Author: Sterling Hawkins
Can you imagine Say No To Revenue? It doesn’t sound right, does it? Ironically enough, that’s exactly what might be necessary to set you and your business up to achieve success. Anyone that knows chicken, has at least heard of Chick-fil-A and their famous chicken sandwiches served across locations in 48 states in the US. […]
Can you imagine Say No To Revenue? It doesn’t sound right, does it? Ironically enough, that’s exactly what might be necessary to set you and your business up to achieve success.
Anyone that knows chicken, has at least heard of Chick-fil-A and their famous chicken sandwiches served across locations in 48 states in the US. My nieces are huge fans and if you haven’t tried it, you need to. The fast food restaurant features a simple menu and good customer service, founded in the 40’s by S. Truett Cathy.
And like most successful businesses (maybe all) they had a clear vision beyond just standard business practices. A vision grounds the company in a direction that the founder(s) intend. A business without a vision can lack soul and purpose and leave people wondering…why?
As a devout Southern Baptist, a lot of how the company operates is heavily influenced by those beliefs. Agree with it or not, Truett’s vision 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.”
It takes more than just having a vision. It takes standing for it #NoMatterWhat, something I call Getting a Tattoo. Getting a Tattoo is committing yourself so deeply to a vision, that you’re permanently changed by it. When you have a vision that’s that strong, it starts to guide your actions and therefore your results. Importantly, it’s guiding your actions beyond just how to generate revenue. After all you can’t just get rid of a tattoo.
Chick-fil-A was so clear on their vision, every single thing he and the company does is put through that filter. And if something didn’t fit the filter, it wasn’t accepted. Most places you go to eat they say: “How can I help you?” Nothing wrong with that. Never thought of it before, but it doesn’t pass the, so called, tattoo test for Cathy. Rather when you go to Chick-Fil-A they ask: “How can I serve you?” Small change, but all of a sudden he’s all in on his vision.
Sometimes standing for your vision might directly conflict with profits. And you know what you do? Stand for the vision anyway. You heard me right: say no to revenue when it conflicts with your vision. You’ll need to have practice exercising that discomfort muscle, because it might bring some heat you’ll have to withstand.
For Cathy, he knew that most every place is open on Sunday. There are countless customers that would love his famous chicken sandwiches as a Sunday brunch. But his tattoo was first and foremost “to glorify God.” So flying in the face of additional profits, Cathy, to this day, has Chick-fil-A closed on Sundays.
Cathy committed so deeply he stakes his career and his company on that vision. And you know what? It worked (whether you agree with his vision or not is a different conversation). As of last year, Chick-fil-A sales are up 17% in the last year following 51 consecutive years of growth to reach $10.5 billion in revenue and 2,400 restaurants. In fact, Chick-fil-A trails only McDonald’s and Starbucks among U.S. restaurant chains.
Do you know what your vision is?
Much of the world is still dealing with pandemic fallout and it’s hard, period. But times like these become even harder when you’re not clear on a vision and maybe even impossible if you don’t stand for it.
Would you be willing to turn down revenue (not to mention anything else) for your vision?
Join me in the #NoMatterWhat Facebook Community where we’ll be talking about the seeming trade-off between your vision and revenue, what it looks like and how to deal with the discomfort of potentially turning down short-term revenue for long-term gain. Standing for that vision #NoMatterWhat might be just what’s needed to achieve success.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Author Profile
No results available
ResetThe articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
I have found that running gives me time to think, running give me time to introspect and running helps me heal so WHY ARE WE RUNNING?. I have embarked on all these journeys over the past 12 years for probably two main reasons. I suppose the first is the selfish side. It’s something I love […]
Chris Bertish- Captains Log 7th July is Shifting gears mentally! Finally getting to this point where you are comfortable with yourself, your position, and the craft– that’s a huge milestone. No leaks, all my main key systems are still functioning properly- Chart-plotter/ AIS/ water maker/ GPS/ Autopilot & Satellite coms….even though I have implemented a […]
I once met this old man, whilst traveling. I guess as a tourist, anything goes. Owning your presence … by Lizette Volkwyn His coat was tacky, his hair in desperate need of grooming, and his age betrayed by his body…but something pulled me back, calling me to start a conversation with this stranger. […]
Corporate motivational speakers for team building and leadership development. 1 Why corporate motivational speakers are needed now more than ever I am a corporate motivational speaker and my real job is to directly address the major factors contributing to an organization’s successes and failures. As I’ve spoken around the globe, to organizations across just about every […]
THE RISE OF THE MINI TYRANTS, we all know the type. Dress a man in a hi-vis vest, armed with a clipboard and a biro, and you’ve just built yourself a mini tyrant. You’ve licensed a tiny authoritarian to impose the rules verbatim, as he sees fit, no matter the context or circumstances. It’s worrying […]
The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness Puts You at a Disadvantage—and It’s Time For That To Change. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found myself increasingly frustrated with my industry, the crisis management profession. To put my frustration simply, the status quo of crisis preparedness and crisis management no longer suffices and, as a […]
Now that we are in the midst of the world’s largest remote work does not work experiment, it’s worth asking: what does it take to run a good virtual meeting? It is all too easy to just focus on what can be controlled and configured: security, bandwidth, platforms or devices. However, when it comes to […]
Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop with Cycle of Listening. This consists of: Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth. Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to understand someone’s perspective and […]
No results available
ResetOur Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME