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The $2 Million Mistake That Changed Chick-fil-A Forever with ex-Marketing Officer Steve Robinson
Episode 44 • 29th January 2025 • The One Big Thing with Steve Campbell • Steve Campbell
00:00:00 00:45:26

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Steve Robinson, the former chief marketing officer of Chick-fil-A, shares his incredible journey of building one of the most recognized brands in America while emphasizing the importance of faith and purpose in both business and life.

Through his candid reflections, he discusses the lessons learned from a $2 million marketing blunder early in his career, which led to a transformative shift in how Chick-fil-A approached branding—moving away from discounts to focusing on value and customer experience.

Robinson highlights the significance of having a clear mission statement and how applying biblical principles can guide decision-making and foster a positive culture.

He also shares personal anecdotes about his family, illustrating how leading by example and integrating faith into daily life can shape the next generation.

Listeners will find practical insights on how to navigate challenges and build meaningful relationships, both personally and professionally, inspired by Robinson's profound experiences.

Takeaways:

  • Steve Robinson emphasizes the importance of having a clear purpose in both business and family life, which can guide decisions and actions.
  • The lesson from the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy, highlights the significance of hiring for character over just competency.
  • Mistakes are part of the learning process; owning up to them can lead to growth and improvement in both personal and professional settings.
  • Implementing biblical principles in leadership and business decisions can foster a positive and empowering workplace culture.
  • Family mission statements can create a strong foundation for values and shared goals among family members.
  • The journey of faith and trust can lead to unexpected opportunities and blessings in life.

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Steven A. Robinson is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc., 1981-2015. Prior to joining the company, Steve was the director of marketing for Six Flags Over Georgia theme park in Atlanta, Georgia. This role was preceded by marketing positions at two other Six Flags properties and communications manager at Texas Instruments. After beginning his career at Chick-fil-A as director of marketing, Steve went on to serve as vice president of the department before becoming chief marketing officer. In his most recent role, he was responsible for overseeing marketing, advertising, brand development, menu development, and hospitality strategies.

In addition to serving on Chick-fil-A’s board of directors (2016-2018), Steve serves on several boards for organizations and ministries, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Atlanta, Links Players International, Atlanta Hall Management & College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation.

The One Big Thing is produced by NQR Media. NQR also produces the award-winning Ditch the Suits Podcast, of which Steve is a co-host. For more, visit https://www.nqrmedia.com/

You can watch all episodes, as well as other great content produced by NQR Media, through their YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@NQRMedia


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Transcripts

Steve Campbell:

Welcome to the One Big Thing podcast where inspiration beats transformation.

Steve Campbell:

Well, welcome back to the One Big Thing podcast.

Steve Campbell:

Steve Campbell here as always, great conversation today.

Steve Campbell:

I'm actually honored to have Steve Robinson, who served for over 35 years as the chief Marketing officer for Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, a well known iconic restaurant in the United States.

Steve Campbell:

Really made its way into college football.

Steve Campbell:

Steve wrote a book called Covert Cows which was his 35 year experience of helping build the brand of Chick Fil A as you and I know it today.

Steve Campbell:

It is a humbling story of where they were in the late 70s before he joined up through the 35 years and some of the things that he learned how to implement through his role in marketing that I think really then bleed into his life as a father and a husband to his two kids, Joy and Josh.

Steve Campbell:

So in this episode today we talk about some of his legacy at Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, but but also how Steve has applied what he learned within Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A and serving under the founder, Truett Cathy over the years.

Steve Campbell:

Biblical principles and ways of leading his family.

Steve Campbell:

So whether you are a person of faith or not, tune in.

Steve Campbell:

This is about a 39 minute episode, but it has really practical insights that I think again, as always, can help you move the ball forward in your life.

Steve Campbell:

So enjoy this episode with Steve Robinson, ex marketing Director for Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

Welcome to the One Big Thing podcast.

Steve Campbell:

I am your host, Steve Campbell.

Steve Campbell:

This is going to be a great episode.

Steve Campbell:

Today I have Steve Robinson who served as the chief Marketing officer at Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A for over 35 years.

Steve Campbell:

Just honored to have some time with him today.

Steve Campbell:

A couple of my colleagues had read an incredible book that Steve wrote called Covert Cows which was really the story of Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A over the years and branding and just all the work that they they've done.

Steve Campbell:

And for those of you who've been trekking along with the One Big Thing, you know, in my day to day I serve as our chief and so I've been in marketing for the last seven or eight years and protecting brands, telling stories is at the heart of who I am as a person.

Steve Campbell:

And this show really came about because I've had cups of coffee with individuals that are making a difference all over the world and in communities across our states.

Steve Campbell:

And I just thought how cool would it be to bring some of these private conversations to the mainstream so other people can hear some of the things of what others have done and things they've champions and legacies they've created.

Steve Campbell:

And so you know, as a dad and a husband.

Steve Campbell:

I got four kids, you know, under 8 years old, right in the thick of where many of my listeners are.

Steve Campbell:

And this show is all about bringing you one big idea or several small ideas that you can implement that can really help you move the ball forward in your life.

Steve Campbell:

And so, again, I was blessed by Steve's book.

Steve Campbell:

I wanted to have him on today.

Steve Campbell:

Steve, for your family and friends, welcome to the One Big Thing.

Steve Campbell:

I hope everybody will continue to listen to other guests on the show.

Steve Campbell:

But for those that don't know, Steve Robinson, Obviously you had 35 years of experience at Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

What is as part of your introduction?

Steve Campbell:

Maybe some other things you want, you might want people to know.

