Ron Shaich serving
Panera founder Ron Shaich.
  • Panera founder Ron Shaich spoke about tough moments he faced as a leader in a recent interview.
  • There was so much pressure he thought it would be easier to "get hit by a truck."
  • Shaich said one way he overcame this was by reminding himself to take things "one step" at a time.

Panera Bread's founder Ron Shaich powered through some pretty tough periods in his three decades as the company's CEO. But the company's overhaul in 2015 was one the most stressful periods of his tenure, Shaich said in a recent interview with The Profile.