Ron Shaich was on the first wave of fast-casual dining when he founded Panera Bread in the 1990s. After selling Panera in 2017 Shaich has built on his accomplishments in the food industry, with investments in several businesses, including the growing Mediterranean chain, CAVA (CAVA).

Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi met with Shaich in Cambridge, MA to learn about the leader's steps to sustained success. Shaich explains the importance of filtering out unnecessary stressors and trusting yourself enough to take risks.

“Whenever you go down the road in anything in life, whether it be a relationship, in a business, in a career,” said Shaich, “what’s so fundamental is taking that leap.”

For the full conversation with Shaich, click here. For more of our Lead This Way Series, click here, and tune in to Yahoo Finance every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

RON SHAICH: We all have reflections with 2020 hindsight. I think that one of the things having done this now for nearly four decades is an understanding that there are so many of the things that I obsessed about-- worried about over time-- what mattered are the two or three or four things that I did in any given year to prepare us for the future. And to stay focused on that.

And the other takeaway for me was to actually trust myself and believe in myself. The reality is that whenever you go down the road in anything in life. Whether it be in a relationship. In a business. In a career.

It's-- what's so fundamental is taking that leap. And knowing you don't quite know where it's going to take you. But if you don't take that leap, you're not going to go anywhere.