Steve Robinson:

Wow.

Steve Robinson:

Well, first of all, thanks, Steve.

Steve Robinson:

Appreciate the invite.

Steve Robinson:

I guess I could go back to some of the fundamentals that I guess shaped who I am.

Steve Robinson:

I grew up In South Alabama, 10 miles from Gulf Shores, little town called Foley.

Steve Robinson:

My father moved there in:

Steve Robinson:

I was born in:

Steve Robinson:

So I just told you how old I am.

Steve Robinson:

He was an entrepreneur.

Steve Robinson:

He had a hybrid seed corn from seed corn business.

Steve Robinson:

For many years.

Steve Robinson:

He raised hybrid seed corn for.

Steve Robinson:

And then later he had a small manufacturing business.

Steve Robinson:

And I worked in the businesses.

Steve Robinson:

But I also traveled with him as I got older when he's out trying to sell clients on either shipping his corn or buying these products that he was manufacturing in.

Steve Robinson:

I learned very early that nothing happens unless somebody sells something.

Steve Robinson:

And started in my teenage years to be fascinated not just by marketing, but this whole concept of branding.

Steve Robinson:

And, and that was the emerging.

Steve Robinson:

The merging movement of brand management.

Steve Robinson:

So that, that influenced me that when I went to school, I studied.

Steve Robinson:

I studied marketing.

Steve Robinson:

Then later I studied advertising, communications.

Steve Robinson:

I also spent a year in New Zealand as an exchange student.

Steve Robinson:

So it gave an appreciation, gave me an appreciation for other cultures.

Steve Robinson:

And I lived with a family who.

Steve Robinson:

He was also a small businessman and loved that experience, went to junior college.

Steve Robinson:

In fact, while I was at junior college, my sophomore year, I was playing baseball and some of my teammates and I went to the Mobile Coliseum and heard a guy preach that changed my life.

Steve Robinson:

David Wilkinson.

Steve Robinson:

He'd written a book called Crossing the Switchblade about how he was sharing the gospel to literally transform the lives of gang members in New York.

Steve Robinson:

And I heard his message and the testimony some of these former gang members, and it changed my life.

Steve Robinson:

So I became a Christian when I was in college, went to Auburn, majored in marketing.

Steve Robinson:

Met Diane, my wife, 52 years now, my best friend still.

Steve Robinson:

We got met on a blind date and then I wanted to go to grad school.

Steve Robinson:

I did not want to go without her.

Steve Robinson:

And so four days after we graduated from Auburn we got married.

Steve Robinson:

And two weeks after that we loaded up the U haul and we went up to Northwestern in Chicago.

Steve Robinson:

And I got a graduate degree at Medill School of Journalism and Advertising.

Steve Robinson:

First job was with Texas Instruments.

Steve Robinson:

Our daughter was born while I was in Dallas.

Steve Robinson:

I was with TI about a year and got a phone call one afternoon and the director of marketing for Six Flags Over Texas and I had been in graduate school with his brother and he said I got an opening and obviously I'm abbreviating the story, but the short of it was he said, would you have an interest in coming to join us?

Steve Robinson:

And I'd been at TI long enough to realize that they first and foremost an engineering company, not a marketing company.

Steve Robinson:

And I'd been hired to work in the semiconductor group marketing the new, the new technology of handheld calculators.

Steve Robinson:

But it was still an engineering culture.

Steve Robinson:

And Six Flags was definitely a marketing culture and a brand focused culture.

Steve Robinson:

So the short of that is I spent a day interviewing with Dan, Dan Howells and I got hired.

Steve Robinson:

So I started a career with Six Flags in Dallas and eventually they sent me to Atlanta, which I'd always.

Steve Robinson:

That's where I always wanted to live.

Steve Robinson:

My son was born in Atlanta and I those are my two children, Joy and Josh.

Steve Robinson:

And they're both in marketing by the way.

Steve Robinson:

Love that they couldn't avoid it.

Steve Robinson:

So I was with Six Flags a total of seven years.

Steve Robinson:

Last four years I was director of marketing for the park in Atlanta during that time.

Steve Robinson:

I met Chick Fil A because we were trying to convince them to build a restaurant to help build their brand and create trial they were in at that time it would have been in the late 70s, probably 60 or 70 malls only in six or seven southeastern states.

Steve Robinson:

A good fit was the Six Flags footprint.

Steve Robinson:

Got close but didn't do the deal.

Steve Robinson:

They, they didn't, they didn't feel like make money at it.

Steve Robinson:

And they weren't, quite frankly, they weren't supposed to.

Steve Robinson:

It was the Bill Brandon trial.

Steve Robinson:

That's where I first met Chick fil A.

Steve Robinson:

And two years later, in:

Steve Robinson:

And Jimmy said, listen, we don't have a marketing department and your name keeps coming up.

Steve Robinson:

Would you have an interest in talking to us about Starting a marketing department for Chick Fil a.

Steve Robinson:

Now, Steve, I'm sitting in my office listening to this phone call, and the first thing that went through my head was, well, I know you don't have a marketing department, or you would have done that deal with me.

Steve Robinson:

But that aside, I got to know a lot about Chick Fil A through that process of entertaining the park location.

Steve Robinson:

And I had a lot of respect for him, the founder, Truett Cathy.

Steve Robinson:

The fact that it was private was a big deal.

Steve Robinson:

So I told him, yes, I'd love to talk.

Steve Robinson:

We need to keep it stealth, because I.

Steve Robinson:

I do have a job I enjoy a lot.

Steve Campbell:

Yep.

Steve Robinson:

All right.

