The End of an Incredible Journey… or is it?

Most of you know by now that this past week brought the news that I will not be moving ahead in my journey to own/operate a Chick-fil-A. At least not now. This news did not devastate me, nor was I angry. I know the system and how it works, and I knew this going in almost 4 years ago. I simply was not competitive enough. Chick-fil-A has 50,000 individuals per year starting the process to become an owner/operator. I made it to step 5 of 7. The top 400 of 50,000 or so. And I am very humbled and grateful to have made it that far. I am in a tough spot at my age. Mid-thirties with a family makes it difficult to be a solid candidate for the Leadership Development Program (on the road living in hotels for about 2 years opening up/running Chick-fil-As around the country), and I am not in my 40’s or 50’s with a wealth of experience from past employment. On paper…. I don’t compete. And I completely understand that from corporate’s point of view.

The only frustrating part is that I don’t know where I fit in…. or how to become THAT competitive. I feel like I have done everything in my power to become prepared to operate a store, and who I am and the endless energy and passion I have for Chick-fil-A would go far beyond simply making a local business profitable. But I am not upset. I know God has a plan, and I know that it is a perfect plan for me and my family. Sometimes it is God’s timing, or sometimes it is a completely new plan – only time will tell.

I want to thank my wife first of all for everything. And by everything, I mean the sacrifices, large and small, that she has made over the past 4 years. She was my biggest cheerleader, and she was ALL IN just as much, if not more, than I was. She is incredibly strong with a heart of gold. She will make an amazing operator’s wife one day, if that is what God wills. I love her dearly and desperately wanted to reach my goal for her. Love you, sweetheart.

Thank you also to the many Operators, Grand Opening Supervisors, trainers, Corporate staff, friends, guests, family, etc who cheered me on since day 1. I never once had someone tell me that I would never make it as an operator, but rather hundreds, if not thousands, telling me to keep going…. that they would love to help me and serve with me one day.

Though I am at peace and trust God with corporate’s decision, guests of mine are crushed. I returned to work this past Friday, and guest after guest walked in shocked – I don’t know if they were more shocked at the decision or that I had a smile on my face. Many operators reached out to me. Some told me they cried, while others expressed that if they had to go through the process today, they would not even make it.

You know what all this tells me? That this journey was not in vain. The people I know now that have impacted me, and that I may have impacted…. I wouldn’t have met them 4 years ago. The massive amount of support and outpouring of love during this journey and after the news came last week has been humbling. I don’t deserve any of this…. but God, in His goodness and grace, allowed me precious time with individuals all across this country. These moments are priceless to me!

I love Chick-fil-A and I will always love Chick-fil-A. As of now, I am still serving at my local CFA as a director working 50-55 hours a week. And until God moves me, that is where I will be. Is the journey over? I honestly don’t think so. I try to force myself to lose the desire to own my own store… and then I clock in and do life with my team, and after hugs and high fives and accomplishing goals together…. I realize I can’t stop pursuing my dream. It’s what I do. It’s who I am.

Many have asked if I am upset or mad. Almost telling me with their eyes and tone of voice that it would be ok to say yes. But no. I am at peace. I am at peace knowing that God is good all the time. Never is He NOT good. And though people all around the chain know I would make a tremendous operator, the one person who could say no, did say no. And they did their job well. They have to make sure they choose the best fit for every opportunity. To play God and to judge their decision would be foolish. To trust God and wait on His will and timing is obedience. So I choose to obey. I choose to wait. I choose to continue to be full of joy. I choose to keep on serving faithfully.

I leave you with this story from this past Saturday.

A mom and her little girl were getting into line to order when I walked by them to grab something from outside. She stopped me and told me that she had used me as an example when teaching her kids a lesson that week. I recognized the mom, but didn’t know her personally. She went on to explain that her 9th grade boy was telling her how his friends in the same grade were out partying/drinking and making poor decisions. Her son then said that he doesn’t have to hang out with that crowd and wants to make wise decisions. I bent down and asked the little girl what the mom had said about me. The little girl looked up at me and said, “Mommy said that she wants me to marry someone like you one day”. I was shocked, as I had never spoken to them before. The mom then began to tear up and told me that she can tell simply by the way I serve people in the restaurant that I am someone that she wants her boys to look up to and her daughter to marry. It was all I could do not to get all emotional! WOW! Do I deserve those comments? No. Any good in me is by the grace of God alone. But God used that instance, just mere days after receiving a “no” answer, to keep that flame burning inside of me.

To you that have followed this journey…. thank you! You are appreciated far more than you will ever know. I truly hope this isn’t the end. I have insane faith that it is not. In fact, I  check my email throughout the day thinking that I will receive one saying that they have changed their minds and have a store for me. But if that day never comes, I thank God that He used CFA to bring you into my life. May God bless you. #JUSTTRUETT

 

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JUST TRUETT.

