S. Truett Cathy Character in Leadership - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2241 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/20 Category Education Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Character Essay Leadership Essay Did you like this example? NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET Learner: Jeffrey L Boyer THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETELY FILLED IN Please Follow These Procedures: If requested by your mentor, use an assignment cover sheet as the first page of the word processor file. Use â€Å"headers† to indicate your course code, assignment number, and your name on each page of the assignment/homework including this assignment cover sheet. . Keep a Photocopy or Electronic Copy Of Your Assignments: You may need to re-submit assignments if your mentor has indicated that you may or must do so. Academic Integrity: All work submitted in each course must be the Learner’s own. This includes all assignments, exams, term papers, and other projects required by the faculty mentor. The knowing submission of another persons work represented as that of the Learner’s without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work sub mitted or for the entire course, and may result in academic dismissal. OM5015 Dr. Jean Perlman Organizational Behavior Assignment 6 Faculty Use Only Character and Its Influence in Leadership Jeffrey L. Boyer Dr. Jean Perlman North Central University August 5, 2010 Abstract S. Truett Cathy (Truett Cathy) is the founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc. that currently operates as the second largest quick-serve chicken restaurant in the United States. The goal of this paper is to bring to light the influence, effectiveness and most importantly the character of one of the most endearing CEO’s in the United States. The paper provides a detailed overview of Mr. Cathy’s achievements in business, and provides a personal perspective from Mr. Cathy what he felt were the most important principles for developing a great business. A review of Truett Cathy’s character traits results in a discussion of some of the most important traits in correlation to his success such as, i ntegrity, selflessness, high moral character and others. An examination of charisma and character is also found in the paper with a comparison in leadership characteristics of Mr. Cathy to that of Jack Welsh, former CEO of General Electric. The paper concludes with a short summation of how Mr. Cathy’s leadership principles could influence one’s leadership decisions moving forward. S. Truett Cathy: An Introduction S. Truett Cathy (Truett Cathy) is founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). Through the years, the restaurant prospered and led Cathy to further the success of his business. In 1967, Cathy founded and opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta, GA with the company growing to the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on annual sales. â€Å"Cathy†. n. d. pa ra. 2) Truett Cathy is widely known as one of the most endearing and selfless entrepreneurs in business. Often described as the man who â€Å"invented the chicken sandwich†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Mr. Cathy would more rather be known to the world for his satisfaction and sense of obligation to the community and its young people. (â€Å"Cathy† n. d. para. 4) Today Chick-fil-A is one of the most popular fast food restaurants, and the principles of the founder are not simply acknowledged, but rather it seams endeared by the employees and the patrons of the restaurant. Truett Cathy built his life and business based on hard work, humility and biblical principles. Based on these principles, all of Chick-fil-A’s restaurants operate with a ‘closed on Sunday’ policy, without exception (â€Å"Cathy. n. d. para. 8) Mr. Cathy adopted this principle at the risk of company profits, but Mr. Cathy wanted to set an example for his employees that family comes before profits. Interes tingly enough one of Mr. Cathy’s favorite quotes comes from the book of Proverbs, which says, â€Å"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold†. Mr. Cathy’s passion for young people has translated significantly to corporate Chick-fil-A, which has now given more than $25 million in scholarships to its employees since 1973. Truett Cathy is one of the most decorated philanthropists in America today. S. Truett Cathy: Reasons for Admiration Growing up in central Pennsylvania in the 90’s did not provide a personal opportunity to see the impact of the Chick-fil-A franchise, but after moving to Lynchburg, VA it was quickly noticed that the food chain was uniquely different than its competitors in the burger industry, excluding the obvious product selection. When visiting a chick-fil-A it would be noticed that the workforce seems to have a joy about their work†¦ trained to use the phrase, â€Å"it ’s my pleasure to serve you† the employees not only make you feel welcome, but rather to make your dining experience a great time. Every Chick-fil-A restaurant personally visited has provided a wait staff in the dining area with a friendly smile asking if they may take your trash for you, or even refill the coffee you purchased while taking exact instructions to how you would like your drink prepared. Where did this come from? Is this just a clever ploy by management, or is the principle of being a servant to others being engrained into the