Steve Robinson:

That's in August.

Steve Robinson:

And I need to put a little parentheses here to say that two days before I get that phone call from Jimmy, Diane and I make a commitment to our church on a capital campaign.

Steve Robinson:

That, quite frankly, was a real, real stretch for me.

Steve Robinson:

And I don't have time to unpack it with your listeners, but if they'll go to Malachi 3, 8 12, they'll find verses there that my total perspective about the role of stewardship, of money, tithing, giving.

Steve Robinson:

And I realized I had tight hands.

Steve Robinson:

It was one of the few areas where Diana and I had some tension around the issue of giving.

Steve Robinson:

And we had made a pledge that was a faith step for me based upon those verses.

Steve Robinson:

And this two days later, I get this phone call from Jimmy Collins.

Steve Robinson:

Would you like to talk?

Steve Robinson:

And it was a pledge, by the way, that we were not going to be able to fulfill unless something changed.

Steve Robinson:

Either changed at Six Flags or changed some other way.

Steve Robinson:

So, anyway, that's working over here.

Steve Robinson:

And so I said, yes, let's talk.

Steve Robinson:

I interviewed with Six Flags for a day, got the job.

Steve Robinson:

I won't belabor it, other than to say that was August and in December, I'm still sitting in Truitt, Kathy's office, the founder.

Steve Robinson:

And I'm still interviewing, and I'm still trying to do it still.

Steve Robinson:

And this is an important story for people to understand, not so much about me, but the kind of organization and culture Truett Kathy built.

Steve Robinson:

I finally looked at Truett.

Steve Robinson:

I said, truett, I've interviewed everybody in this organization that you've wanted me to visit with, sometimes more than once.

Steve Robinson:

This is our second visit.

Steve Robinson:

I'm doing it stealth.

Steve Robinson:

What are you looking for in the ideal marketing candidate?

Steve Robinson:

Am I the guy?

Steve Robinson:

And there's this long pause.

Steve Robinson:

And True had this kind of squeaky little voice.

Steve Robinson:

He says, I have no idea.

Steve Robinson:

Whatever it is, I just don't want to do it.

Steve Robinson:

And then he said, but I do know this, if we invite you to come here, it's because we know we can trust you and we can have fun together.

Steve Robinson:

Because the most important decisions we make here is who we hire to join, who we invite into the organization.

Steve Robinson:

Paused.

Steve Robinson:

We don't train culture here, we hire it.

Steve Robinson:

Now, there's a lot in that.

Steve Robinson:

And it wasn't until, quite frankly, years later that I realized that that permeated his entire attitude about talent in the business, both in the home office and in the restaurants.

Steve Robinson:

He focused on more than just competency.

Steve Robinson:

He focused on character and the ability to work with other people.

Steve Robinson:

And he had this when he said, all I know is I don't want to do it, he had this whole principle, if I trust you, I'm empowering you to do the work that I don't want to do.

Steve Campbell:

Yeah.

Steve Robinson:

Now, in my almost 35 years with Truett Cathy, he called me to his office only one time, and quite frankly, that was to pull a practical joke on the president of the Georgia Cattlemen's Association.

Steve Robinson:

When the cow campaign came out, he never once confronted me about one of my decisions.

Steve Robinson:

And they were not all perfect.

Steve Robinson:

So that's, that's the kind of organization, that's the kind of perspective he had about people.

Steve Robinson:

And the perspective he had about was this man was a man of faith.

Steve Robinson:

He saw the business as a gift from God, one that he needed to steward well, right behind the gift of his salvation through Christ.

Steve Robinson:

And he tried through his own personal testimony, but primarily through the way he behaved and the way he made decisions.

Steve Robinson:

He tried to apply biblical principles in the business and I saw that unfold and experienced it.

Steve Robinson:

Did that migrate into the way I looked at my own family and household?

Steve Robinson:

You bet it did.

Steve Robinson:

So that's a real quick background of how I ended up at Chick Fil A.

Steve Robinson:

And so in:

Steve Robinson:

They finally made an offer.

Steve Campbell:

Lets take a quick break to hear a word from your sponsor.

Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

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Steve Campbell:

Well, and I think to pause right there.

Steve Campbell:

I didn't even necessarily talk with you about leading up to Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

It was just obviously you're known as Your experience over 35 years in covert Cows, which great read.

Steve Campbell:

If you're a listener and you've never read the book, we'll have a link in the show so you can go buy a copy of it.

Steve Campbell:

It will help you have perspective.

Steve Campbell:

y to look at a Chick fil A in:

Steve Campbell:

My pleasure.

Steve Campbell:

I think it's very easy to look at that and just assume that that's how it's always been.

Steve Campbell:

And what really struck me through your book was through your 35 years, waffle fries always didn't exist.

Steve Campbell:

Grilled chicken didn't always exist.

Steve Campbell:

The book gets really into presenting to Truett these ideas from a marketing department and how you were going to do it.

Steve Campbell:

But what I love about your story, and this is what I encourage people all the time, whether you're a person of faith or not.

Steve Campbell:

Many times there are opportunities that are presented to us that we're not necessarily sure why we're doing it, but we know we should, that no one, if the Lord would have told me that half of the things I would have experienced would have led me to my wife, to my current career, it would have overwhelmed me.

Steve Campbell:

And so to hear in your story, we know of the 35 years at Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, but to hear of those years at Six Flags at Texas Instruments, how you moved from San Antonio's Six Flags to Atlanta, which was the home of Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, purposely, God was aligning your steps, but you were being faithful in it.

Steve Campbell:

I think there are just a lot of people that may look at an individual like you and want the kind of impact they want, the kind of legacy they want to make a difference.

Steve Campbell:

But maybe they are not intentionally short, shortcutting the experience because they want it today.

Steve Campbell:

And so I think what's great about your story, if you read Covert Cows, it really walks through the ups and downs, the trials, even what you had just talked about, you know, coming to the Lord and then expanding your faith when it came to giving.

Steve Campbell:

And then two days later, boom, a phone call Came from Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

I think what unites you and I, I don't really always get into a lot of my story because my job is to, to be the host and to bring the best out of others and kind of just narrate these conversations.

Steve Campbell:

I went to school to be a school teacher.

Steve Campbell:

I have a master's in education.

Steve Campbell:

I thought from an early age that I would be a teacher just due to my humor and my way that I was.

Steve Campbell:

My dad was a 30 plus year employee at IBM and Lockheed Martin.

Steve Campbell:

And not that he didn't love his job, but he always encouraged me and my two brothers to passionately pursue things that excite us.

Steve Campbell:

And so my brother became a musician, my other brother's a pastor.

Steve Campbell:

I went into education and after coming out of school and going through the education process, I didn't want to be a teacher anymore.

Steve Campbell:

I thought, this isn't what I thought it was going to be.

Steve Campbell:

I was going through the early:

Steve Campbell:

There wasn't a lot of knowledge about it.

Steve Campbell:

And my parents took out student loans with my name on it and their name on it because we thought that's what you should do.

Steve Campbell:

Well, when you come out with a degree and you're not sure what you want to do anymore, you still have to pay your bills.

Steve Campbell:

And who would have known that?

Steve Campbell:

God.

Steve Campbell:

Leading me to a car dealership to sell cars, which is one of the ickiest jobs someone can think about.

Steve Campbell:

But I needed a, I needed to pay my bills.

Steve Campbell:

And so I thought, you know what?

Steve Campbell:

Why don't I shift the paradigm of what it means to take care of people in the car industry.

Steve Campbell:

I knew nothing about cars, but I would ask the mechanics, can you pop the hood and show me what things are?

Steve Campbell:

And if a certain person came in, what are the things, the features I would be showing them versus this person or a family.

Steve Campbell:

And I slowly moved up the ladder of sales in that year.

Steve Campbell:

Selling cars in.

Steve Campbell:

Who would have known that I would have sold a car to a gentleman who would have offered me a job working at a major financial corporation?

Steve Campbell:

And when I called my dad and said, hey, I just got a phone call to come interview next week, he said, where I told him the name of the company goes good, tell him you'll go take it.

Steve Campbell:

I said, but I don't even know what they do.

Steve Campbell:

I showed up, I was wearing a polo and khakis.

Steve Campbell:

Everybody else was in a three piece Suit.

Steve Campbell:

And I've never felt more out of my element.

Steve Campbell:

And I'm sitting with the branch manager who had called me for this interview.

Steve Campbell:

And kind of like, you three quarters of the way through, I said, mark, like, why am I here?

Steve Campbell:

Why are you talking to me?

Steve Campbell:

And he said, because I sense God's hand on your life.

Steve Campbell:

And I just sat back and I thought, oh, okay.

Steve Campbell:

And I spent five years from that point, six years, in an industry that I didn't understand.

Steve Campbell:

And I had a lot of frustrations, but I showed up every day.

Steve Campbell:

There was tears, there was prayers.

Steve Campbell:

I journaled my entire early career at this corporation about how I felt out of place.

Steve Campbell:

I felt I was putting out fires every day.

Steve Campbell:

I felt unqualified.

Steve Campbell:

And what the coolest thing in my life, it was an incubator to prepare me for what I've been doing for the last nine years, which is now in my job as the chief brand officer.

Steve Campbell:

I get to tell the stories from the things that once plagued me, in a way, with the freedom that I was once handicapped with.

Steve Campbell:

So, for me, I could have never orchestrated all of these steps in my life.

Steve Campbell:

And I think what's really powerful about what you just shared is to give hope to the listener that even if you don't feel you're at the destination you want to be at, if you are faithful with where you are, you could be one phone call away.

Steve Campbell:

But there is also sometimes times that God wants us to step out in faith, and that's what it sounds like you did with your giving.

Steve Campbell:

So we fast forward now to your time at Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

And I'd said to you prior to the call, I want to give you the space because I know when you do podcasts, everyone wants to know about your time at Chick Fil A and what you did.

Steve Campbell:

But I had asked you, is there anything you wanted to talk about?

Steve Campbell:

And so, you know, we had kind of led up to it that the show is called the One Big Thing.

Steve Campbell:

And I'll ask you, Steve, is there one Big Thing kind of in your life right now that to any listener, you would say, this is what I'm focused on?

Steve Robinson:

Yeah.

Steve Robinson:

Well, I would say the answer is yes.

Steve Robinson:

And the answer is the most important thing that ever happened to me was the one I referred to when I was a sophomore in college, when I discovered that Christ had, in fact, given his life for me and I deserved his wrath.

Steve Robinson:

But because of what Christ had done, I could experience his mercy and his grace.

Steve Robinson:

And I still live.

Steve Robinson:

I try to live with not Only awareness of that.

Steve Robinson:

But having relationships, having integrity and genuineness and authenticity in the relationships with.

Steve Robinson:

But that I run around in where I might have opportunity to talk about that, because in my opinion, it's the most important decision I ever made from a business point of view, which is.

Steve Robinson:

And this one's also biblically related.

Steve Robinson:

One of the major transformation things that affected Chick Fil A and.

