Are You Willing to Change the Standard?
Sometimes after a dinner out, Debra and I will stop by a fast-food restaurant located near my house. She likes to get a little something sweet to eat, and this spot has some cobbler that she enjoys.
We are often amazed at the poor service we get there. Most of the time, our amazement is at the mistakes made in filling the simple order we place. However, our amazement hit a new high on a recent visit.
First of all, I could not understand a word the drive-up greeter said. I literally had to ask him twice to repeat what he said as we were greeted. Second, we listened with our mouths open when the car behind us was placing its order after we had pulled to the next window, and we actually heard the employees who were preparing the food making derogatory comments about the orders that were placed in the car behind us! This is a regional operation that I’m sure has absolutely no idea what its employees are doing to ruin its image.
The worst part of this story is the fact that it is not surprising to most people. When I tell it, they tend to shake their head and just go, “That’s the way it is these days.”
That’s not “the way it is” at Chick-fil-A. I have been watching Chick-fil-A since I was introduced to the company on this quest for the best in customer service. As I drive past the store near my home every Sunday, I see the lights out and note that the employees are off. All because of values instilled by the company’s founder from the very beginning.
|
The Chick-fil-A Standard: Chick-fil-A sets an extremely high bar when it comes to the standard of core values at the expense of profit. Practicing what they believe has cost the principals of this company literally hundreds of millions of dollars; Sunday is traditionally the busiest day of the week for fast-food companies, and the decision to close on Sundays has cost the company dearly. The Chick-fil-A Challenge: What values does your company live by? What does it practice to the extent that it would sacrifice business, revenue, or a deal to stand behind? Does it “bend” when the time comes to practice what it preaches? Does it “talk” and not “walk”? The challenge here is simple: Assess your corporate value, and measure what you give up to make it happen. What is the price that your company is putting on its value? Your company probably won’t institute something as dramatic as Chick-fil-A’s closed-on-Sunday policy. But the idea of focusing on employee growth regardless of how it relates to the company itself is not so far-fetched. Nor is the concept of having franchise owners be part of the scene and not out of the picture. What about the idea of a customer-service event like Chick-fil-A’s giving the first 100 customers at any new franchise a free meal once a week for a year? The concept is simple. The values at the top of an organization must be visible and in action within the organization. Words mean nothing; actions are the measuring stick of values. From preparing young employees for future employment to closing on Sundays, the values established by Truett Cathy permeate the company he founded. The executives, store owners, managers, and employees live by them every day—including Sunday. They all benefit from these values, as do Chick-fil-A’s customers. |