culture of the restaurant by its founder? The answer lies in Truett Cathy’s Five-step recipe for success: 1. Climb with Care and Confidence 2. Create a â€Å"Loyalty Effect† 3. Never Lose a Customer 4. Put Principles and People ahead of Profits 5. Closed on Sunday (â€Å"Cathy†. n. d. Five-step Recipe. ) When visiting Truett Cathy’s personal website you will see the principles in life for which he guard s so dearly. As part of Mr. Cathy’s â€Å"Five-Step Recipe for Business† he is quoted as saying, â€Å"I have found that the most effective way of promoting my business didn’t cost me anything but a little kindness to my customers†. (S. Truett Cathy. n. d. ) As a visionary Mr. Cathy possesses all the traits of a great leader and entrepreneur, but the humanitarian side of this fine gentleman is stamped all over the business processes of his organization. Mr. Cathy’s personal sense of serving others alludes to what can be considered some of the most important character traits desired in leadership. One of the first traits noticed of Mr. Cathy is a compelling sense of modesty and humility. Reasons as to why modesty/humility are important in leadership is supported by Jim Collins (2001), author of the book â€Å"Good to Great†, who submits that many of the best CEO’s in American business operate their companies with an extraordinary sense of humility and modesty. Collins (2001) would argue that humility creates a sense of approachability for those who are following, and allows for open, creative discussion about business processes and ideas. Protecting the vision and name of Chick-fil-A is evident by Mr. Cathy’s business practices, writings and observable character. It is easily understood by corporate practices that Truett Cathy values high ethical and moral standards. The importance of these traits are important not only in creating a trust within a leadership team, but as a key determinant of protecting business interests against corruption and ultimate business failure. Maguad and Krone (2009) would concur with this belief when they wrote, â€Å"the moral leader is more than a person who is conditioned to follow rules or policies. Moral leadership is what one is, as opposed to what one does. ‘What one is’ flows directly from the values he or she possesses† (p. 09) Finally, of all the traits that Mr. Cathy possesses†¦ selflessness seems to be one of the most important to him. Recorded in Mr. Cathy’s five-step recipe for business success he writes, I’d like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order. We live in a changing world, but we need to be reminded that the important things have not changed. I have always encouraged my restaurant operators and team members to give back to the local community. We should be about more than just selling chicken; we should be a part of our customer’s lives and the communities in which we serve. Selflessness is one of the most endearing personality traits that one can have. It creates an endearment to the one who possesses it and manifests itself though generosity, the willingness to put others needs in front of your own along with the willingness and joy to serve others. It’s a personal belief that the greatest leaders are those who are willing to serve. In rela tion to selflessness, Charles Goodyear once wrote, Life should not be estimated exclusively by the standard of dollars and cents. I am not disposed to complain that I have planted and others have gathered the fruits. A man has cause for regret only when he sows and no one reaps. (n. d) Charisma vs. Character In preparing for this research paper, the initial leader of choice with regards to inspiration was to be Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. Even as popular and admirable that Mr. Welch may be, there were many studies of his leadership traits which pointed out that his strengths in leadership were that of charisma and not those of character. Jack Welch took General Electric (GE) to profit heights it had not seen before, but his leadership many times took the approach that people were expendable much sooner than corporate profits. As a result Jack Welch was perceived by many to not care about what happened to individuals around him so as long as corporate goals were being met. In a study by Sankar (2003), which studied the difference between charisma and character, the author states that charisma, Focuses on personality attributes such as dynamism, style, image, inspiration, symbolic behaviors, impression management, emotional intelligence, extroverted style, self-confidence, etc†¦ but that charismatic leadership may occasionally be more personalized in nature where the leader is self-serving, self-aggrandizing, and exploitative of others. p. 46) Mr. Welch was certainly one of the greatest CEO’s in American history, but it could be debatable that his leadership skills were more of charisma than of character. This begs the question as to whether he should be admired as a great leader if business outcomes were more important that those who served at GE. Character, in contrast to charisma, is viewed by Sankar (2003) as a leader’s moral center which influences his/her vision, goals, self-concept, work ethic, attitude, etc. p. 48 ) Sankar (2003) spends a great deal of time in his research pointing out the significance of integrity with relation to those who have high character. (p. 48) Sankar (2003) defines integrity as a â€Å"state of soundness of and adherence to moral principle† (p. 48). Mr. Sankar (2003) when speaking to the importance of character and its role in business leadership states, The leader plays a critical role in the propagation of an ethical culture within his/her organization. In view of ethical-moral crisis in many occupations it can be deduced that this crisis is indicative of the absence of moral leadership in these organizations†¦ The leader’s character is a strategic source of power for infusing the culture of his/her organization with a code of ethics, moral vision, imagination, and courage. Leadership excellence cannot be evaluated without an assessment of the leader’s character. (Sankar, 2003, p. 55) With regards to Truett Cathy and his qualities as a leader, he can be admired for many leadership traits such as being confident, inspiring, a great motivator and recruiter†¦ however Mr. Cathy seems by all accounts to be a man of great integrity and character which can be argued to far outweigh all other personality traits. Truett Cathy understands the value of â€Å"worthy leadership† which is defined by Thompson, Grahek, Phillips and Fay (2008) as having, â€Å"the ability to guide, direct or influence people in a way that has great merit, character and value† (p. 366). In relation to personal leadership, a detailed study of the life of Mr. Cathy will inspire me to keep life and leadership in perspective. It will be a personal goal in all levels of leadership to truly put principles and people ahead of profits. Regardless of profits and performance, this will provide a sense of accomplishment at the end of life that will far outweigh short-term gains at the cost of others. Clark M, Payne R. Character-Based Determinants of Trust in Leaders. Risk Analysis: An International Journal [serial online]. October 2006;26(5):1161-1173. Available from: Business Source Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 3, 2010. References: Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leapand others dont. New York, NY: HarperBusiness. Kathy, S. Truett. (n. d. ). Retrieved from https://www. ruettcathy. com/default. asp Maguad, B. , Krone, R. (2009). Ethics and moral leadership: Quality linkages. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 20(2), 209-222. doi:10. 1080/14783360802623043. Maguad, B. , Krone, R. (2009). Ethics and moral leadership: Quality linkages. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 20(2), 209-222. doi:10. 1080/14783360802623043. Maxwell, John C. (2002). The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. Maxwell, John C. (2002). Leadership 101. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. Robbins, S. P. , Judge, T. A. 2009)    Organizationa l behavior, Upper Saddle River, NJ:    Prentice Hall. ISBN: 9780136007173 Robbins, S. P. , Judge, T. A. (2009)    Organizational behavior,    Upper Saddle River, NJ:    Prentice Hall. ISBN: 9780136007173 Sankar, Y. (2003). Character not charisma is the critical measure of leadership excellence. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 9(4), 45-55. doi:10. 1177/107179190300900404. Thompson, A. , Grahek, M. , Phillips, R. , Fay, C. (2008). The search for worthy leadership. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 60(4), 366-382. doi:10. 1037/1065-9293. 60. 4. 366. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "S. Truett Cathy: Character in Leadership" essay for you Create order

Essay On Shakespeare s The Scarlet Letter - 1909 Words

The Role of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne’s use of Symbolism in the story The Scarlet Letter adds immense depth and meaning to the story. The use of symbols help authors express complex ideas without using as many words. A symbol is an object that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. Symbols in stories help convey the idea of a story in a more expressive way. They help you to show your story to the readers, instead of just telling it. Themes can sound too preachy and stories can sound too shallow. Symbolism weaves the two together and helps to portray a theme while writing a story. â€Å"The symbol expands and adds to our levels of understanding (Roberts, Edgar).†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦To each of the characters, it had a deeper meaning. It represented the shame in their lives. In this symbol, we can view two different sides of the meaning of shame. The community sees Hester as a fallen, sinful woman and Dimmesdale as a saint. The first example is seen in the way Hester wears her scarlet letter. She wears it on her clothes for everybody around her to see. People see her and look down on her because when they see it, they see her sin. When people look at Hester, their gaze is not on her face and who she is, but it is on the letter on her chest. People no longer know her by her name, but by her sin. She wears her shame and it identifies her wherever she goes. Hawthorne shows us this at one instance in the book. â€Å"When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter, they branded it afresh into Hester’s soul: so that oftentimes, she could scarcely refrain, yet always did refrain from covering the symbol with her hand.† The word â€Å"branded† develops the idea that the letter is sealed to her soul and is now a part of who she is. Her shame is an outward form of shame, and the cold, criticizing hearts of the people around her are her punishment. Another example of what shame can be is found in another use of symbolism. Dimmesdale suffers from a much different form of shame. He wears his scarlet letter on his chest, not outwardly on his clothing. Nobody knows of the letter except for Dimmesdale

