There has been much news over the past few days, two stories that seemed to capture everyone’s attention. First, the passing of Chick-fil-A founder, Truett Cathy, saddened us. A few days later, the unveiling of Apple’s lasted innovations wowed us.
As I peruse news articles, I often ask myself, “What can I and other ministry leaders learn from this person or organization? What can this situation teach us?” And so, this week I found myself considering Truett Cathy and Apple.
1. What we learned from Truett Cathy: Values first
Truett Cathy was a phenomenal leader. But what made him and Chick-fil-A so successful and admired was not what they did but what they did not do. One of my favorite Cathy stories takes place as Chick-fil-A leaders were determining how to better keep up with their competition. One Chick-fil-A leader suggested that they needed to grow the company to keep up. They needed to get bigger. To everyone’s surprise, Cathy responded,
If we get better our customers will demand that we get bigger.
This is still one of my all-time favorite quotes.
Cathy had his priorities in line. Therefore, Chick-fil-A had its priorities in line.
Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose statement reads, To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, a seemingly counterintuitive move. Why? Their values mean something.
So, what can we learn from the founder of Chick-fil-A?
Values first. Values guide organizations. Your values should cause you to say “no” more than “yes.” And it is the “no’s” that will fashion your ministry into the organization that it needs to be.
One more great quote from Cathy:
I’d like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order. We live in a changing world, but we need to be reminded that the important things have not changed, and the important things will not change if we keep our priorities in proper order.
2. What We Learned from Apple: Everything communicates something to someone
I wrote about this concept earlier in the week.
Apple received significant publicity from their unveiling event. Most was good, but not all. If you watched the event, you could tell that Apple meticulously prepared every single detail. They are a company that understands that they are under the microscope. Everything is analyzed.
I am always amazed at the abundance of assessments that occurs after an Apple event. The live stream feed, the phones, the watch, U2, and the scarf. Around the world, all are now discussed. Everything communicated something about Apple to someone.
What can we, as ministry leaders, learn from Apple?
Everything matters. What may seem like an insignificant detail can cause your ministry to unintentionally send the wrong message. Do the best you can, with the resources you have, to ensure that everything reinforces your message. Emails, bulletins, social media, and websites. They all matter because everything communicates something to someone.
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