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
The 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.
In organizational culture, there are two types of people: those who look for reasons to be offended, and those who look for ways to understand others. The former type tends to lash out at coworkers, saying cruel things in private or criticizing them in public. They seek revenge on their managers if they feel they […]
WeSpeak Global: Revolutionizing the World of Speaker Bureaus In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the power of effective communication cannot be overstated. Whether it’s inspiring a team, educating an audience, or driving change, skilled speakers have the ability to captivate and motivate others. Recognizing this potential, WeSpeak Global has emerged as a prominent international speaker […]
BEING MINDFUL OF MINDSETS and The Power of a Growth Mindset by Grant Driver In July 2019, I experienced one of the most significant and yet most daunting moments of my career as a professional speaker. I had been invited by Discovery Healthcare to present a 3-hour workshop to thirty Neurosurgeons on my research into […]
As a keynote speaker on the topics of leadership, connection, resilience, and relationships, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Choose Compassion Over Empathy over the past year and Why Leaders Must Choose Compassion Over Empathy. In fact, in my virtual presentations on personal connection, I quickly became aware of the buzzwords associated […]
Connection with someone takes more than common interests of What Makes People Click. It also takes this. Do you know who created the world’s first social network? It wasn’t Zuckerberg, Dorsey, or Tom from MySpace. It was the person who kindled the first fire. The fire’s loud crackling, billowing smoke, and beautiful orange glow attracted others […]
To succeed, you have to Training Others to establish boundaries. But boundaries are only as good as your ability to communicate them. If people don’t know your boundaries, they become ineffective and are more likely to be discarded. Training other people on your boundaries requires learning how to say no. That doesn’t […]
Be a Force for Good in the wake of some of the recent events in the world and in light of so much of what we’ve all been through the past few years, I’ve been finding it challenging to focus on the good stuff and Be a Force for Good, even though this is at […]
The invaluable lesson ‘Exposure’ was one of the significant events that rolled into town with the covid circus. The carpet was pulled back to expose things like pre-existing leadership ineptitude, business weaknesses and relationship flaws. Unhappy employees became unhappier. Unhappy couples separated. Unhappy clients cut ties. The character of political leadership was revealed. Two areas […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