A few months back, while working mid-day in shift at the home Chick-fil-A, the thought struck me to “JUST TRUETT”. I kind of chuckled to myself and shared it with a fellow team member. A couple weeks later, I went online and made a simple t-shirt with that slogan on the front. Honestly, it was something I did because I told my team member that I should do it, and it would be fun. I finally received the t-shirt a few weeks later, and I posted it on my personal social media sites.

A few days went by, and I began receiving notifications from Chick-fil-A team members around the country asking me where they could get one. I was hesitant. Our founder, Truett Cathy, went home to be with the Lord at the end of 2014, and I did not want this to come across as something trivial, but rather as a unique, creative way to get the message across of what Truett Cathy’s heartbeat was… what he embodied… how he impacted others.

Still hesitant, I emailed Chick-fil-A’s president and CEO, Mr. Dan Cathy, to ask his opinion. Truett was his father, after all, and I wanted his blessing before moving forward. After emailing Mr. Cathy and explaining my thoughts behind the slogan, he responded with: “Terrific idea, Kent! Creative way to get the message across. You have my permission to fulfill all the orders.”

WOW! But now what? I didn’t know the first thing about ordering bulk t-shirts, but I love to learn and I’m an entrepreneur…. so I started doing research. Thankfully, the one who encouraged me to get started and the one whose company did the behind the scenes work for me was a good friend, Keith Rogers, from 323 Sports out of the Raleigh, NC, area.

I never realized how OCD I would be with t-shirts. I rejected the first samples because I wanted a higher-end t-shirt. One that would cost me more money personally, but one that would give Chick-fil-A’ers around the country a quality purchase. After agreeing to the shirt and the font design and size, I put in my initial order for 150 shirts. Exciting!

After setting up a little office in my walk-in closet, and creating a simple google drive order form, I was ready to sell. It’s been 48 hours now, and 22 shirts have been sold. First shipment will be shipped out Monday, January 4. Cannot wait until those who receive them begin wearing them, giving them the chance to share what “JUST TRUETT” means.

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This is not about making money. This is not about me. At all. I simply want to #LIVETHELEGACY of Truett Cathy, and continue to serve in the manner in which he served.

So what does it mean to “JUST TRUETT”?  When a guest is upset at you…. JUST TRUETT. When you are wrongly accused…. JUST TRUETT. When a fellow team member is going through a tough time…. JUST TRUETT. I like to sum it all up by infusing a good portion of Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose:

JUST TRUETT.

“Treat each and every person with honor, dignity, and respect. Be a faithful steward of all that God has given to you. Be a positive influence on all those you have the privilege to meet. Love unconditionally.”

If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, I’ve posted the ORDER FORM here.

May God bless you all this New Year!!

 

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A Blast Beyond the Clock

I think it’s an understatement to say that we absolutely LOVE our team members at Chick-fil-A. And that love is not confined to the time clock. We don’t simply care about them and how they are doing while clocked in, but we desire to invest in them and their interests far beyond the clock. Tonight was Senior Night for one of our team members, Hannah Hastings… so a few of us drove over to the local high school and had a blast cheering on her and her fellow teammates. It had been YEARS since I had last attended a volleyball match. Hannah did amazingly well… and it was fun to spend time together as a CFA family. After the games, my wife and I were talking about how awesome it would be to have a store someday, and continue to invest in the lives of others. People are definitely our Passion!

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Where there is no vision….

I’m a HUGE proponent of “enjoy the moment” and don’t get too focused on the future. However, if there are no plans, no goals, no VISION… you will fail. Period. Now that I have almost nine months of experience at my local CFA store, it is definitely time to begin planning ahead. 

For those of you not familiar with Chick-fil-A, there are a few “paths” to take in the journey to hopefully becoming an Operator one day. You can apply to become a Corporate Trainer, a Grand Opening Supervisor, or an Interim Manager (IM)…. to name a few of the more standard routes. Andre Kennebrew (CFA Corporate Talent Scout) recently visited the Charlotte market to explain these paths, and how extremely competitive it has become. Basically, there is so much interest out there, that they can afford to take only the “cream of the crop”. WOW! Honestly, I wanted to walk away from that meeting discouraged… thinking that there is no way that I can make it with only nine months experience up to this point. 

Thankfully, my Operator, Dean Sandbo, encouraged me when he mentioned that he could see me in the IM program. This was the path that my wife and I have been desiring since day #1. Andre had mentioned two things that stood out to me in the meeting in regard to the IM program. 1) They were seeing more and more 30-ish year-olds from other backgrounds than CFA enter the program. 2) They are OK with families with children. I thought to myself, “This is the time… if I am ever going to take it. My kids will be under school age… and we are not tied down to Charlotte at all”. 

