Business Is Human: The Leadership Model That Turns Care into Enterprise Value with Niren Chaudhary

We often talk about strategy, technology, and profit as the engines of success. And in times of rapid change and uncertainty, it’s easy to double down on those levers. But what if we’re missing the most important one?

In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Niren Chaudhary, former CEO of Panera Brands, joins Ashish Kothari to share a leadership philosophy rooted in something many leaders overlook: love and care for people. 

Because at the end of the day, companies aren’t machines, they’re human systems. And when we treat people like family, they show up with heart, commitment, and a desire to go above and beyond.

Niren reflects on lessons from decades at Tata, Yum! Brands, and Panera, breaking down how to build cultures where values are lived, not laminated, and how leaders can turn care for people into a competitive advantage. 

He also opens up about how the loss of his daughter Aisha Chaudhary profoundly reshaped how he sees leadership, success, and the legacy we leave behind.

What you’ll also learn in this episode:

• Why business is fundamentally a human-to-human experience

• The leadership model that starts with love and leads to profit

• How to hire for attitude and train for skill

• Why success begins with the right people, doing the right things, the right way

• The butterfly effect of investing in your people

• Why resilience, curiosity, and generosity are non-negotiables in business and life

This conversation is a reminder that in business and in life, what matters most is how we show up for one another.

Tune into the full episode to hear Niren’s powerful stories and practical wisdom on what it really means to lead with love.

Resources:

• Smile A Lot by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.awakin.org/v2/read/view.php?tid=168 

• The Sky is Pink (Aisha Chaudhary): https://youtu.be/OnBN5b48HBc?si=_FcybEn8N_yhatF9 

• Black Sunshine Baby (Aisha Chaudhary): https://youtu.be/Hkf7n7m_KgY?si=THIQQMkGNUE3_-9c 

• The Power of Well-being at Work by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OWg12Xl5E 

• CORE Meditation: https://get.hyperice.com/core 

Books:

• My Little Epiphanies by Aisha Chaudhary: https://a.co/d/2E4vtQx 

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://a.co/d/2CvRJSu 

• How Will You Measure Your Life by Clay Chistensen: https://a.co/d/jkZPwb5 

• Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/gML83VJ