The Icedream Surprise

There’s a surprise about the icedream at Chick-fil-A. A perfect summer treat, the icedream is a fan favorite. But what a lot of fans don’t know…

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The Art of Listening: Part 3

In the last few posts we’ve simplified the art of listening with two easy questions. We’ve talked about the example Sam Walton and Bernie Marcus set when it comes to “walking the stores” of our own lives. And today we’re going to flip things one more time.

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The Art of Listening: Part 2

I love telling the story I am about to tell you. I have told it before and I will tell it again. It’s one of those simple tales that contains so much wisdom in it that you find something new every time you look at it.

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The Art of Listening: Part 1

I’ve found that you can break listening down to two very easy questions. Here they are:

1. Who are you listening to?
2. Who is listening to you?

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Jul 26 0 Comments

Too Busy Disorder

I often talk on this blog about balance. In my own life I’ve seen the great joy that can come from a balance of living, loving and leading. There’s a peace and sense of enjoyment you get when all the important buckets in your life are filled to the right levels.

That’s why I’m so excited about the “Too Busy Disorder” website.

Not familiar with this unique disease? Allow me to explain. Too Busy Disorder is perhaps the worst known example of what I call “Stinkin’ Thinkin.’” Put simply, it’s when you over work and under relax.

You start feeling stressed. Your eating habits increase or decrease at alarming rates. Your blood pressure goes up while your motivation goes down. Life gets flat and anxious and hard. Sound familiar?

Too Busy Disorder tends to sneak up on us. What starts as a good thing, hard work, mutates into a dominating thing. An occasional late night at the office turns into a habit. Everything is suddenly ASAP and you don’t have the “bandwidth” to handle it all.

Fortunately, those are the situations the WinShape Retreat is designed for. I’ve stayed there countless times over the years and I can’t think of a better place to relax and unwind. It truly is a “retreat” from the noisy world in every sense of the word.

To learn more about this fantastic retreat center, watch some hilarious videos or take a test to see if you’ve got Too Busy Disorder, visit www.toobusydisorder.com.

Do you or anyone you know suffer from TBD?

The Work Talker from TBD on Vimeo.

Jul 19 4 Comments

The Direction of Dreams.

Just last week, I was in South Africa. Looking back on it now, it’s difficult to imagine that I was really there.

Was I in the Kruger National Park on a safari?

Did I play the Lord’s Prayer on my trumpet before dinner on the last night of our safari?

Did I meet with business leaders from around the globe at the Sun City Resort?

It all seems so fantastic and faraway, that it feels a bit like a story. But it happened and experiencing it made me realize the strange and wonderful direction our dreams can take us.

When my dad first started Chick-fil-A decades ago, I don’t think he envisioned his son would be in South Africa someday. I doubt he saw the detail of me at a breakfast summit while business leaders tried to bring billions of dollars of growth to their homelands. I don’t know if he saw me at the World Cup watching Spain march to victory.

But sometimes, when you dream, it’s good to do it with broad strokes. It’s good to think so wide and big that the details have plenty of room and freedom to develop. My dad might not have seen the city I stayed in while in South Africa, but he saw a lifetime commitment to helping people. He might not have seen the names of the business leaders I worked with, but he saw the value of staying focused on service. He might not have seen the fifty-year specific details, but with a fifty-year dream that’s OK.

The details come into focus each day if you’ve got a dream that can guide you each year. It might take you around the world, it might take you around your neighborhood. But don’t wait to figure out the details before you dream. Dream first. Dream big. Dream ten years out.

And most importantly don’t forget to pack your trumpet.

Jul 4 2 Comments

Thank You

It’s always tempting to write more than you should on a blog. There’s no paper or ink or printing charges or delay between what you think and what you post.

But sometimes, some days, the best thing you can do is simply say what you need to say and get out of the way.

Today is one of those days.

Thank you veterans and active members of the Armed Forces.

Thank you for the freedom to write and vote and celebrate and march and a million other things.

Thank you for believing in this country and hoping in this country and trusting in this country.

From the Cathy family and the Chick-fil-A family,

Thank you.

