Chick-fil-A director talks leadership

COEUR d'ALENE — In true leadership style, Mark Conklin played quarterback on stage Thursday and handed off to local business leaders qualities that have made Chick-fil-A a strong company.

Conklin, leadership development director for the College Park, Ga.-based fast food restaurant chain, spoke about "The Five Principles of Leadership" to 480 attendees of the first Business Forum during a chicken (of course) luncheon at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

With a former Eastern Washington University football player pulled from the crowd and behind him on stage as fullback, Conklin used the fellow to illustrate the leadership principle of engaging and developing others by handing off to him and letting him do work near the goal line.

"What I want is a person who has ownership mindset," Conklin said, using the football analogy on business. "It's a leadership responsibility to engage that."

Martita Jara attended the lunch after her father invited her, and she's pleased she went not only because of Conklin's lively and entertaining talk, but because the principles apply to everyday life and not just business.

"This was very encouraging and motivating, including for fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and others," she said.

Other leadership principles Conklin cited included:

• See and shape the future.

"Where there is no vision, people perish," Conklin said. "Where there is vision, people flourish. If you're a leader, you have to have a compelling vision."

• Reinvent continuously.

"Do one simple thing better today than you did yesterday," Conklin said. "The whole idea is that you're getting better."

• Value results and relationships.

Conklin said the key word in that tip is "and." There has be be a balance between valuing results and relationships. Conklin said there can be a tendency to give great employees more and more work without mixing in relationships.

"There's nothing wrong with being results-focused, but just admit that and have compensators around you," he said. "Don't select people around you who are just like you."

• Embody the values.

"Know your values," Conklin said. "What is the most important thing in your business right now?"

Conklin told a story about how he was about to make a long business plane ride west when he was informed by an airline employee that his seat had been changed to first class thanks to another person on the plane.

After the plane landed, Conklin learned his first-class seat was courtesy of Chick-fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy, who Conklin didn't realize was aboard during the flight.

"He said, 'Hey Mark, how was that ride up front? It's a hard run, and I wanted you to have that seat,'" Conklin said.

The acronym of the five principles Conklin cited was SERVE.

"If you don't have the answer, just ask how you can serve," Conklin said.

Conklin said the SERVE philosophy is more than 2,000 years old, and Chick-fil-A plucked it from somewhere else.

"It's a Biblical principle," he said. "If you want to be really great, go to the back of the line and serve others. Are you being a serving leader or a self-serving leader?"

When an attendee asked Conklin about the best way to exemplify being a servant, Conklin used the Cathy story and added that surveys indicate employees and others simply like to be thanked.

"If you can do that publicly, that's even better," Conklin said.

Conklin told The Press the North Idaho and eastern Washington region is on Chick-fil-A's real estate radar for opening a restaurant in this area. He said the chain's success in Boise, Seattle and Portland is an indication that it may expand to the Inland Northwest.

The luncheon was presented by the Men's Business Forum. All the group's leaders attend Real Life Ministries, a nondenominational church based in Post Falls that also has a Coeur d'Alene church.

The Men's Business Forum was created by local business leaders to serve and support owners and leaders of businesses. The objectives are to support men who lead North Idaho businesses, provide tools for successfully leading a business and provide a forum for the exchange of information and networking.

Both men and women were invited to Thursday's luncheon and a Women's Business Forum will be formed soon.

"Our emphasis is on networking," said Mark Collins, a leader of the group, adding that guest speakers will present information relevant to businesses and there will be discussions afterward at each table regarding the topic.

Collins said there will be three types of forums — some for men only, some for women only and larger ones in which both genders are invited. There are no membership dues — just the cost of the meals.

Collins said the concept has been popular with just word of mouth and some people interested in attending Thursday's luncheon had to be turned back due to no more space available.