not want others to measure me by how well I keep the rules of my faith, and I never judge others that way. In many keynote speeches, when the Holy Spirit inspired me, I would say: "People often ask me, what is the secret of success? The secret of my success is because, first, I believe in God; second, I believe in myself; and third, , I believe that dreams should never be given up easily.”

Q: Has anything changed from Godfather’s Pizza to this small establishment?

Again, live by example. In the small group of Xinsheng Enterprise Management Consulting Company, I have four employees, including myself, my wife (who has the same Christian faith), and a chief manager (she is a Christian, but I am not sure which denomination it is. ) and an administrative assistant (a Jew). We often engage in debates about Christianity and Judaism. This is done to better understand the differences between the two.

Truett Cathey, the gentleman who founded the Chick-Fil-A fast-food chain, said, "We don't open on Sundays." To this day, the company is still closed on Sundays. Why? So that his employees and their families can pursue their personal religious beliefs on Sundays. Curtuth did not instruct others to do so, but simply integrated faith into Sabbath observance so that his employees could make their own choices.

I don't think you have to force people to make decisions, that's the wrong way to go, but you can encourage people to seek their own beliefs. People often ask me about the reason for my hope, and I take the opportunity to preach the gospel to them and share my personal testimony. Seize the opportunity!

Jesus was best at "opportunity education"; whenever a certain situation occurred, he would teach people or tell parables. There are many instances in the Bible where someone asked, “Rabbi, what do you think of this?”

With this spirit in mind, there is no need to expressly stipulate whether it is a company or any organization. I will always adhere to these principles or moral standards in any organization, so I do not need to deliberately talk about or expressly stipulate any religious rules.

Q: What advice would you give to young Christians who want to go into business?

First, be ever true to your Almighty. Second, believe in yourself. Third, as Dr. Robert Schuller said, believe that God wants you to be the kind of person you have always dreamed of being. That means having dreams and pursuing those dreams, and seeking things in your life that not only nourish your health but also bring you happiness and satisfaction. Happiness does not equal money; success goes beyond being rich. If you can do this, your actions will make a difference in the lives of others.

In Being Your Own CEO, I explain in greater detail the major decisions I have made at all stages of my life. However, what is indispensable is this one:Stay true to your beliefs and stay true to yourself—but dream. And when your dreams come true, dream more!

*Taken from the book Corporate Giants: Personal Stories of Faith and Finance, by Bob Darden, Robert Darden, and PJ Richardson, published by FH Revell, 2002, the Chinese version was translated by Mo Zhuoyijuan and edited by Weng Jingyu Run will be published by Eagle Press in the near future and is published with permission.

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Corporate winners who become more and more courageous as they fight

Kohlman is a legend of many talents. He maintained good accounting systems for the U.S. Navy and resurrected moribund companies. He is a popular motivational speaker and best-selling author. Oh, by the way, he is also a slightly famous gospel singer.

In 1977, at the age of twenty-nine, Hallmark joined the Pillsbury Company. Within five years, he became the company's vice president. After leaving Bisbeth, Hallmark started at the bottom at Burger King. In just nine months, he took over the management of 400 Burger King stores in the greater Philadelphia area. Within three years, the chain's production volume in his area topped the list.

Hallmark returned to Bisbeth in 1986 as president of its Godfather's Pizza chain to rescue declining performance. Two years later, he and his management team bought the company, which was doing well at the time.

Kohlman also held several other interesting positions, including a brief stint on the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Committee, and in 1996 as a senior adviser to the presidential campaigns of Dole and Kemp. In the same year, he left Godfather's Pizza (which now has 550 stores in the United States and Canada and thousands of employees) and was elected president of the National Restaurant Association. In 1999, he became CEO of Retail DNA, an organization that provides future planning and solutions to difficulties in the technology market.

Today, Hallmark is the founder of THE New Voice, Inc., specializing in leadership training courses taught by Hallmark; promoting its business masterpieces: "Leadership is Common Sense", "Speak Like a Leader" and "Be Your Own CEO," as well as inspiring audio-visual products: "Saving the Frogs," "Leadership is Three Plus Three," "Happy Customers" and "Success is a Journey," and also promotes the gospel CD "Ke Hallmark's Sunday Morning."

It sounds like this person has done too much, right? Just like Heman's father working three jobs at the same time - private car driver, hairdresser and cleaner - to survive the family's difficulties. "We look forward to the return of Christ and hope to do something to impact this generation, but time seems to be getting shorter and shorter," Hallmark said.

The Christian family had a great influence on Hallman's life.