Steve Robinson:

re leaders at the time was in:

Steve Robinson:

The price of money was running 18, 17% during the Carter years.

Steve Robinson:

Many of your listeners may not have lived through it or even know about it, but because of the high cost of money, we were only in malls at the time.

Steve Robinson:

Mall development stopped.

Steve Robinson:

Retail sales dropped over 30%.

Steve Robinson:

Our sales dropped over 30%.

Steve Robinson:

Now I'm only in my second year, and we have this major cash flow crisis.

Steve Robinson:

And in fact, a campaign that I had my fingerprints all over a marketing campaign, couponing doubled down and made that cash flow worse because we.

Steve Robinson:

We went in the whole 2 million bucks on the campaign.

Steve Robinson:

And so there were all kinds of things that happened around that window of a matter before a few weeks.

Steve Robinson:

So let me give them to you in sequence.

Steve Robinson:

The coupon promotion hits, and within a matter of days, I realized that it's out of control.

Steve Robinson:

Redemptions are out of control.

Steve Robinson:

We're going to go way over budget.

Steve Robinson:

And it was a promotion they had already wanted to do.

Steve Robinson:

It was called first investment, was try to counter the fact that we were the first chicken sandwich and McDonald was a copycat.

Steve Robinson:

And it literally worked too well.

Steve Robinson:

So.

Steve Robinson:

And I had been.

Steve Robinson:

I get.

Steve Robinson:

I realized at the time I had been too aggressive and probably out of both ignorance and arrogance, quite frankly.

Steve Robinson:

And I went to Jimmy Collins as CEO and I apologized.

Steve Robinson:

I said, jimmy, I'm sorry.

Steve Robinson:

I.

Steve Robinson:

I put this thing on steroids, not knowing what I really fully needed to know.

Steve Robinson:

He said, don't worry about it.

Steve Robinson:

He said, I approved it.

Steve Robinson:

You'll never make this mistake again.

Steve Robinson:

He says, and We've just invested $2 million in your education.

Steve Robinson:

I then asked you, I need to go to Truitt and apologize.

Steve Robinson:

He said, no, you don't need to do that.

Steve Robinson:

In fact, he said, I wouldn't go up there right now.

Steve Robinson:

He said, but I've already shared with True what happened and not just your role in it, but my role in it.

Steve Robinson:

You hear what's happening here.

Steve Robinson:

Truett does not ask me to come to his office.

Steve Robinson:

He never even mentions this promotional event.

Steve Robinson:

And we're in the middle of a major cash flow Crisis.

Steve Robinson:

So what do I take away from?

Steve Robinson:

That's the first major event within a matter of weeks that shaped me and shaped the business.

Steve Robinson:

So what do I hear?

Steve Robinson:

Okay, he must still trust me.

Steve Robinson:

He had my back.

Steve Robinson:

Truitt had my back.

Steve Robinson:

Jimmy had my back.

Steve Robinson:

I later went to him, I said, I think we need to completely change the paradigm of how we market Chick Fil A and not use coupons and discounts ever again.

Steve Robinson:

My book unpacks what that meant.

Steve Robinson:

Literally, we turned our back on that paradigm of fast food marketing and quit doing that.

Steve Robinson:

And the executive committee key, the next key thing that came out of that in a matter of weeks, goes off site with Truitt to talk about what are we going to do to try to manage cash flow and see if we can survive.

Steve Robinson:

And we worked on that for a little over half a day.

Steve Robinson:

Came up with some strong ideas.

Steve Robinson:

Stop store growth, froze hiring, cut budgets.

Steve Robinson:

The stuff you would expect us to do.

Steve Robinson:

But for almost two days, we started a conversation about, okay, over half the staff and half the operators weren't with us the last two years.

Steve Robinson:

How do they.

Steve Robinson:

How do they look at what we're doing right now?

Steve Robinson:

What do they think Truett is thinking about this crisis?

Steve Robinson:

So we spent two days talking about True.

Steve Robinson:

What's important to you about Chick Fil A?

Steve Robinson:

And the essence of what came out of it was, why does Chick Fil a exist?

Steve Robinson:

And what we heard from Truett, Kathy, was not about profits, cash flow, growth, none of that.

Steve Robinson:

What we heard from Short was, I see the business as a gift from God.

Steve Robinson:

I want to steward that gift well.

Steve Robinson:

I want a business that ultimately honors him.

Steve Robinson:

Not because we get on soapbox and talk about God all the time, but the business reflects his character and his values.

Steve Robinson:

And I want a business that has a positive influence on all the people that come in contact with Chick Fil A inside and outside of the business.

Steve Robinson:

And that led to us writing the first corporate purpose for Chick Fil a on the spot in less than two days.

Steve Robinson:

Chick Fil a exists to glorify God with being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted us and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick Fil a.

Steve Robinson:

Not a word of that purpose has changed.

Steve Robinson:

It sits out on a brass plaque outside the first office building, which did eventually get built.

Steve Robinson:

We spent two weeks just thinking and praying about not only the purpose, but the plan that we developed before we announced any of it.

Steve Robinson:

When we did, the cultural atmosphere and tension of the business totally changed.

Steve Robinson:

I can't begin to tell you how people seem to relax put their shoulder to it.

Steve Robinson:

I think largely because they understood that the most important think the true was not money, but the purpose and the role of people in that mission.

Steve Robinson:

He wanted a business that was profitable primarily so that the people in the business would thrive and so the people who experienced Chick Fil A would have an experience that unique and personal and where they were treated with respect.

Steve Robinson:

We announced it, we took off the next year we had, we had a 32% sales increase.

