The interactive training sessions are designed to help managers develop traits such as being proactive and respectful—characteristics Panda believes produces high-performing leaders.

“I help my associates complete tasks and do anything. If I have to wash the dishes, if I have to sweep the floor, I will do it because those are the kinds of things I feel develops trust among people and really developing relationships with them,” he says. “Every leader needs to develop a high level of trust first.”

That's just one of the lessons Briggs has learned since he arrived at Panda Express two-and-a-half years ago. As he moved up from assistant manager to general manager and training leader, in which he trains other general managers, the Rosemead, Calif.-based company has taught him not only how to run a Panda Express but also how to be an effective leader.

“Panda teaches us and develops us into leaders, not just managers,” Briggs says.

Parent Panda Restaurant Group has spent the last two years reworking its manager training programs to emphasize leadership skills as well operational standards. By doing so, the company hopes to retain managers and have a pipeline of them ready as Panda Express opens 160 fast-casual Chinese restaurants a year.

“We can teach any tactical skill. That is not hard. What is hard to teach are leadership behaviors. That's why we focus so strongly on that,” says Linda Brandt, chief people officer of Panda Restaurant Group, which also owns six-unit Panda Inn and 28-unit Hibachi-San. “We believe that how our leaders behave is a lot about how we retain people. How we inspire them, how I treat my people is what makes them want to stay. You know the research—people do not quit companies, they quit their bosses.”

Panda's new courses are based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. According to the book, people develop leadership skills from the inside out. They must first learn to be independent leaders comfortable with making decisions for themselves. Then they can learn to be interdependent leaders who can cooperate with others.

Great Operations 303 teaches team building and servant leadership through sharing and experiential activities.

General managers are required to take three foundational courses. The first is a seven-week training program at a unit. It focuses on tactical skills such as preparing food and labor scheduling. But GMs are also introduced to a simplified version of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People called 7 Habits in a Box, which includes a journal and 97-page workbook.

Once general managers complete the seven-week training, they must read and pass a test on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Then they take Great Operations 101: Running a Successful Restaurant at corporate headquarters.

The 101 course still covers mostly task-based skills such as P&L statements. The GMs practice what they've learned running a Panda Express unit in the corporate support center. The class concludes with a discussion of The 7 Habits.

Panda Restaurant Group's management training program emphasizes leadership skills as well as operational standards.

GMs who want to become an area coach, Panda's term for district manager, can take Great Operations 303: Inspiring Others Through Self-Discovery. To qualify, managers must work with their supervisors to outline career goals and create a development plan to meet them. In addition, they need a positive performance review and must meet certain customer service and financial metrics for their units.

The 303 course teaches general managers about team building and servant leadership through sharing and experiential activities. For example, one activity focuses on communication. Working in pairs, one GM is blindfolded inside a large circle with a bar that goes from one end of the circle to the other and objects on the floor. The other GM must direct the blindfolded person to walk through the circle without stepping on the bar and other objects. “If you do not communicate very clearly to the individual who's blindfolded, they are not able to do the task,” Brandt explains. “So it's about communication. As leaders, how do we set expectations clearly and how do we help people achieve the goals that have been established.”

According to Brandt, one reason the classes are successful is because of interactive activities like this. “We have learning programs for our general managers that are very experiential, that help people become vulnerable and humble, which we believe is the basis for increased personal self-awareness as well as strong leaders,” she says.

Since Panda began the courses last year, management turnover is 23 percent, compared to 33 percent five years ago. The industry average for management turnover in 2007 was 32 percent, according to the 2008 Survey of Unit Level Employment Practices from People Report, the Dallas-based human-resources benchmarking firm. About 70 percent of Panda's general managers are promoted internally, with an average tenure of four years. In 2003 the vacancy rate for general managers was 23 percent; now it's 2 percent.

Panda's good retention numbers aren't a surprise to Teresa Siriani, president of People Report, which awarded Panda one of its 2007 Best People Practices Awards. “We certainly see that the best-practice companies do more development of their people because most studies talk about how that is definitely something that the worker today is craving,” she says.

“They are committed to growing their brand through their people, not in spite of their people,” Siriani adds.

Panda's commitment extends to ongoing development of its managers, too. The company currently offers a few advanced and mastery courses. For example, it developed an Executive Management Program a few years ago in conjunction with Claremont College's Drucker School of Management. The two-and-a-half day session is held annually for high-performing area coaches and covers subjects such as marketing, finance, human resources and project management.

“It's like a mini MBA program,” Brandt says. Panda plans to launch several more advanced and mastery courses this year.

While these programs are meant to aid retention, they are also designed to maintain Panda's culture. The company prefers to hire from within to keep its culture intact. “Now it doesn't mean you never hire externally because you need to do some of that, too. It needs to be balanced,” Brandt explains “But if a company like Panda has to hire too many people externally, it will dilute the culture and the company will change. And that's what we're trying to avoid by having strong programs internally to develop and retain our people.”