Conviction: A firmly held belief or opinion.
Most people do whatever is convenient and/or expedient. Great leaders on the other hand follow their convictions even when those convictions are inconvenient and/or involve sacrifice.
In this way convictions are closely tied to integrity—being true to oneself.
I witnessed an incredible example of following one’s convictions when I visited Chick-fil-A’s Support Center [Head Office] recently.
During the Culture Tour we walked through a recreation of Truett Cathy’s Dwarf Grill, Cathy’s first restaurant. I was surprised to see a cigarette machine as it did not seem to fit with what we know of Chick-fil-A.
After sharing a few other historical insights our tour guide turned out attention to the cigarette machine. He informed us that in the early days of the Dwarf Grill the cigarette machine generated more revenue than the rest of the restaurant did.
As I understood the story, one day a young restaurant employee wanted to buy cigarettes from the machine that was prominently situated in the restaurant. A conversation ensued between Truett and the young employee wherein Truett challenged the young man to delay his purchase until the following day and until after he had created a list of the pros and cons of smoking.
The next day the young employee presented his list to Truett. On the pros side he had listed the “fun” elements of smoking and said it was cool. The only con he wrote down was that Mr. Cathy did not think smoking was a good idea.
In that moment Truett felt convicted that the cigarette machine represented a contradiction between his words, beliefs, and actions. As a result he removed the cigarette machine, despite the profits it generated.
We all make decisions and don’t always see areas where our words and actions do not align. True integrity and living our convictions, however, requires us to deal with inconsistencies when they are brought to our attention.
In the car business staff are faced with many choices between following convictions or pursuing profits (gross). Let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with profit, and even making a really good profit. The challenge exists where our practices are not aligned with our convictions. To allow such inconsistencies to persist is extremely confusing to staff and makes the establishment of an effective culture difficult, if not impossible.
I love the way one dealer directed his team: Make as much money as you can, but earn every penny of it.
Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.