Panera Bread Emboldens New Leaders to Rise

Good leadership has a powerful impact on the experiences of bakery-café associates and creates a positive atmosphere for guests. With more than 2,000 bakery locations nationwide, Panera Bread recognized an opportunity to maximize its power to do good and demonstrate how much it cares about its employees, company culture, and customers with a new leadership training program.

In keeping with Panera company values, it wanted to improve the internal promotion process of assistant managers to general managers – a shift that would have a powerful positive transformational effect on its culture long term.

AllenComm partnered with Panera to develop an advanced program focused on building confidence through competency. Management learners navigate their way through twelve online micromodules and three ILT sessions that help them build their team, create a feeling of belonging and community essential to Panera’s food culture, and strategize to prepare for challenges.

Participants learn skills to bridge the gap between acquiring a new skill during training and applying the new skill on the job by engaging in activities such as writing goals, answering questions, and reflecting on the daily application of new behaviors they’ve practiced.

The course and activities:

• • Encourage new leaders to practice and apply new leadership skills
  • Increase internal promotion rates
  • Retain skilled employees
  • Improve quality of food and speed of service
  • Cultivate a food culture that celebrates sustainable and nutritious food
  • Build a diverse and supportive community