Rosalie Guillaume, co-founder of Le Macaron, a French pastry franchise with over 65 locations, shared her journey from a modest background in France to building a successful business in the U.S. Despite losing everything during the Great Recession, she leveraged her experience with Amway and her passion for macarons to start her own business. Rosalie emphasized the importance of hiring for traits, maintaining family harmony, and breaking down large goals into manageable steps. She highlighted the significance of customer service, simplicity in operations, and the cultural experience her stores offer. Rosalie’s story underscores resilience, family values, and the power of following one’s dreams.

ACTION PRINCIPLES 

Pick one to do this week:

1. Take smaller steps. When a project or task is overwhelming, it helps to break it down into smaller steps. ACTION: List out all the steps of a large project and focus only on the next step.
2. Embrace your unique qualities. Finding ways to incorporate your traits or passions during reinvention can boost your success. ACTION: Ask yourself how you can incorporate something you love or a natural talent into the next phase of your career.
3. Hire for traits. Many leaders make the mistake of hiring based on skills. Traits are far more critical to your company’s success. ACTION: Prioritize traits in a potential employee that match your company culture.
4. Believe in yourself. Surround yourself with a supportive circle, and have faith in your ability to succeed. ACTION: Write a list the reasons you will succeed and read them daily as a reminder.

GUEST RESOURCES

Learn more from Rosalie Guillem by visiting Le Macaron.

SUGGESTED LINKEDIN LEARNING COURSE
 

Discovering Your Strengths

Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com