In What You Need to Know to Guide Your Actions a few weeks ago I talked about the importance of knowing your values. I listed out 7 reasons on why knowing your core values matter.
From that post, I had several people email me asking how this looks in real life.
Examples always help to solidify the idea!
Here is a very clear example of someone who started a new business, knew their values, and didn’t let outside pressures change his mind. This was number 6 “When you know your core values, you know what you will and won’t do before you are presented with an opportunity. If it doesn’t align with your core values, it is an easy no.”
Chick-Fil-A
Truett Cathy and his brother, Ben, opened up their first diner in Atlanta named The Dwarf Grill. Family had always been a huge priority for them, and was one of their core values. They ran a 24 hour diner and in the beginning, Truett and Ben traded off 12 hour shifts. They always considered their employees in the decisions they made.
One decision he made in the very first restaurant they opened, The Dwarf Grill, was to be closed on Sundays. As he opened his first Chick-Fil-A in 1967, he continued this practice of being closed on Sundays. He realized that by allowing his employees one day of the week they would not have to work, it would give them a day of rest and to be with their friends and family.
In the beginning, most Chick-Fil-A’s were in malls. They pressured him to open on Sundays but he continued to stick to his values and said no.
I was in Las Vegas, NV recently and noticed a Chick-Fil-A on the strip. They too, are closed on Sundays.
Truett was clear on his values and the organizational culture he wanted to create for Chick-Fil-A. Therefor, he didn’t cave under pressure from the malls. Can you imagine being a new company and saying no to potential business?
That is exactly what he did.
He did this because he knew what was most valuable to him and stayed the course.
I want to hear from you! Do you know your core values? If you have never sat down and written them out, then there is no better time than the present. Get a piece of paper out and get to work. Not sure where to start? Let’s connect.
I empower creatives, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to develop their leadership skills, develop workflows that are beneficial for them, and to create work-life integration so they live a life they love. Set up a free 30 minute consult if you are ready to up your leadership game. Click Here.
If you are a leader or emerging leader who wants to lead with meaning and purpose, then let’s connect. Join me at the Emerging Leaders Network (a group on Facebook) community designed for leaders to collaborate on best practices and discuss issues to become great leaders.
Stephanie German is a leadership coach and consultant, author, and adjunct professor. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?