1851

After six years in the CFO seat at <a href="http://sylvanfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lessons-learned-in-leadership-from-sylvan-learning-ceo-john-mcauliffe-11818" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvan Learning</a>, John McAuliffe became the CEO in January of 2016. And today, he&rsquo;s quick to say that taking the helm was pretty spot on to what he imagined the role would look like.

His first action step? Forming a strong team. &nbsp;

&ldquo;You have to build the right team, in particular the people who report to you, and you also have to have faith in their judgment and be able to trust them. That&rsquo;s where it all starts,&rdquo; McAuliffe said.

As a leader, McAuliffe believes that it&rsquo;s imperative to work with people who share a vision and have the company&rsquo;s best interests at heart. You need to surround yourself with smart people who are not &ldquo;yes people.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s because you need a team that&rsquo;s willing to challenge you and share their experiences and opinions&mdash;even if they&rsquo;re contradictory. After all, the CEO can&rsquo;t always have all the answers. So to be a successful leader, it&rsquo;s imperative to surround yourself with others who are able to provide input and create a true team atmosphere that can build something spectacular.

Since becoming the CEO, McAuliffe has seen the executive team come together, work hard as a unit, and successfully launch a new licensing agreement that benefits franchisees. The team took a&nbsp;hard look at what they could change for the betterment and success of the system, and it was very well received.

&ldquo;To get the franchise base to understand that we have their best interest at heart and to grow this business, we have to be in it together,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think that was demonstrated by the new licensing agreement we put before them. And the best part about this new initiative is that&nbsp;82 percent of them voluntarily signed up.&rdquo;

To be a great leader and drive a business forward, McAuliffe also believes that it takes passion and a true belief in the potential of the company you&#39;re running.&nbsp;

&ldquo;You have to work hard to come up with the right strategies, and you have to have the fortitude to see them through to completion,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In an organization where you have a lot of franchisees who are their own independent business people and have strong opinions for their own businesses, getting them to get behind certain strategies is a critical part of the overarching company.&quot;&nbsp;

And as for advice for new and experienced leaders alike, McAuliffe hammers home the importance of believing in what your company is doing, believing in the vision and demonstrating that to the rest of the team--all the time. He comments that it is important not just to have a set of values, but to truly live those values out in everything you say and do.&nbsp;

&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t say one thing and act another way because people will pick up on that right away. You have to have the right convictions and you have to work hard to involve people to create the best strategies that will result in success for the company,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You really have to have passion and belief in following through on the changes. You can&rsquo;t just talk the talk&mdash;you have to walk the walk.&rdquo;

Lessons Learned in Leadership from Sylvan Learning CEO John McAuliffe

1851 Franchise

Sylvan Learning CEO John McAuliffe explains why you should surround yourself with intelligent people who will challenge you. 


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

lessons-learned-in-leadership-from-sylvan-learning-ceo-john-mcauliffe

Dillas Quesadillas

Design with photo of Michael Mabry and Dillas Primo Quesadillas logo

Franchise Times: New Franchise Exec Says Dillas Is Bringing ‘Excitement’ Back to QSR Category

michael-mabry-franchise-growth

Lawn Squad

Greener, Faster, Smarter: Why Entrepreneurs Are Choosing Lawn Squad 

Greener, Faster, Smarter: Why Entrepreneurs Are Choosing Lawn Squad as a Treatment-Only Lawn Care Franchise

lawn-squad-franchise-opportunity

Jollibee

How Jollibee’s Veteran Leadership Team Is Rewriting the Playbook for U.S. Expansion

franchise-leadership-growth

Woodhouse Spas

Photo of guest checking in at Woodhouse Spas reception desk

franchise-questions-answered

Mellow Mushroom

How Mellow Mushroom’s Model Made it the Perfect Addition to Brad Harper’s Restaurant Portfolio

How Mellow Mushroom’s Flexible Model Made it the Perfect Addition to Brad Harper’s Growing Restaurant Portfolio

mellow-mushroom-brad-harper-restaurant-growth

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Buying a fitness franchise, people exercising

Boutique vs. Big Box Gym Franchises: Which Offers Best ROI in the $7 Billion Fitness Market?

buy-fitness-franchise-boutique-big-box-comparison

Pieology Pizza Enters Chapter 11 Following Costly Bid To Save Struggling Stores

pieology-pizza-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy

CNBC: McDonald’s Will Assess if Franchisees Are Offering Value for Customers Under New Standards

mcdonalds-franchise-standards-value-metric

How AI Is Transforming Restaurant Operations and Franchises

ai-impact-restaurants-franchises-human-centric-technology

Round Table Pizza Franchisees Take FAT Brands to Court Over Marketing Fund Mismanagement

round-table-pizza-franchisees-take-fat-brands-to-court-over-marketing-fund-mismanagement

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

Scaling by Slowing Down: A Founder’s Playbook for Sustainable Franchise Growth

founder-to-franchisor-when-pause

How Top-Tier Franchises Build Systems for Employee Retention

how-top-tier-franchises-build-systems-for-employee-retention

1851 Franchise Coffee & Analytics graphic with headshot of Nick Powills

What to Implement in 2026 According to 2025 Franchisee Surveys

2026-franchise-growth-strategies

Photo of group of dogs standing together in day care facility

Top Pet Boarding and Day Care Franchise Opportunities for 2025

top-pet-boarding-daycare-franchises

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

AI-related job cuts, October U.S. job cuts, American job cut record

AI-Fueled Layoffs Reshape the U.S. Job Market — And Highlight Franchising’s Resilience

ai-job-cuts-franchising-path-forward

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Eli Cohen, Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

C5 Restaurants Grows its Texas Footprint with 40 Layne’s Chicken Fingers Locations Planned Statewide

eli-cohen-laynes-chicken-fingers-texas

Paris Baguette Welcomes Zac Sulma as New Chief Operating Officer

new-coo-zac-sulma

Lessons Learned in Leadership from Sylvan Learning CEO John McAuliffe

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS