Book Report: How did you do it Truett?
Background
Truett is one of the most significant men in the history of business. He was one of the few businessmen who pioneered the sales of chicken sandwich. He has a lot of principles that only a few businessmen know. Aside from being a pioneer in the chicken sandwich industry, it was also his idea to introduce quick-food restaurants and food chains inside shopping malls. Back then, it usually takes a lot of time for mall-goers to order foods from traditional restaurants. But because of his unmatched ideas and principles in running a business, an efficient way to address such problem was implemented. That’s why his book “How did you do it Truett?” is still being used as a reference for most classes and discussions.
I actually like everything about Truett’s story: his achievements as a businessman, and the ideas and principles that he invented. The most remarkable part of his story that really left a mark was the one that described how he directed the opening of new Chick-Fil-A stores and how he administered every transaction and inquiry that has something to do with his franchising company. It just further proved how dedicated and passionate he was when it comes to business. At that time, I already began thinking that maybe he was really born to be a good businessman although some would say that a good businessman is neither born nor made; they are actually both. Pure talent may not be enough to push a new company towards the path to success. Likewise, pure skills may also not be enough to pull a company’s downward surging sales. It has to be a combination of both and for me, that’s what Truett has as a businessman. He possesses the talent, the experience and the skills required to turn failures into mere success stories.
He never runs out of ideas and that’s what’s best about this man. I find these things significant (that’s why it became my favorite part of his story) because considering the latest trends and news about business, one has to come up with unique ideas; ideas that will amuse the people so that there will be a steady flow of customers. Another significance of that part of his story was the style that he tried to implement. It could be assumed that one of his objectives why he decided to put up a one-man show per Chick-Fil-A branch was to cut down expenditures.
Chick-Fil-A’s Success Story
Of all the almost repetitive mantras and sayings that Truett stated about business, one of the most singular ones that really struck my mind was his Golden Rule. Actually it was not his Golden Rule but God’s Golden Rule. It is a strict policy for the company that every Sunday, no one is allowed to work. So basically, Sunday is considered a company-wide day off. Everybody has the freedom to spend the free day in whatever ways they want to spend it may it be for recreation or going to the church with their family. This is so far, the best learning that a businessman or an aspiring one could get from Chick-Fil-A’s success story; learning how to value consideration. Theoretically, if a boss is always considerate when it comes to the requests and needs of his company’s employees, the employees will surely return that favor back and I think this is one of the areas where the owner of Chick-Fil-A excelled at—managing their employees.
Most companies do not consider “employee and personnel consideration” as an important part of being a business administrator. The employees are like the families in a society. They are the basic unit of a company; without these people, every process within the company will be halted and in the end, profits will go down and the company’s balance will run towards a negative direction. Truett knew what strategy to develop for that dilemma. He later on developed strong ties with his employees without compromising the quality of services and products of the company.
It is clear even at first glance that the success of Truett and his franchising company could be attributed to this man’s talent, skill, experience and heart. He was naturally born as a businessman and his talent were partnered with the appropriate skills that he learned from his childhood up until the point where he is already managing his first personally-owned business. Ultimately, everything could be attributed to God. God gave Truett the talent and the wisdom. He showed Truett the right path to take and the right decisions to make. With God’s guidance and Truett’s innate talent in business management, everything that his hands touched became successful. Of course Truett also fails at times, but he never forgets how to stand up again and learn from his mistakes (Truett, 2007).
Chick-Fil-A is a company that has high regards when it comes to ethics and ethical policies. One of the most noteworthy parts of the book was when the author started talking about business ethics. He stated that there is no such thing as business ethics. It is only a reflection of the ethics that you have for yourself (Truett, 2007). Truett further reiterated that even though he perceives ethics as an important element of customer service, he sees to it that his employees are ethical when it comes to serving a customer and holding a conversation with one.
Conclusion
Personally, I think the book was the best recipe book I have ever read. There are a lot of books that you can read about personality development but this is the most effective one for me. It certainly talks about business perhaps because the author was a renowned businessman. But other than that, the principles in business that could be learned by reading all the 95 pages of this book could also be applied in real life. You could use the principles learned from the book to win friends and even to obtain a high rank in your career ladder. It is really beneficial to read this book especially for people who lack the confidence to try out new things or to express themselves. Overall, this is a good book that I could recommend to everyone else.
Works Cited
Truett, C. How did you do it Truett? A Recipe for Success. Looking Glass Press, 2007
