Letters to Leadership is a series of acronyms that together form a framework designed to encourage, enrich, and empower other leaders.
Join me as I write one for every letter of the alphabet!
Network 🤝
I recently had the opportunity to meet Chuck King at one of the company lunch and learns we host for the team at PDQ America.
It was a unique opportunity to hear how he, shortly after graduating college, started as corporate employee number 32 for Chic Fil A and eventually the first franchisee to be responsible for two locations. 🤯
Today, his stores are busy and incredibly efficient - two things that have become synonymous with Chic Fil A, the chicken restaurant that's closed on Sunday and is now 35,000+ employees strong.
Let's just say I took some notes. ✍️
Here's a Power Acronym Chic Fil A uses for hiring talent. Three C's:
Character, Chemistry, Competency
The order matters and there's three interviews with three different leaders. The decision to hire must be unanimous.
What does this have to do with Networking?
The strength of a company is in the company you keep!
I say it every Strong Com Podcast!
Strong Communication + Strong Community = Strong Company
You never know who you're talking to or where the relationship will go with people you meet on your journey of life.
And no matter who you're looking to become or what you're looking to do, there is SOMEONE out there who has life experience that you can learn from. 💎
I think networking begins with gratitude, a humble spirit and rewards the curious. These virtues create room to celebrate the sort of person you've just met and deepen a relationship with those you would like to get to know better.
Genuine intention and intentional conversation make way for infinite possibilities.
So…
Who are you spending time with?
What conversations are you having?
What rooms or environments bring you fulfillment?
Who can you help?
What experiences could deepen your current connections with those you know now?
If net worth is your network, isn't it time to invest?
Nurture 🌱
Chelsey and I left the house at 9:00am Sunday morning. Our neighbor Elvis was working in his yard as we drove by. We've always admired the attention he gives it. The grass is vibrant green and every plant has a place.
Elvis was on a ladder, sweating as he maneuvered his hedge trimmer to get his shrubs in shape.
I rolled down the window and quipped “That's a work of art right there!”
Elvis replied with a laugh -
“That's a working my ass off!”
We laughed and wished each other a great morning.
When I first think of the word “Nurture” I think about the softness. Like nursing babies or the tiny vegetables sprouting from Chelsey's garden to greet the spring sun.
But the exchange with Elvis made me think differently.
Sometimes care is hard work. It's extra effort. Early mornings, late nights for days and weeks, months into years.
Nurturing is a balance between intentional action and strategic patience through the blood, sweat and tears.
It's how we pay loving attention without fear of getting our hands a little dirty.
Have you ever heard this quote?
“Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘Grow, grow!’”
-The Talmud
It came to mind while writing on this topic and after a quick lookup I smiled when I learned that other translations actually talk about nurturing as hard work.
Here's an alternate translation from Rabbi Simon:
“Every single blade of grass has a corresponding 'mazal' in the sky which hits it and tells it to grow."
Whether it's angels or circumstances, it seems the act of nurturing is not without some sense of growing pain.
But isn't that the point of growth after all?
To arrive or help someone else arrive at the other side stronger than before?
Navigate 🧭
Our neighbor next door is named Frank. He's 80 years old with his share of health issues, but Chelsey and I love to talk to him when he's spending some time outside under the car port during golden hour evenings.
After returning home from a trail run recently he was sitting watching the sun set and I decided to sit and visit with him a while.
When I shared I had just returned from a run, he told me a story about how he was a star running back in high school.
Frank speaks quietly, and will occasionally pause to collect his thoughts mid sentence before continuing…
“You still see me walking ‘round here…
going slowly…
gently…
…cause I like to stay movin'.”
As someone who's still young, active, and always on the go, I appreciated how found that connection point for us both.
But as I sat with him watching the sun set behind the trees ahead of us…I felt myself slow down to meet his pace.
I asked him if he had found joy in the gentleness of his movement.
He said he had found joy…
“…and peace…”
knowing he could still move 80 years in, regardless of how fast or slow it is. It's his.
Much can be said about Navigation in the context of Leadership.
Having confidence in a direction, charting new paths, guiding others along the way…all valuable things.
But I felt inspired to share this memory with my neighbor Frank because in all the miles I aspire to log in my personal and professional life, I sometimes forget to simply be present in a moment.
I tend to default to Navigate! Navigate! Navigate! when a slow and gentle one-step-at-a-time could serve myself and others much better.
“If I'm incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will be equally incapable of enjoying my dessert.”
- Tich Nhat Hanh
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What a beautiful piece! Network, Nurture, and Navigate, three activities that require up front time investment but pay themselves off many times over in the long run! Thanks for the thought.