4 Steps to Attract The Best Employees Like Chick-fil-A Does, The Friendship That Makes You Happier and Healthier, Fun Dates for Those Married with Kids
Business
4 Steps to Attracting Great Employees Like Chick-fil-A
It would be difficult to miss the fact that Chick-fil-A attracts the best employees in the fast food industry. Go into any CFA store and then visit a neighboring fast food competitor. Same neighbor, same wage rates, very different customer service environment. Why is that?
There are a lot of reasons that could be combined into a vague term like culture. But the rest of us need to know how we can get similar results for our business. How can we attract great employees at a reasonable cost like CFA seems to do so easily?
Here are four steps to start attracting talent like CFA does:
1 – Create Clarity – CFA leadership knows what they stand for and they are not shy about it. In a job posting on Snagajob for a leadership position, the company listed their corporate purpose – “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 to contact with Chick-fil-A.” Throughout the description, the company bolded terms to draw the readers attention. Terms like Cheerful, Productive, Customers First, Personal Excellence. Cheerful and Productive were mentioned twice!
Chick-fil-A hires people from all faith backgrounds as long as they are on board with following the guiding principles of the organization. Putting so much of what they believe out in the public eye allows interested job seekers to determine for themselves if they would be a good fit. CFA is known for its long and thorough interview process. If you don’t have and believe in the traits highlighted in the job placement, would you bother applying? Probably not.
That saves CFA leadership time and money.
2 – Protect Your Culture – Protecting their culture is a lot easier for CFA than for a lot of companies. Why? Because they have been so diligent spelling out what they stand for. Their hiring and human resource processes simply reinforce these core principles. That strong culture attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones.
Does your business have clarity about what you stand for and where you are going? Do your processes and system reinforce this clarity?
3 – Invest in Leadership – It is incredibly difficult to get a leadership position at CFA. The company is diligent in making sure only the right people are allowed in leadership. Once a leader is hired, CFA ensures they are trained to protect and promote the distinct CFA culture. These leaders only hire the best and take great care of their people. They treat their people well and their people treat their customers well.
Do your hiring processes protect your brand by only letting the right people in?
4 – Pride – Chick-fil-A is excellent at what they do. The number of applications they receive and the lines inside and outside of their stores show employees they are part of something excellent. CFA attracts employees that want to be a part of something great. They want to grow and learn. The people who apply “fit” CFA and CFA fits them.
Chick-fil-A also gives back a lot to the communities it works in. Being on a team that gives back so heavily makes CFA’s employees feel great. Employees that get joy from giving back are attracted to work at CFA.
Do your employees have something to be proud about? What is your company great at? How does it give back?
Health
The One Kind of Teenage Friendship that Makes You a Happier, Healthier Adult
New research published in the journal Child Development shows that teens aged 15 and 16 who had a close friend, rather than a bigger peer group, reported higher levels of self-worth and lower levels of social anxiety and depression at age 25 when compared to teens who were more “broadly popular.”
The research mirrors other studies that show there are two types of popularity: people who are likable – their peers trust them and want to be with them and those who seek status.
Why are close friends so important at this critical time in a teen’s development? The early teen years are when we form our first “real” close outside of the family relationships. It is a time when we are building our self-image and confidence in our ability to build relationships outside the home.
Only our closest friends know the real us and still like us. We can game popularity. Great overview of the study here.
Life, Fun, Whatever!
Fun Dates for Couples With Kids
We have four kids. Their ages range from 5 to 1. We are blessed. We are also overwhelmed. All of this blessing has occurred in the short 6.5 years of our marriage. Just to add to our load I left my perfectly good job two months into our marriage to pursue my dream of starting Fowler & Company.
A lot of things have been put on the back burner since we got married. Lots of good things like triathlon and travel, but the most important priority that has been at least partially neglected is dating my wife.
When money and time are both tight it can be far too easy to neglect and take for granted your most important relationship on this earth. We have so much to do and so little time that most of our date nights end up at Wal-mart or some other exotic locale trying to catch up on grocery shopping or buy something that the kids need and we’ve had no time to shop for. Side note: Praise the Lord for Amazon Prime. I have no idea how parents survived before it!
How can time and cash strapped couples build fun and excitement back into their relationship? Well, I started Googling to get some ideas and came up with the following:
Step 1 – Take Care of the Kids – Find a great babysitter, enlist the grandparents or bribe friends to take your kids on for the night. You can also trade play dates with other friends or just put the kids to bed early and enjoy some time alone.
Step 2 – Get Creative – As a recovering accountant, this is where things get difficult for me. Here are some great ideas I found:
At Home. Put the kids to bed early or send them to a friend’s house. Here are some great ideas for stay at home dates.
- Dessert Under the Stars – If the weather is right, grab some pillows and blankets and head out to watch the stars and have a sweet with your sweet.
- Themed Dinner – Light some candles and do something fun and simple. Be careful about doing anything that requires too much clean-up. It is hard to enjoy yourself when you know the clean up that lies ahead.
- Read a Book Together – I had never thought of this one, but might try it. One blogger suggested 31 Days to Great Sex. I checked it out and it looks interesting…
- Board & Card Games – Find one you both enjoy that doesn’t take forever to play! Start a tournament and keep score to keep it interesting.
- Exercise Together – It is difficult to get off the sofa for this one, but put in a quick tape, have fun and have way more energy afterward!
- Kid-Free Slumber Party – Bring out the blankets, snacks and movies and crash on the living room floor!
- Home Made Spa – Get some oils, bubble baths, candles, etc. and pamper each other.
- Create a Married Bucket List – A had one of these as a single guy, but how much more fun would it be to check things off a list you created together?
- Movie Night – I love this one way more than my wife does, but if your spouse loves a good movie rush the kids to bed and enjoy one together.
- Exchange New Wedding Vows – Give yourself 30 minutes to come up with a new set of wedding vows. Look into each other’s eyes and recite your new vows. You’ll be ready to for that next big wedding anniversary!
- Photo Shoot – How often are you and your wife actually in photos together?? Not often for us. Set up a tripod, get dressed up and have fun with it!
- The Wii! – We just got one of these handed down to us from Jill’s aunt and uncle and it is awesome! Yet, we are still too busy and tired to play it like we should. Put those kids to bed and get after it!
Getting Out. – Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and see some fresh territory.
- Take a Free Fitness Class – Most gyms have trial offers. Take advantage of them!
- Learn Something – Cooking, massage, art… whatever sounds fun and is available in your community.
- Take a Walk – Being outside just helps sometimes. Holding hands and going for a walk gives you time to breathe deep and let the conversation come naturally.
- Start a Competition – Have your date nights on the calendar and rotate who is in charge of planning the best date night for under $50. It will give you a great reason to focus on things your spouse loves to do and something to look forward to.
- Thrift Store – Set a budget of $5 each and see how many fun things you can find for your significant other within your budget. Alternate between nights for “funniest” and “most thoughtful” finds.
- Bookstore Date Night Challenge – This looks really cool. Check out the specifics here.
- Frisbee Golf With a Twist – You don’t need an actual course. This looks fun. Check out how to do it here.
- Play a Sport – We have tennis courts and parks nearby us. Play some tennis, frisbee or whatever sounds great to you!
Ok. That was a good exercise. I just learned a lot and have a ton of ideas stored up. Now, I’ve just got to get the dates on our calendars!
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