Culture: “Attention, awareness and path-correction”

RTS Partner Len Ghilani writes:

A little about my Chick-fil-A experience . . .

I was invited to participate and speak as a guest in a regularly scheduled weekly planning and brainstorming meeting of the Chick-fil-A Service & Hospitality Department. I was very impressed with how this group of culture-driven professionals interacted with each other, and most importantly, I realized they truly GET IT when they talk about culture.

In a world of companies using the word “culture” because the think they have to, without genuinely understanding the concept, or embracing, living, acting and preaching it, this group was a treat to be with. I’m not sure if it’s written or trained, and I’m not sure what their hiring profile is, specifically, but it’s my observation and impression that . . .

1. They know that culture starts at the top and doesn’t skip levels of the organization. No department, no level of management and absolutely no employee of the organization is exempt from their definition of their culture.
2. They know that culture is not an initiative that gets checked off a to-do list as completed. It’s a living, breathing entity in and of itself that requires constant attention, awareness and path-correction
3. They’re not too proud to explore what others are calling culture. They’re wide open to listening to ideas for improvement and seeing what others might be doing just a little bit better, if possible. Rest assured, if it’s happening somewhere else, better, they’ll improve on it.

It’s no wonder, to me at least, that Chick-fil-A is the industry’s prime example of culture-based service and hospitality.

Len, an operations and training specialist, has opened and operated more than 275 restaurants nationwide. He has also held executive positions with Parasole Holdings, Einstein Noah Bagel Corp., Buca de Beppo and Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurants.