In Defense of Chick-Fil-A (but really company culture)

A few years ago while interviewing for business school I was asked “tell me about a CEO you admire”. Thankfully it was a question that I had prepped for, but the one that I hadn’t prepped for was the one that followed my answer (Yves Chouinard for Patagonia)… “I’ve heard that one so many times. Try surprising me with someone I wouldn’t expect.”

Before trying to claim that Dan Cathy, CEO and founder of Chick-fil-A Supply , is someone I admire (spoiler: he isn’t), I want to caveat that I find his political values abhorrent and pretty antithetical to everything I believe. Moreover, I actually try to put my money where my mouth is and avoid businesses, when possible, that are so openly homophobic. After all, it’s a free market empowering me to choose where I direct my dollars.

But I will defend a company that unabashedly stands behind corporate values that do not harm others. And, in that respect, Chick-Fil-A is a leader. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Chick-Fil-A’s decision to not open on Sundays is one of the most pro-employee policies that we see any company take on the corporate level.?

Can you imagine being a CEO and being so bullish on your corporate values that you’re willing to lose up to $1B annually to hold to them? If I’m able to take a purely company culture lens, it’s pretty easy to come away impressed. Should we be surprised then that the company continues to rank in the top echelons of employee satisfaction alongside giants that are famous for much larger compensation packages engendering unreal company loyalty??

At the end of the day I’ve always argued that company culture is about making decisions that are distinct and allow people to opt-in or opt-out. In fact, I’d argue that values are the both the inward and outward facing expressions of a brand such that both customers and employees can make that opt-in decision. Too many companies choose values that try to placate everyone and in doing so take a stand behind nothing at all, embodying the Aaron Burr of corporate decision making. At that point, why even have values at all.

So while you won’t find me dining at a Chick-Fil-A any day soon, I’ll continue to be impressed by their corporate commitment to what they stand for. Brand equity is only built out of consistency and, unlike people, requires a company to be steadfast in how they approach their decision-making lest we be surprised by them. This is precisely why we’re using Costco’s letter addressing a successful union vote as evidence of their excellent corporate culture.

In 2024, I hope we see more companies taking unabashed stands behind their values. In a fiercely competitive market for talent (that I suspect will only become moreso in our mostly digital world), clear expressions about who you are will attract those who resonate with it.?