Welcome to How Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.

I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

That's what this podcast is all about.

Today's guest is Elaine Stock,

the CEO of Servicemaster. There's an old adage I'm sure you've heard. The only way to gain

control is to give up control. And if you've ever run a business or led a team, you know how true

that statement is. And you also know how hard it can be to actually

give up control. But if we want our companies to grow, we have to get comfortable trusting our

partners and team members and allowing them to do their part in building the business. What you're

going to hear in this episode is how Elaine has learned to give up control while running a franchise system where her company owns the brands and the franchisees run and own their independent businesses.

But I guarantee you one thing, whether you're struggling to give up control running a large business with franchisees or simply running a small team. I know there's a lot

you'll learn from today's episode. Here's the thing. The great leaders I know are comfortable

giving up control. It's the only way to get people inspired and grow a business. Let's get right

to it. Here's my conversation with my friend and soon to be yours,

Elaine Stock. You know, Elaine, I can't wait to get into how you go about leading, but first tell us

a little bit about Service Master. What are you up to these days? Service Master is a great company.

It's a 92-year-old company, and I like to call it a new 92-year-old company because about a year ago,

we were carved out of a bigger public company and became a standalone business. And we're the

leader in home services. We're also the leader in commercial services in terms of providing

restoration services

or cleaning services across a variety of different customers and consumers. So it's a great business

with some great brands, including Service Master Restore, Service Master Clean, two men in a truck

...