Mark Miller:
One of the very practical and extremely tactical activities that I personally practice, and I've been encouraging leaders for decades to do this. I said, what would happen if you attempted to add value to every person you encounter? If I'm trying to add value to you, who am I thinking about? Well, I'm now thinking about you, I'm not thinking about me. So my focus has already shifted and there are countless ways to add value to people. But what changes you is not your success rate. What changes you is your effort, it's the trying that transforms.
Tim Spiker:
It's a little surprising to hear that merely trying to be an others focus leader can transform us in that direction. But with the logic is solid and the message comes from a world class developer of leaders, well, in that case, we should all pay attention.
Tim Spiker:
I'm your host, Tim Spiker. And this is the Be Worth* Following Podcast, a production of the People Forward Network. On this show, we talk with exceptional leaders, thinkers, and researchers about what actually drives effective leadership across the globe and over time. You just heard from Mark Miller, vice president of high performance leadership at Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is one of the most beloved and successful restaurant chains in the United States. Their business model and perspectives on leadership are unique and those unique perspectives are producing uniquely positive results. Over the last five years, Chick-fil-A has grown from $9 billion to almost $20 billion in revenue, and that is not nearly the most interesting financial metric about Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A stores are famously open only six days a week. And in those six days, they produce more revenue per store than McDonald's, Starbucks and Subway combine, and all of those restaurants are open seven days a week.
Tim Spiker:
Mark Miller is responsible for crafting the thinking, development and culture of the leaders who are producing those kind of results. But Mark's accolades don't stop at the door of Chick-fil-A. He is a sought after speaker, as well as an author of 10 books on leadership, culture and performance. Mark was just the 16th corporate employee ever hired at Chick-fil-A, which put him in direct contact for 30 years with Chick-fil-A's founder, Truett Cathy. But even before Truett Cathy began influencing Mark, a couple of other important people were influencing his development, and that is where we began.
Mark Miller:
I feel so fortunate to have had many, many leaders who have influenced me. I think that's part of the advantage of living a long time. A lot of women and men have spoken into my life and leadership. I think I'd have to go all the way back and start with my mom. She's the one that convinced me that I should never quit until I'm finished. And she pointed out some times in my early life when she felt like I quit before I finished, and I think that marked me. So she was certainly an early influence, my first real supervisor convinced me that your capacity to grow determines your capacity to lead. I think that was a defining moment in my life and leadership. Prior to that, I had not made a commitment to lifelong learning. My parents wished that I had done that much earlier because I was a lousy student. But I said, okay, if that's how the world works, if you want more influence, you want more opportunity. You want more responsibility, you've got to make a commitment to lifelong learning.
Tim Spiker:
Had you heard anything similar to that earlier in life, but it just landed with your first supervisor?
Mark Miller:
It's the first time I really heard it. Now, keep in mind I was 19 years old, so I mean, maybe somebody told me that as a kid, but again, I was a lousy student because I really just didn't apply myself. But once I understood that's how the world works. I said, okay, I can do that. I mean, people often ask, how does that manifest itself? I said, well, I'd love to listen to the radio in the car but I'll listen to audible book or a podcast instead. Even 40 plus years I'm still having to make those conscious decisions because learner is not at the top of my strength finders, let's put it that way.
Mark Miller:
Let me give you one more. I had the privilege to be hired by Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. And he taught me so much, I mean, we worked together for, I guess, 30 years before he passed away. Over 30 years. And he really taught me so much about generosity. I don't remember him ever talking to me about generosity, but I had a front row seat at what a generous life looks like, and that marked me as well.
Tim Spiker:
Connect that to leadership if you could, because I imagine some people are listening and they're like, okay, generosity, that's a good character quality to have, but really what does that have to do with being an effective leader?
Mark Miller:
Well, I think the most important character trait for an effective servant leader is the ability to think others first. And if you don't have an abundance mentality, if you don't have a generous spirit and you may not have that naturally, I think it's a cultivated and developed character trait. The ability to think others first, you'll never reach your full potential as a leader. The question that we encourage leaders to ask often is am I a serving leader or a self-serving leader? Because your motives matter far more than you can imagine.