I think I might officially be a Chick-fil-A leadership book addict. I LOVE everything that they put out in regards to creating culture and servant leadership. It’s My Pleasure by Dee Ann Turner was an excellent read full of information about cultivating and keeping talent while developing a culture that compels people to serve well. This book is a quick read full of practical examples and helpful advice.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted my notes below…
- The culture of an institution, I’ve come to learn, is not just one of the things you manage. It ultimately affects everything that goes on in the institution. You have to understand it, shape it, and talk about it, and you have to lead it. Lou Gerstner, CEO, IBM (retired)
- A visionary must imagine the future and then design the path to align the organization with that future.
- A compelling culture begins with a clear purpose for existing.
- Businesses do not become excellent in the big areas without focusing on the small details too.
- Excellence in small things leads to excellence in big things.
- At Chick-fil-A, leaders SERVE, which means they do five things: See and shape the future, Engage and develop others, Reinvent continuously, Value results and relationships and Embody the company values.
- If I were running a company today, I would have one priority above all others: to acquire as many of the best people as I could (because) the single biggest constraint on the success of my organization is the ability to get and to hang on to enough of the right people. Jim Collins, Good to Great
- People decisions are the most important decisions we make.
- Evaluating character is not difficult if the standard against which it is being evaluated is clear.
- “Selecting talent” moves my thinking to, How can I steward this valuable resource to grow both the business and the individual?
- Ask emerging leaders their opinion.
- Emerging leadership is a goldmine for an organization, but the investment requirement from leaders is significant. Empower them, guide them and teach them and then watch what they can do for you.
- Effectively stewarding seasoned leadership will not only contribute to business results, it also will strengthen the overall culture.
- As a leader and steward of Talent, your best results will come from leveraging all of the talent available to you.
- “It is kindness to refuse immediately what you eventually intend to deny.” Jimmy Collins, CFA
- Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford
- Unlike a job, which is for a season, a calling will beckon us for a lifetime. It creates an inner drive and restlessness when we live outside of it and peace when we are embracing it and living inside of it. A job is printed on your resume’. A calling echoes in your epitaph.
- Members of a healthy team celebrate the accomplishments of others, believing progress for some is progress for all.
- Leaders and team members with abundance mentalities strengthen the culture of a team and exponentially increase the likelihood of achieving team results. Unlike those with scarcity mentalities who limit and restrain the team, these forward-thinking leaders propel themselves and the team into immeasurable success.
- Business grows and the culture is strengthened through the facilitation of opportunities for others.
- Investing on the front end to make a great selection and effectively on boarding, training, and developing employees is an investment to ensuring the kind of loyalty that increases retention.
- If you want to lead a winning team, seek commitment from team members, rather than compliance from employees.
- Commitment to one another breeds commitment.
- Commitment breeds commitment and produces phenomenal business results. Commitment among employees is a catalyst for growth—of the individuals and the business. Fostering people’s dreams catapults the business into a whole new realm.
- When Second-Mile Service originates from the heart, it truly is a pleasure and a behavior that creates a compelling culture among guests. Our goal at Chick-fil-A is to make Second-Mile Service second nature.
- Even the greatest of companies do not last forever, but the influence on the people who were nurtured, developed, grown and impacted can leave a lasting legacy that far surpasses sales records and growing profitability. It’s the stories of the lives that were changed forever that truly define the strength of any culture. Tell a story that matters and steward the story to create a compelling culture that attracts and grows great Talent and delights every guest.