Tear In My Heart

Today marks the passing of my father, Truett. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. I learned a lot from him. 

I like to give a little tour I call the “Vision and Values Tour.” I take employees and contractors and friends, pile them in a bus and drive them all over Atlanta as I talk to them about our company’s history. 

Revisiting our past keeps us grounded. 

One of the stops is my father’s graveside. It’s a beautiful spot. It’s hilly and open, with trees bordering the property. When we visit the spot I like to play an old hymn on my trumpet, a tribute to dad, the musical DNA from my mother.

Losing him was a big deal for me personally, and our whole family. I still have a tear in my heart. 

When I think of my dad as a leader I’m reminded of how well he stayed the course. 

Some leaders struggle to keep their eye on the prize. But I think that might be because the prize shifts—or maybe because they're eyeing the wrong thing. 

Dad knew who he was, and that knowledge helped him stay true to what made him who he was. We like to call that confidence. 

But it wasn’t an unhealthy swagger. It was a steadiness produced by his faith. His faith shaped him, and he used those same principles to shape our company. 

You know, in business, our methods will change, our logos will evolve, our apps will be upgraded. As people, we get older, our hair styles change (or falls out!), our faces get wrinkly, and we may change jobs several times. 

But some things don’t change—at least they shouldn’t in my book. And those are the things in our core. The things that make us who we are. 

I will change in this life. My looks, my interests, my suit styles. But kindness, loyalty, faithfulness, perseverance, all those things good in a person, those things should remain. And they should forever be my goal. Dad often said he wanted to be remembered for keeping his priorities in their proper order.

We may change a thing or two here at Chick-fil-A every now and again. We may add or remove products from our menu. But “My pleasure” will always remain. Closed on Sundays will always remain. Valuing people will always remain. 

Thanks dad for staying the course. For changing but never changing. For always reminding that the main thing will forever be to keep the main thing, the main thing. 

Staying the course. That’s what I want to do.