Last week, during a Regional planning meeting, I was once again moved by the profound but simple approach of Chick-fil-A's corporate purpose. Stated simply, the purpose is "To Glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." Since this reminder, I've been dwelling a bit on where this vision has lead us as a company as well as were it will lead us in the future.

So here are a few of my musings: First, it's very hard, impossible even at times, to faithfully steward all God gives us. This means we must work harder, think on different, higher levels and always be vigilant in looking for opportunities to serve God in our spheres of influence. I think of Truett Cathy himself, who is a living example of this philosophy. Second, it means we have to be counter-cultural. I cater everyday as part of my job... and I never cease to be amazed at the waste of resources I see in the major coorporations I visit. I'm excited for a $500 catering order but when I arrive and cater the event for 10 people, I am a bit let-down. I've heard it a million times, "Oh, it's not a big deal. Corporate's paying for this so we didn't care what we ordered." Because we are commited, as a corporate culture, to being stewards of our resources, I personally work even harder to find the best deal, manange resources and people better, and even make repairs to my store on my own. And with a whole company following this principle, we save many valuable resources. Lastly, this purpose presupposes the basic fact that people are our greatest focus. In order to have a positive influence on all, this means we hire the right people and have a positive influence on each other as a team. It means we serve every person we contact as a company as we would like to be served- from the suppliers, to customers to people we meet in public, especially if they are aware of our commitment to Chick-fil-A.

What this purpose means at this time is that Chick-fil-A is growing conservatively, leaving debt behind and looking to manage our resources in the best possible ways. We attract high caliber individuals to work on our teams, giving us a very competative advantange. We're going even further with serving others, implementing Recipe for Service and the new Give More, Get More campaigns for our teams to influence the community.

Most importantly, people everywhere view Chick-fil-A as set apart. I'm in a low awareness market right now and I find so much joy when people find out we're closed on Sunday. The bewildered expression on their face is just the opening I need to share why, and what makes us different as a company. A company I'm proud to be a part of.

Hanging out with Christy Ramano :)

Last night, my team and I had the unexpected privilege of serving a true Disney Channel celebrity, Christy Ramano. The star's appearance revealed a funny generation gap. I personally was excited to meet the star from the once popular Even Stevens. However, the teenage team members hadn't heard of Even Stevens but were crazy about meeting the star from the current show, Kim Possible. Anyone older than me had just plain never heard of her. Her appearance certainly dated each of us and our Disney Channel watching days.


Regardless of how we all related to Christy Ramano, I'm excited to report that this very congenial actress is a Chick-fil-A Raving Fan!! We were excited to feed her and her team dinner while she signed autographs and met her fans. One of my team members threw on his marketing hat and strategically positioned Chick-fil-A merchandise around the actress. Now when her fans look back at their pictures and autographs, they will associate Chick-fil-A with their experience as well!


A great end to our busy Saturday, complete with autographed photos!

TRAINING DAYS

After the flurry of December Menlo Park has settled down a bit, providing time for extensive training. Beginning with the leadership staff, each team member will go through training modules specific to their current positions. I firmly believe that leadership will be the catalyst for any change we hope to achieve here at Menlo, so I'm pouring my attention into this positive, motivated, but fledgling group of potential leaders.

I am requiring each individual to complete at least six full training modules. They will begin by watching a DVD specific to their area while learning from a pamphlet as well. Using this technique, I hope that the team learns that Chick-fil-A has very specific standards and procedures that everyone in the Company must consistently follow. Establishing correct standards and procedures will help remove the personal opinions and preferences that currently preside over too many activities. After watching the training modules, the leadership will move to the hands-on portion of their training where I will spend time teaching them, from the Chick-fil-A pamphlets, how to perform their tasks. They will then replicate what I have done and repeat the process until comfortable. The final step in their training will be for them to turn around and teach me what they have just learned. This not only reassures me that they have grasped the training, but helps prepare them to eventually teach others.

We're excited about the new changes that will promote consistent high performance here at Menlo!