Steve Robinson:

Same store sales went up 29%.

Steve Robinson:

We rolled out Chick Fil A Nuggets that year which was our first effort to really draw more more children and families into the business.

Steve Robinson:

Turned out to be a huge success.

Steve Robinson:

And so I tell you that long story simply to tell you that that reaffirmed to me, okay, this I better understand now not only what is important to true of Kathy, but I understand that when he says I don't want to do something, I want you to do it.

Steve Robinson:

He's dead serious about it.

Steve Robinson:

And it actually raised my commitment excellence in the business.

Steve Robinson:

I don't want to disappoint this guy.

Steve Robinson:

It also influenced how I approached the recruiting and the selection of talent for the business.

Steve Robinson:

I basically followed his money model and I, I, quite frankly this might be helpful to your listeners.

Steve Robinson:

I, I've, I, I've boiled down betting to one fundamental question.

Steve Robinson:

@ the end of my time with someone, would I want my son or my daughter working for this person or working with this person?

Steve Campbell:

Yeah.

Steve Robinson:

Answer and, and you in your gut you're going to have an answer to that question.

Steve Robinson:

Yep.

Steve Robinson:

And it, but I learned that from true it and my entire career there to to his credit, the man was humble, he was empowering, he was funny.

Steve Robinson:

But he, he had a natural bent towards what does the word of God say about how I run my life and how I run my business.

Steve Robinson:

Did he often quote scripture?

Steve Robinson:

No, but you press him on an issue and you could hear the scriptural principle that he was trying to live out.

Steve Campbell:

Yeah.

Steve Robinson:

And so I think one of my second big thing for your audience.

Steve Campbell:

Yeah, you can have more.

Steve Campbell:

You can have more than one.

Steve Campbell:

It's the one big thing.

Steve Campbell:

But we can have, we can have multiple.

Steve Robinson:

There is a ton of great business leadership books out there.

Steve Robinson:

Strategy books, branding books, marketing books.

Steve Robinson:

And many of them are terrific and many of them I've read and love.

Steve Campbell:

Yep.

Steve Robinson:

There's no better, there's no better textbook on leadership and management and people management than the scriptures.

Steve Campbell:

Yep.

Steve Robinson:

And if you don't read anything else, every day, read a proverb every day and read two or three psalms every day and you're gonna, you're, as the apostle Paul said, your, your mind will be renewed and shaped to think like God thinks at the end of the, at the end of the day.

Steve Robinson:

True wisdom and understanding is a gift from God.

Steve Robinson:

It comes through a reverence for him.

Steve Robinson:

It comes through the word of God.

Steve Robinson:

It comes through the, the benefit of the Holy Spirit.

Steve Robinson:

And when, when we apply biblical principles in a business, I don't care what kind of business it is, he will honor his word.

Steve Robinson:

His word will not return void.

Steve Robinson:

So I think, I think those are my top two things.

Steve Robinson:

My first one and the long story, my first one was be clear about why you exist as a business and personally.

Steve Robinson:

And if at all possible, do not be afraid to apply the greatest textbook ever written to how you make decisions and how you lead a business.

Steve Robinson:

And that's the Scriptures.

Steve Campbell:

Hey everyone.

Steve Campbell:

Steve Campbell, thank you so much for listening to this episode.

Steve Campbell:

If it's made an impact on you, I would love to take a moment to ask you to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode.

Steve Campbell:

But I would also love for you to leave a five star rating and review your ratings and review help other listeners know that this show is worth their time.

Steve Campbell:

So thank you so much for tuning into the One Big Thing and let's enjoy the rest of the episode.

Steve Campbell:

Well and for, for those that are here to champion you are brand new to the One Big Thing I had shared with you at the beginning that you know, I've had the benefit and blessing of inter people from all walks of life from professional sports to CEOs.

Steve Campbell:

And this was never meant to be a faith based podcast, but obviously my faith in the Lord is, is driving my foundation.

Steve Campbell:

And I told Steve, you can speak freely about what's important to you.

Steve Campbell:

And so if this is brand new information to you, you've never heard somebody speak like this.

Steve Campbell:

Get in contact with me if you got questions because I think you can just look at the life, Steve, that you've built in the legacy and can see, see that how you've implemented some of these things and what I loved about what you shared in your story, I was doing a quick little math while you were talking.

Steve Campbell:

million in:

Steve Campbell:

And so to think you were two years into this new job that it took you over a year to get you made a decision which probably knowing you in the way that I am.

Steve Campbell:

The Bible says to do everything unto the Lord with all your heart.

Steve Campbell:

You did that coupon book probably with great intentions and it worked out too well.

Steve Campbell:

And it cost chick fil a $2 million.

Steve Campbell:

Today it would be 6.5.

Steve Campbell:

So I'm thinking about the listener that's out there that maybe this isn't a business example.

Steve Campbell:

Maybe it's your marriage, maybe it's your parenting, whatever it is, maybe you've done something even with the right intentions and you've blown it completely.

Steve Campbell:

Do not disqualify yourself because your story could have stopped there.

Steve Campbell:

You could have shrugged your shoulders and moped down and said, you know, true.

Steve Campbell:

It's never going to forgive me.

Steve Campbell:

This was a major mistake in understanding your book and reading it.

Steve Campbell:

It sounds like true.

Steve Campbell:

It was also very wise when it came to money and spending.

Steve Campbell:

And so a two million dollar hit at that point would have been astronomical for that business.

Steve Campbell:

But to think that that wasn't the end of your story.