Jun 30 3 Comments

What a Night!

I love the band, “Earth, Wind & Fire.” For years, if not decades, they’ve been one of my favorite groups and recently I had the chance to see them.

And not just see them, but actually play with them. I brought my trumpet on stage and checked off a big item from my bucket list.

Check out a few additional pictures from the night on my Facebook page

If you told a young Dan Cathy he would play with Earth, Wind & Fire years ago when I was just learning the trumpet, I probably would have laughed. I never would have believed where things would end up. But that’s how dreams work. That’s how dreams shake out. They twist and they turn and sometimes, they throw you on stage with one of your favorite bands.

I hope you’re dreaming today. I hope you’ve got your own “trumpet” for tomorrow. And above that, I hope you find yourself on stage someday.

Jun 28 2 Comments

The Well-Lived Life

Recently, I wrote about our partnership and belief in local Atlanta institution, Morehouse College. We are thrilled to work with them and feel that our continued collaboration is going to yield leaders and new opportunities for years to come. But who is Morehouse? What do they stand for? Why are we investing in the young men graduating from there?

I think those questions can best be answered by taking a quick look at what Robert M. Franklin, the president of Morehouse, calls the “Five Wells.” An alumni of this fine college himself, Franklin challenges each young man that passes through those halls to live their life according to the Five Wells.

In essence, he wants the men to each be well-read, well-spoken, well-traveled, well-dressed and well-balanced. Although seemingly simple on the surface, there’s actually some important wisdom behind this collection of characteristics. And looking over that short list challenges me about my own “wells.”

How do I live my life? If I sat down with a pad of paper and a pen to create the Dan Cathy “Five Wells,” what would I put down? How would my list differ from the one at Morehouse, how would it be similar? For starters, I’ve been amazed at how much my day changes when I am “well-rested.” I’ve also seen the benefits of being “well-exercised.” Whether running marathons or working out with friends, I’ve seen how being in shape, shapes my week.

What about you? What would be on your list of “Five Wells?” What would you say are the “Five Wells” for your family or your company?

It’s a fun challenge of self-discovery and I encourage you to give it a try. You might just be surprised what you learn.

Jun 22 10 Comments

It’s All Personal

“It’s just business, it’s not personal.” You hear that sometimes when people have to make unpleasant decisions or do things that are a little uncomfortable. And it’s a nice phrase to make things feel a little better, but I’ve learned over the years, as both an employee and an employer, that it’s simply not true. There’s nothing in life that is “just business.” Everything we do is personal on some level. Any decision that involves people is by nature personal.

Keeping things personal is one of my biggest jobs as a member of the Chick-fil-A leadership team. As fast and as full as life gets sometimes, it’s tempting to break things down to “just business.” It’s a lot less messy to deal in Excel spreadsheets and categorize employees and customers as numbers. They’re just data. You just need to get XX amount of employees to serve XX amount of customers XX amount of food each day. End of story.

But that’s not true. Those employees aren’t numbers. They’re not just data. They’re moms and dads. They’re college students with dreams. They’re high school kids learning the value of hard work. They’re people just like me with hopes and fears and goals and friends and family. Same with the customers.

The customers are never numbers. They are dads taking their daughters out to dinner on date night at Chick-fil-A. They are moms who need a playground and a healthy meal for kids on the go. They are friends who camp out with me overnight for the grand opening of a new Chick-fil-A.

There are a lot of ways you can keep things personal at your business, but my favorite is to get out from my behind my desk. I like to be behind the counter. I like to serve someone a sandwich or help an employee make a milkshake. I find that dirty hands make it hard to see people as just numbers.

If you’re looking for me on most days, you’ll find me at a Chick-fil-A. Because it’s not just business. It’s not just data.

It’s personal. It’s all personal.

Jun 16 10 Comments

Raising Champions: 2 fathers, 2 sons, 1 game

I’m excited to have Chick-fil-A involved in a celebration of fatherhood and parenting at its best with Fox Sports. This Sunday on the Chick-fil-A Family of Champions Series, you’ll see a moving story about Colt McCoy, former University of Texas quarterback and current Cleveland Browns quarterback, and his father Brad McCoy. You’ll also learn about Greg McElroy, the quarterback of the University of Alabama, and his father, Greg McElroy Sr. It’s a testament to the importance of family and a great way to pay tribute to fathers on Father’s Day.

