The “My Pleasure” Principle
“It’s a great day at Chick-fil-A, how may I help you?” As an older teenager, that phrase was so imprinted on my brain from hours of working the drive-through window that I occasionally answered our home phone with it. While my time helping others “eat mor chikin” did not include the phrase, “my pleasure,” the culture that produced that sentiment was already evident and growing. The three years that I spent working at Chick-fil-A as a teen proved formative in my deep and wide understanding of customer service.
My leaders taught me how to value all our customers. They showed me how maintaining a clean and orderly store created the right environment for everyone. They taught me how to handle difficult conversations with tact. They encouraged teamwork and ingenuity to remain efficient and effective in stressful situations (aka 99₵ kid meal night – a big, crazy, weekly event!). They demonstrated their care for me and other employees by managing schedules that accommodated our high school sports and other events. They sought out and developed leadership skills in those of us that proved trustworthy and capable of leading. I saw the true quality of the type of food and preparation standards that they touted. Unlike some of my peers working at other establishments, my co-workers and I had no problem eating the food we prepared. We experienced and emulated the “my pleasure” experience because it was also what we experienced.
It has been 25 years since I completed my time at Chick-fil-A, and yet I continue to learn from my experiences there. I have also paid attention to the continued growth and professionalization of the entire Chick-fil-A model as many of their leaders have willing shared the “secrets” of their success through books and podcasts. Who didn’t wish, during COVID, that testing site and vaccine lines worked as well as a Chick-fil-A drive through? While people laugh about other fast food restaurant’s ice cream machines not working, raving fans pay more money, and even wait out the Sunday day-off, for both the food and experience they receive at Chick-fil-A. The “my pleasure” culture provides some powerful lessons for leaders and organizations of all types; here are a three ways for you to consider as you pursue developing a “my pleasure” culture.
1. Kindly saying “no” in the hiring process. In today’s world of automated tasks, and even more so as artificial intelligence develops, the hiring process often begins in less than personal ways. While hiring managers bemoan the increase in applicants ghosting interviews, it is extremely common, for organizations to also ghost job applicants. While I appreciate the workload and complexity of responding to every job applicant, organizations should have a way to kindly say something akin to, “we appreciate you applying to this position, but we have decided on someone else” or “thank you for your application, we appreciate your qualifications, but you aren’t quite the right fit at this time. We hope you consider us for future job openings that best fit your experience.” This is the “my pleasure” tactful and respectful approach to not hiring someone, especially when the initial, automated sorting rules someone out.
This approach matters because it communicates how much an organization values those who take the time to apply for a position within their “my pleasure” culture. Understandably, workloads are full, so emails or communication can have elements of automation, but applicants who navigate the complex hiring systems deserve to have closure on the process. In those smaller organizations where the applications are not numerous, communicating a decision, even when it is a “no” or “not right now” acknowledges the person’s worth and effort in applying. They saw something in your organization, walked through a door you opened, and presented themselves to you. It is both easy and kind to respond.
Such a response also helps maintain good relationships with the community. People share their good and bad experiences with each other. They make judgements on the culture of an organization from how that organization treats them. When you treat them well, with dignity, respect, and appreciation, you leave the door open for quality candidates to re-apply in the future. You also create an ideal situation for the applicant to refer others based upon a positive “rejection” experience.
When you ghost an applicant, you invite them to make inferences about your organization’s values and culture apart from your actual input. I have experienced “applicant ghosting” twice in the past year, and for opportunities that I know would not bring in many applicants. I know it is within the power for somebody to say, “thank you, but not at this time,” even in a “cut and paste” way that would be far better than silence. Because of the lack of response, I have some feelings about the organizations and their leadership, despite them being ones that I will interact with regularly from a consumer perspective. I am being careful in my judgment, but that is because I am deeply thoughtful on these things. Not everyone is. Organizations can destroy aspects of trust when they ghost people who see them as a worthwhile place to pursue employment. Doing better requires some effort, but the reward, in reputation alone, is worth that HR time and effort or system investment.
2. Embracing vendors & contractors as part of the team. Chick-fil-A is known for exceptional relationships with their vendors and contractors. They treat them with a “my pleasure” mentality, and care about their flourishing. It can be easy for organizations to see vendors and contractors as “others” who are fulfilling a business transaction and operate from a “quid pro quo” position. What if you flipped the narrative? What if you invested in extending your organization’s values to those vendors and contractors who serve you?
Such a mentality will grow trust with those individuals and companies. They then grow beyond service providers and into your biggest fans. They spread your culture beyond your walls. Depending upon what you provide, they may willingly, or even enthusiastically, become your greatest advertisement. As you interact, both they and you may discover they are the right fit for opportunities in your organization, a similar approach to hiring and promoting from within. When you foster exceptional relationships with those that serve you by you serving them, it becomes natural for them to reciprocate. I’m not saying be nice because you want them to be nice; I’m saying be kind because it’s the right thing to do. When you share a “my pleasure” culture with those who serve you, an almost natural byproduct of that is increased responsiveness and service because the culture is contagious.
Unlike denied job applicants, your vendors and contractors have much deeper knowledge of your culture. They often “see behind the curtain.” Help them become culture carriers for you; they are a part of your team and influence your ability to succeed. Embrace that understanding and become the best customer they serve so they can easily say, “my pleasure” when they wrap up a job for you.
3. Genuinely care for your employees. Your team must be recipients of a “my pleasure” experience. Your demonstrating and living the values that you expect them to exhibit is crucial to organizational success. Three of the ways you can do this with your team are through exceptional training, well placed rewards, and clear communication.
There is a risk to training. The more capable and confident your team becomes through training, the more competitive they become for opportunities outside your organization. However, someone rightly said, “if you train them, they may leave; if you don’t, they may stay.” Invest in training your team and then give them opportunities to use that training investment to better the organization. Training someone, and then never giving them the opportunity to use it, can be more damaging than never training them in the first place. Let them show you their growth and expand their responsibilities.
Well placed rewards are an essential aspect of employee care. When your employees provide a “my pleasure” experience to those you serve, rewarding and acknowledging them is critical to cementing your desired culture. As you reward your team, think about their personalities and the impact of their accomplishments. Sometimes, a simple note of thanks touches their heart and is appropriate. Other times, public acknowledgements, tokens, monetary, or time rewards communicate the greater level of impact. Regardless, reward your team when they do well; let them know that it is “your pleasure” to have them exemplifying the culture you expect. Doing this demonstrates your commitment to excellence, builds trust, and highlights across the organization examples of excellence.
Clear communication is a kind and empowering leadership act. When your team understands your expectations of them, they know what a “my pleasure” experience looks like and can do the work required to achieve that vision. Clear communication also encompasses understanding your team members as unique individuals with skills, talents, behavioral tendencies, and personal lives. When you come to understand what that is for each team member, you can best direct, motivate, and inspire them towards success. It empowers you to best react to their needs, while also challenging them towards growth. As communication is a two-way street, you care and communicate best when you actively listen and speak wisely. Even hard conversations can be a “my pleasure” experience when you do it from a caring position and with emotional intelligence.
Creating a “my pleasure” culture for an organization is a difficult task with a noble purpose. A “my pleasure” culture casts a wide net of positive impact. It propels success. It requires a deep commitment to a different way of leading and operating. It results in an all-encompassing culture that elevates, values, and respects those it serves inside and outside the organization. It will not always be perfect, but when imperfection inevitably slips in, it is able to respond humbly and respectfully.
What would it take for you to pursue a “my pleasure” culture in your organization?