Steve Campbell:

And I think about all those people out there listening today that have made a major mistake in rather than owning up to it like you did, God covered you with grace by having Jimmy Collins step in and on your behalf.

Steve Campbell:

But I just, I think about the person that keeps beating themselves up for something that they honestly did with the right intentions that didn't work out.

Steve Campbell:

Not, not because it was evil or malicious, whether it was in business or their marriage or in parenting.

Steve Campbell:

They tried to do something, it didn't work out and now they're God's trying to give them a new lease on life, but yet they're still kind of beating themselves up.

Steve Campbell:

So I think marrying that to the word of God is what's helped you, but please go ahead.

Steve Robinson:

Well, one, one additional point about that $2 million mistake, and I have an entire short story in the book on the $2 million mistake because after the way Jimmy handled it, the fact that True never confronted me about it because once we, we got through the cash flow crisis and, and clarity around why we existed, I'm also in the back of my mind dealing with now, how did this happen?

Steve Robinson:

Why did this happen?

Steve Robinson:

Well, the reason it happened was when you coupon and discount your business, you lose control of the value proposition.

Steve Robinson:

You also create a customer base that kind of like drugs, become addict to deals and if you don't have deals on the marketplace place, they won't visit with you anymore.

Steve Robinson:

And it forced me to say, you know what, this whole fast food paradigm of discounts and deals and prices, which by the way is still going on.

Steve Robinson:

I don't think Chick Fil A should or needs to be a part of all that.

Steve Robinson:

I don't want to go through something like this ever again.

Steve Robinson:

And it completely changed us 180 degrees and forced us over a period of not just years but decades to think in a totally different paradigm of how to market and brand Chick Fil A.

Steve Robinson:

So that we never discounted and dealed anymore.

Steve Robinson:

We tried to position the, the, the restaurant and the brand as something more than just a sandwich.

Steve Robinson:

Rather, rather they, rather an experience and an experience that was worth full price.

Steve Robinson:

And so what I share in the book is the, is that journey of going from a transaction oriented business, selling sandwiches to an emotionally engaging business building relationships, building value, building not only value in the brand, but value in the relationship with the customers and our suppliers and our operators and our team members.

Steve Robinson:

So you get to the point where Chick Fil A and any brand potentially, you cannot live without Chick Fil A.

Steve Robinson:

That's the destiny.

Steve Robinson:

I don't, I don't want to live without Chick Fil A.

Steve Robinson:

I don't want to live without my favorite shoe.

Steve Robinson:

I don't want to live up without my favorite car.

Steve Robinson:

It's a, it's a brand, a product, a service that I would prefer to always have in my life.

Steve Robinson:

Well, that's where Chickfila, that was the destination we hoped to arrive at.

Steve Robinson:

And I never thought, quite frankly, I never thought I'd see it while I was still there.

Steve Robinson:

But the Lord favored me and favored the business and I did.

Steve Robinson:

And, and I, and this is my last point on this.

Steve Robinson:

And this is a word study that quite frankly came after I left.

Steve Robinson:

Get, get a, get a digital Bible or a concordance and look up every verse in the Bible that talks about God's favorite.

Steve Campbell:

Yeah.

Steve Robinson:

And you'll start to understand what God blesses.

Steve Robinson:

Now I wish I could go deeper, but the key word is what does, what does God favor in our life?

Steve Robinson:

Well, he unpacks it, he impacts it in the word.

Steve Robinson:

And I saw, I've seen through those 35 plus years God's favor on the principles that Truett applied in the business.

Steve Robinson:

The way we went about making decisions, the way we tried to honor and show dignity and respect to anybody that was, anybody that touched, touched the brand inside or out.

Steve Robinson:

He extended favor to that, those values and those principles.

Steve Robinson:

So I think that would be my third.

Steve Campbell:

No, that's good.

Steve Robinson:

Is go do a word study on God's favorite.

Steve Campbell:

And Steve, I don't even know if this is possible with the Last five minutes.

Steve Campbell:

I think we all appreciate Chick Fil A as a brand, but I think maybe we are trying to also make sure that as husbands, wives, as families, that there's probably a similarity between how we can compose our families, conduct our families, the values we stand for that make just like Chick Fil A.

Steve Campbell:

People want to say, man, I want the Campbell's in my life.

Steve Campbell:

Because when they're around, growth happens or encouragement happens.

Steve Campbell:

Do you have any insights as kind of a key takeaway with maybe Joy and Josh that you've taught them over the years, that maybe came from kind of lessons at Chick Fil A, that if somebody listening said, I want my family to emulate, you know, a family that has values and a mission statement, or we stand out because there's a lot of families, you know, being tossed in the.

Steve Campbell:

To and fro, in the wind with the media and what they should believe in and what they should stand for.

Steve Campbell:

So is there anything kind of in closing that you would encourage families to step back and say, make sure you have these things correct?

Steve Robinson:

I want to be very careful here because I made.

Steve Robinson:

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, so I want.

Steve Robinson:

I want to share.

Steve Robinson:

I want to be transparent, but I genuinely want to make sure there's.

Steve Robinson:

There's a clear air of humility and what I'm going to share.

Steve Robinson:

Okay, Sure.

Steve Robinson:

irst things was the crisis of:

Steve Robinson:

Why do we exist as a couple and as a family?

Steve Robinson:

And I won't get into it, but we wrote our own purpose statement.

Steve Robinson:

Our kids know what it is.

Steve Robinson:

They've grown up with it.

Steve Robinson:

They.

Steve Robinson:

They get it.

Steve Robinson:

We, when we're trying to apply biblical principles on our house, whether it's around money or how we're making some sort, or how we deal with people and relationships where.