Modern Day Cinderella Story Free Essays

My Modern-Day Cinderella Story P3 Language Arts It was pouring outside. Not just pouring, that word doesn’t suffice how much water was aimlessly falling from the sky and crashing to the ground with every footstep that Ella Kess took on her way home. Today was the day that seven years ago her parents died in a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean. We will write a custom essay sample on Modern Day Cinderella Story or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was strange, how she had to live on after the death, but she pulled through with the help of her best friend Kylee Lainer. She would have been okay this year too but they were not friends anymore. They had grown up together, friends since age three but when they reached high school Kylee became a different person, got new friends, and left Ella alone. After their breakup as BFFLs, Ella’s so called friends dropped like flies. She figured it was because they liked Kylee not her, but this didn’t bother Ella, she never liked them anyway. She reached her uncles condo right before the thunder started to roar. She dashed in the building and walked right over to the elevator without bothering to say hello to the front desk manager, Gary, who had been her mentor since her parent’s death. He was an older guy, probably in his 70’s, but he knew a lot and told her stories of when he was a child and these things kept her calm. She knew he would understand that she didn’t want to talk. Ella pushed the up button and the elevator doors opened. She walked in and saw Drew Hawthorne. Drew just wasn’t ANY guy, she had liked him ever since he stole her crayons in kindergarten. He threw a lopsided smile in her way and said â€Å"hey†. â€Å"Hi† was the best she could muster. Conversation wasn’t her thing, especially right here, right now. The trip from the lobby up to the penthouse level seemed like it would go on forever. Drew had lived in the other penthouse since about the time her parents died. Ella was convinced that one day they would get married and have three children, two girls and one boy. She had already named them anyway. Her fairytale ended right when the Kylee, knowing that Ella and Drew we’re in the pre-dating stage (in other words, neither of them we’re planning on asking the other out), asked Drew out herself. Kylee and Drew are still going out. The elevator finally made it to the top level of the high end condos and made a stop. â€Å"See you around. , Ella,† Drew said. â€Å"Um, yeah. Have a nice weekend,† Ella replied trying to sound cheerful and happy. Tonight was the fairy queen parade. She never bothered to enter the contest, she just enjoyed watching the catty girls bring each other’s confidence down and argue over what color lipstick looks best on who. This year was going to be even more interesting because her two step-cousins, Regina and Carly, we’re entering. She would have too, but they made it clear that that wasn’t happening anytime soon. She walked past the kitchen and grabbed an apple on the way to her room. Her room was her sanctuary, her favorite place in the whole entire world. It had amazing views of the city, Seattle, and from here she could pretend that she was on top of the world. â€Å"Can you like stop being so depressed, Ella. I swear to god if you ruin this weekend for Regina and me, you will suffer,† Carly hissed at her on the way to her own room. â€Å"Carly, don’t be so mean to her! † Regina snapped. Regina is probably the closest thing to a sister Ella never had. She can be mean, but hey, at least she tries to be her friend. â€Å"Carly, chill. I’m not even entering and even if I was I doubt I would win,† Ella yelled to Carly down the hall. Regina came in and sat on her bed. Ella, I know that you just want to feel like you belong†¦ and you do,† Regina said trying to cover up any of the pain she sees on Ella’s face. â€Å"Yeah, whatever. † She shot back, knowing that she’ll get the signal. Ella didn’t want to talk. As she sat and thought about how much she wanted to enter, the desire got greater. Only one problem†¦ she didn’t have a thing. She decided to go down to the lobby and ask Gary for advice. He would surely know what to do in a situation like this. â€Å"Hey Gary,† she said while trying to decided how to ask about all this without sounding needy. I need†¦ a favor. † â€Å"Hello there dear! Finally decided to enter the contest, eh? I knew you would and that is exactly why old Gary made a couple of calls and got you everything you needed, And remember kid, you go out there and win that thing and Drew will be yours. † It’s like he read her mind. He knew exactly what she needed and why. This is why she liked Gary so much. But how’d he know about Drew? â€Å"Gary, thank you so much. But, how’d you know about Drew? † â€Å"It’s extremely obvious. Now run along! † and with that he handed her a large box. She got back up to her room and with excitement bubbling in her blood she threw open the lid. Her mouth dropped. She reached in and pulled out the most beautiful blue dress her emerald eyes had ever seen. It wasn’t just any dress; it fit her body like a glove. The dark blue satin shined as she walked over to her mirror. The dress was elegant from head to toe. She walked back over to her bed and looked inside the box, discovering the silver