Some of you may have found it strange that for all these months I have never devoted a blog to the company of Chick-fil-A (this is my place of employment, as you see in my bio). I didn't do this on purpose; I guess I just seemed to focus on other topics instead. The fact of the matter is I really love the company of Chick-fil-A. We seek to serve and honor God, not just make money.
Today I went to a meeting where we were encouraged to go above and beyond with customers by creating what is called an "emotional connection."
An emotional connection is probably best defined by doing something that is not typically expected of a food service company. The best example I've heard is when we discovered that a young mentally handicapped boy was about to have a birthday, so we decided to throw him a birthday party with his friends! His father was so happy that he cried tears of appreciation. That's an emotional connection! Another instance I heard is when one employee gave a very pregnant woman a small stuffed, plush cow to give to her baby when she gave birth. You get the idea. It's simply trying to do something that says "you are more than a customer to us. You are an important person with a life story."
In this meeting, we were asked, "What can you do to improve in providing emotional connections?" I answered this by quoting something that Dan Cathy (Truett's son) said a few years ago. He once encouraged us in a training video to obey what he called "the warm-hearted impulses." I went on to say that sometimes I will have an impulse to do something kind for a customer, but I don't do it. I wrapped up my thought by saying that I just need to do as Dan exhorted, obey the warm-hearted impulses.
It was a fast meeting, but if I had the time I would have quoted Jesus' observation that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Often when this verse is quoted we focus on the monetary gifts that we can give. But we can give to others simply by serving them; we can give to others by obeying "the warm- hearted impulses." This is true whether you work in a food service company or not.
So I would encourage everyone who reads this (including myself) to "obey the warm-hearted impulses." Open the door for people. Give up your preferred seat at church for the newcomers. Let others go ahead of you at the grocery store checkout line. It will bless them, and you'll feel better as well!
Kevin Bauer
(Philippians 2:4)
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