The program starts at 10PM Eastern on June 20th and will be shown on Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Southwest and Fox Sports Florida.

Jun 14 3 Comments

Raising Champions

Recently I had the opportunity to be involved in a project with Fox Sports. Now although my wrestling days are behind me and my marathon times don’t qualify me for the Olympics, the sports network wanted to talk with me. Why?

Because my father doesn’t stop.

I’ve been sharing this simple fact with people for decades. For years I’ve seen first hand what his dedication and drive and honesty have meant to both me and the greater Chick-fil-A family. So in a show that focuses on families that make excellence a family tradition, it made sense to include my father right alongside former Texas quarterback and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy and his father Brad, as well as Greg McElroy, current quarterback of Alabama, and his father Greg McElroy Sr.

Sure, my dad might not have taught me how to throw touchdown passes, but what he has shared with me has literally impacted the millions of lives that walk through the doors of Chick-fil-A every year.

My dad is the reason the chicken tastes the way it does. My dad is the reason employees believe being behind that counter is a platform of service. My dad is the reason we’ve got WinShape Camps. My dad is the reason that when people visit Chick-fil-A, they feel like they’re part of family, not just having a meal.

My dad’s thumbprint is on everything we do as a company, but more than that, I’ve personally benefitted from his legacy.

My wife and I treasure watching my parents grow a marriage that has long passed the 50-year mark. We feel honored to watch them pass the baton to future generations knowing someday we will too. We feel privileged to receive the wisdom and love they’ve given us all these years.

Because my father doesn’t stop.

As long as I’ve known him and listened to his words, I still find myself learning new things. From a deep well, born from a life lived well, my dad continues to draw truth and hope and kindness that impacts me and Chick-fil-A.

His faith, his heart, his drive. It might not make the top ten plays of the day, but it’s forever changed the way I live and that makes him an all star to me.

Jun 9 4 Comments

Be Our Guest

“Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test,” are the lyrics the household items belt out in the famous Disney movie, “Beauty & the Beast.” And although we didn’t sing that song these last few weeks, that spirit was certainly alive and well with the launch of the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

Instead of just doing the traditional giveaway which involves a coupon and a quick trip through the drive-thru, we tried something different:

We actually invited people to our restaurants.

We helped them make reservations for their free Spicy Chicken Sandwich. We gave them white glove service in a completely unexpected way. We reminded them that whether we’re rolling out new recipes or opening new stores, the lifeblood of Chick-fil-A are the fans. And the fans deserve special treatment.

Reservations took more work than coupons. They cost more time and were more complicated than doing a mass marketing coupon campaign. But for us, the chance to have friends over for a celebration, the opportunity to have people feel waited on and important, was simply too important to pass up.

We hope you got a chance to be our guest this last week. And if not, we hope you’ll be our guest real soon.

Jun 8 8 Comments

Spicy is Here!

Chances are, you’ll never be able to order sushi from Chick-fil-A. There won’t be hot dogs on the menu. We might never put a collection of our favorite items in a bowl. At the end of the day, we like to keep things simple. We like to focus on what we do best, the chicken sandwich.

And this week, we’re doing that, with a twist. After years of thought and preparation, we are adding a new member to the Chick-fil-A menu, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

Why spicy? Why now?

There are dozens of reasons we felt like this was the right decision, but one of my favorites is that customers wanted it. We’ve long understood that some customers have been making their own spicy sandwiches at Chick-fil-A. It’s not uncommon to see a customer put hot sauce on our traditional sandwich in order to add a little kick. Noting that, we decided to honor that demand by developing our own Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

It debuts this week and I hope you’ll have a chance to give it a try. We’re proud of this new addition to the menu. We’re proud that we have creative customers who challenge us and what we offer.

Above all, we’re excited that this week, things are getting spicy at Chick-fil-A!