Steve Robinson:

Where it was possible we would talk about those things.

Steve Robinson:

Not just Diane and I, but with the kids.

Steve Robinson:

With the children.

Steve Robinson:

But I don't think there's anything that's had more impact on Josh and Joy than simply by observation, seeing how God has extended his favor to us when we apply his word.

Steve Robinson:

And we, quite frankly, don't really have to talk about it.

Steve Robinson:

And what a surprise.

Steve Robinson:

They are pursuing the same lifestyle, the same walk with Christ and the same lifestyle through applying what scripture says to their marriage, to raising their kids, to their relationships and friendships, to their business.

Steve Robinson:

Josh is president of a business himself.

Steve Robinson:

And so I think our kids learn more by what they see us do and how we make decisions and what we say.

Steve Robinson:

And I don't, I've already said it.

Steve Robinson:

I don't think there's any book that a couple could draw more wisdom from and more practical application from than God's Word.

Steve Robinson:

And it will, it will not only change their life, it will shape their life.

Steve Robinson:

And through the Word and through the Holy Spirit, he'll direct their life.

Steve Robinson:

And so I, I, I to your earlier comment, your earlier narrative about all these key milestones in your life when Diana I look back on our life and all the many milestones that, that dramatically changed what happened to us, which way we went.

Steve Robinson:

I didn't orchestrate any of them.

Steve Robinson:

I didn't set up any of them.

Steve Robinson:

They, they, they came, they came to us like an open door.

Steve Robinson:

And then this, then it's the issue of wisdom, whether to walk through it or not.

Steve Robinson:

And I just, I, I unabashedly give God just like Short was trying, I try to give unabashed glory to God for his faithfulness to what he says in the book.

Steve Robinson:

He'll do if we try to apply it.

Steve Campbell:

Well, let's as we bring this one to a close, don't forget, if you're brand new to the one big thing, you can also watch this entire episode on our YouTube channel if you search NQR Media, which stands for Not Quite Right Media, NQR Media, you can watch along with us because you will see the Eat More Chicken picture behind Steve, which he was a big piece of implementing in the 80s and still stands out on highways today.

Steve Campbell:

But if I think about, and I don't want to put you on the spot, but I think about our listeners and I would love to bless them if it's okay with you folks, if you will leave a review or leave a comment on this video, I will pick one of you and buy a book from Steve.

Steve Campbell:

And if Steve is willing, we'll send you a signed copy of it for one lucky listener of the show because I believe that this, this book will really bless you.

Steve Campbell:

So again, leave a review on Apple, write a comment about what you learned in this episode and I will get in touch with you to get you a signed copy.

Steve Campbell:

But if I think about all the wisdom that you shared, there was two big things, not just one.

Steve Campbell:

So you got a double feature today.

Steve Campbell:

Steve unabashedly made Christ the center of his life and uses the Bible as a daily guidebook.

Steve Campbell:

Whether you believe in the Lord or not, you will not fail with those two things.

Steve Campbell:

And he gave us Three takeaways that you can implement if you're married or in your family or even as an individual.

Steve Campbell:

Come up with a family or individual mission statement, some kind of guiding light that everyone can be a part of.

Steve Campbell:

Learn how to make your kids a part of decision making in conversations, but also teach them the word of God so that they know how to implement things whether they're with you or not.

Steve Campbell:

So I think that this was a powerful episode.

Steve Campbell:

Again, Steve, I appreciate you taking the time, the legacy that you have.

Steve Campbell:

You're somebody that I aspire to be like in many ways.

Steve Campbell:

And I hope that this episode blesses listeners to the show.

Steve Campbell:

Obviously, my family and I are big advocates and supporters of Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, so I just appreciate you coming on the One Big Thing.

Steve Campbell:

And as always, for those that are here listening to you, I hope you'll check out some of my other guests, because I really believe if you have family members or you yourself in your 30s and 40s, a lot of these episodes are going to help you have one big idea that you can probably implement in your life that can help you become the person you're meant to be.

Steve Campbell:

So, Steve Robinson, thank you for being my guest on the One Big Thing, partner.

Steve Robinson:

Steve, my pleasure.

Steve Robinson:

Thanks so much.

Steve Campbell:

Well, thanks for listening to that episode with Steve Robinson.

Steve Campbell:

I really enjoyed it.

Steve Campbell:

Obviously, I'm biased because I'm the host of the show, but I think it's very cool to kind of hear from those that have built an incredible brand behind the scenes.

Steve Campbell:

Steve has an incredible legacy of over 35 years at Chick Fil?

Steve Campbell:

A, and I thought he opened up and was candid about making the Lord the foundation of his life and how this has shaped him and his wife and some of the things they've implemented.

Steve Campbell:

So, again, if you want to get in touch, you want an opportunity to win a signed book from Steve, head over to Apple, go to the One Big Thing podcast, Leave me a review about your experience, or leave a comment on the YouTube video.

Steve Campbell:

This way, I'll know who's into the drawing, and I will personally buy a book and have Steve sign it and send it out to you.

Steve Campbell:

But if there are topics or there are people that you want to hear from, please get in contact with me.

Steve Campbell:

You can head over to nqrmedia.com onebigthing that's the landing page and there's a contact button.

Steve Campbell:

Send me topics.

Steve Campbell:

Send me people you want to hear from, because again, I.

Steve Campbell:

I really want to bring you resources that can help you move the ball forward in your life.

Steve Campbell:

But as always, Ice Street, I appreciate you stopping by the One Big Thing podcast.

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