Game Changing Decisions to Crush Your Career
A little over 35 years ago, I went to work for a small regional mall-based restaurant company named Chick-fil-A. I had no idea what a game changer, even life changer it would be for me.
For 28 of the 33 years I worked at Chick-fil-A, I learned priceless lessons from the founder, Truett Cathy, himself. I was never around him that I did not take away a lesson or two. Some of them bounce around in my head every day.
Today, Truett would have been 100 years old. He used to joke that he wanted to live until 100 because not many people die after 100. Sadly, the world lost an incredible man 6 1/2 years ago. Fortunately, he left an incredible legacy of wisdom in his family, his organization and millions upon millions of lives he touched.
These are just a few of the lessons Truett taught me:
People decisions are the most important decisions an organization makes. He was right and he told me this every single time I saw him including the last meeting I had with him. He knew he was not in the restaurant business but in the people business.
A good name is rather to be had than great riches. Of course, this is the Bible verse, Proverbs 22:1. No amount of money can help you recover from a lost reputation. We can look around every day and see people with great wealth and a poor reputation. Protect your name, your character and your reputation.
Always do your best. Truett believed in excellence in all things. Whether it was written communication, a chicken sandwich or a dish to be washed. Big things or little things, he expected excellence. His customers came to expect it, too, so he knew he had to be even more diligent.
Be generous. Truett gave of his treasure when he had little and he had a lot. He also gave away his time and talent to others. Hundreds of thousands of students have benefitted by his scholarship program that he started at Chick-fil-A. The list of ways he gave away his time, talent and treasure are too numerous to list, but he was always generous and he multiplied his generosity by teaching others to be generous too.
Your word is your bond. If you tell someone you are going to do something, then do what you say you will do, how you say you will do it when you say you will do it. Be responsible to your commitments. If break them, you break trust with the one you made them to and it is hard to repair a broken trust.
If you are trying to crush your career and be successful in life, this is a good list from which to start. Truett taught me how to grow my character and from a strong character, you can accomplish most anything. That’s why he always taught me when selecting talent, start with character. I think you should too!
Happy 100th Birthday, Truett and thank you for giving me such an incredible opportunity to learn, grow and live my dreams.
You can find other lessons Truett taught me in Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job and Launch Your Future
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