Some of you are wondering what the IM position entails…. I will sum it up for you! Think of an interim pastor filling in at a church. It’s basically the same principle. For “up to” 2 years, my family would potentially bounce around the USA while I stood in as an interim operator until corporate found a permanent operator for that specific location. I could be in Texas for a 3 months… then moved to Chicago for 6 months… then New Jersey for a month. You just never know. It all depends on the need. At any point during those 2 years, they could pull me out to inform me that I am ready for my own store…. or, I could spend two years traveling around the country, and at the end…. discover that I don’t have what it takes to be an Operator. Again, nothing is guaranteed. It’s a Christian-based organization, and there is definitely a lot of FAITH involved!! But I know this is where God wants us…. and I am going to do my ultimate best to pursue the IM program. It’s really, really tough to get in… but with God, all things are possible. 

To wrap this post up, my plans are to remain in my local CFA for another year (ish)…. and then hopefully hit the road, or go another route. I would definitely appreciate your prayers on our behalf. Even though I often feel SO incredibly inadequate, my love for the CFA brand, my guests, and my team members is out of this world! 

 

Below: Andre Kennebrew (center) talks with team members interested in a long-term career with Chick-fil-A

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They didn’t fail me

As I drove in to work this morning at 5am, I began to ask God to give me wisdom for the day. Due to 3 of our leaders being unable to work this weekend, we were stretched thin… and I definitely needed God’s help as I ran the AM shift. When I finished praying, God gave me an incredible thought: Trust the Team. Wow! So simple, yet so hard to do at times. I’m the type of person that loves to do ALL of the work myself, but as a leader, it is impossible. Sure you know it’s done right when you do it personally… but all the time training and investing in these kids was not in vain. They are equipped and able. That said, we had one of the busiest days in recent months. A line to the door for almost 5 hours. What did I have to do? I had to trust the team. And they didn’t fail me. 

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I’m no football team.. but I have a cheerleader!

I cannot begin to describe how incredibly important my wife has been, currently is, and will be on this journey. When I think back over these past 7 months, I see how valuable and crucial it has been to have my wife as my biggest cheerleader. Leaving a career in Christian radio and taking the leap of faith financially, as well as sacrificing our time as a family, is never “easy”, but my wife has stood by my side and supported me 110%. She is currently in her 3rd trimester. We are expecting baby #2 (a girl) in November. Our two-year-old son is my temperament. Packed full of energy and personality. It tires my wife out, for sure… and yet she is faithfully cooking, cleaning, getting my uniform ready for the next day, etc. She has given up so much for the sake of following this journey. There are no shopping trips, dinner out with friends, or massages… she went back to an old flip phone, and we cut the cable TV and gym memberships. The funny thing is… she doesn’t even mind. Not one bit. She believes in me. Sure, it’s tough financially… and I am gone about 60 hours a week (drive time included), but the fact of the matter is that she loves me, and desires to see God use me to impact Chick-fil-A and the surrounding communities. That, my friends, is my partner. My soul-mate. The love of my life. Thank you, babe!

 

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My Operator is a “Clean Freak”, and I LOVE IT!

I personally love cleanliness. Cleanliness can make, or break, your reputation. Yesterday, I spent the last few minutes of a 12 hour shift walking around the store with my Operator, taking notes of everything that needed to be cleaned. It’s HIGH on his priority list, which means it needs to be high on ours. But why? Simply because the boss man says it needs to be done, or maybe because if it’s not done, we receive low scores when inspected… or perhaps if we refuse, it’s our job at stake? Honestly, you could make a case for any of the above suggestions… but what my Operator, Dean, instills in us is that we need to be a FAITHFUL STEWARD of ALL that God has entrusted to us. WOW! If we get that… if we TRULY grasp that… even the not-so-glamorous parts of our service, like cleaning, will be enjoyable. Cleaning is so important, but having the right attitude and motive behind the cleaning… that’s a GAME CHANGER!

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To hire, or not to hire

The hiring process has to be the toughest aspect of my job. With a personality that loves people, and wants to give a chance to every human being who walks through the doors… it honestly breaks my heart to file an application knowing that they probably won’t be a part of the team. At the same time, this process is good for me in that it stretches me beyond my comfort zone, and makes me realize that just because someone doesn’t fit into our culture, doesn’t mean they can’t excel somewhere else. I wish nothing but the best for them, and cherish the time that we were able to spend together… even if it was for just a few moments. To those new hires… I cannot wait to bring you alongside and show you what a tremendous opportunity it is to serve our community and each other. Welcome to the team!   

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