While many of us mourn his passing, he has left us with an
astounding legacy and invaluable truths. The most prominent, I believe, is recognizing and
acknowledging one’s limitations and humbly accepting them.
In Cathy’s case, he even self-deprecatingly integrated his into
the scrumptious Chic-fil-A’s trademark slogan so that we may never forget it, though we never have realized it until now.
“We didn't invent the chicken, just the chicken sandwich.”
Not only did they acknowledge what came first (the chicken),
they also gave credit where credit is due; two vital elements to success.
1) Know that you
are always borrowing a piece of someone else’s innovation.
2) And then pay
tribute to them.
No matter how many accreditations, degrees, master degrees
and Ph.D.’s you pursue and achieve, when you hang these on your office walls,
you will never have an opportunity to invent the chicken. You have to
understand your limitations.
Living 93 years, Cathy’s seen, implemented and endeavored to
incorporate many financial and innovative practices in his business, thus
influencing the general and mainstream culture. Not everything succeeded. And
for every failure we may have seen come across the menu board, how many more
have come across Chic-fil-A’s board of directors – but at one point or time,
they learned their limitations.
So ask yourself:
1) What’s your
chicken?
2) What’s your
chicken sandwich?
3) How are you
going to market a cow to make others eat more of that chicken sandwich?
4) What invaluable
truth will be part of your company legacy?
While it seemed S. Truett Cathy ate, slept and breathed his
company we, too, need to take a moment to evaluate and prioritize, we need to
ask ourselves, how important is our business? Then maybe, just maybe, that
chicken sandwich will taste a little better, and the chicken will not taste so
bitter.
-The Green Couch Project
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