heels, diamond necklace, and blue hair pin. This must have been Gary’s wife’s clothing. She died of cancer awhile back†¦ Ella guessed he never really got over it. â€Å"I look like a princess,† Ella thought aloud. She knew it was time to go now or she would miss the whole thing so she grabbed her mom’s silver shawl and headed out. Once she got to the parade, any bit of confidence she might have had, vanished. She didn’t know a thing about being pretty and she sure as heck wasn’t going to start learning now. â€Å"No. I’m not doing this,† Ella said to herself. But it was too late. From across the street she saw Carly and the other girls looking straight at her, the envy clear in their eyes. â€Å"GET OUT OF HERE!!! † screamed Carly. Gasps and awes escaped the mouths of the jealous contestants and Ella knew she needed to leave right then. She turned on her heels and ran, tears streaming down her face. She got so flustered and so panicked that to prevent her from being there any longer, took down her hair and threw her heels and blue hair pen on the sidewalk. She didn’t care who found them. And then she heard a voice. â€Å"Ella! Wait, stop running! † the voice yelled. She immediately recognized it as Drew’s. Her Drew. She looked back, tears now streaming down her face and gave him the best smile she could. And then she was gone. The next morning, Ella woke up to the sound of Carly’s voice drifting in from the kitchen. â€Å"I can’t believe she showed up AND ACTUALLY LOOKED PRETTY! † Carly yelled â€Å"Well, you know it was bound to happen. I saw Drew looking the whole time. I went over there this morning and he said that he found a blue pin and silver shoes. He’s confident they belong to her, after all he went psycho on Facebook messaging almost every girl. † Regina said. â€Å"He was looking for me† Ella thought. The next morning Ella decided to go down to Starbucks. She headed out into the hallway and pushed the down button. And there he was, Drew, leaning calmly against the elevator railing. â€Å"Great,† Ella said under her breath. â€Å"You looked beautiful, Ella. I don’t know why you left,† And with that he pulled out the silver shoes and blue pin from behind his back. â€Å"I believe these are yours, are they not? † Drew said flashing his lopsided smile. â€Å"Uh, yeah thank you† Ella stammered. â€Å"I broke up with Kylee† Drew choked out. And in that moment when they were both staring at each other intently, Drew realized she was his Cinderella and he was her Prince Charming. â€Å"I’ll buy you that drink if you be my girlfriend,† Drew teased. The End How to cite Modern Day Cinderella Story, Essay examples

How to Get in Shape free essay sample

The first step to getting in shape is to find a diet that suits the subjects body type, the second step to getting in shape is to set up a lifting program suitable for the subject’s time and strength, and finally the subject will need to set up a cardio routine that is not too intense for someone to endure. Dieting can be the hardest thing for someone to do. What we put into our bodies is the most essential part of getting in shape. Someone who is already overweight should not be eating high calorie foods. A good caloric intake for one day should be no more than 2,000 calories. The person or persons attempting to diet should first start out in the morning with a low calorie meal or a protein shake to jump start their day. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Dieting is not supposed to feel like starvation; in reality a person should feel full all day. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Get in Shape or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The way to maintain the full feeling is eating about six times throughout the day. That does not mean six full course meals either. Breakfast should be eaten around 6:00 a. m. The next 4 meals should be eaten every three hours after breakfast. Those meals should be a very low calorie snack for example tuna and crackers or a salad. The last meal of the day should be a decent sized portion to hold a person over until the morning, keeping in mind that they should not eat after 7:00 p. m. The second step is finding a weight lifting program that fits your lifestyle and body type; this can be very tricky. A personal trainer is highly ecommended for the novice, but if the financial means are not there here are a few quick tips for achieving that perfect physique. First a person should figure out what weights to use and what reps he or she can do with that weight. We should be doing about 8 to 10 reps for sets on each exercise. Monday I always start by doing legs, it pumps testosterone throughout the body naturally and increases the intensity of the workout for the week. Tuesday I usually do chest and a little bit of arm s. Wednesday I do back and another few sets of arms. Thursdays I do some shoulder and trapezoids exercises. Friday is the final but most important day. I usually do a little bit of everything to keep that pumped up feeling throughout the weekend. Saturday and Sundays are rest days from lifting but not from dieting or cardio. Many people get burned out quickly on their workout routines. The key is to find enjoyment in getting in shape and not make it like a job. A person should not overdo it in the beginning because it will only discourage them in the long run. Last but not least a person needs to find a cardio routine that best fits their busy schedules. Before an individual begins a cardio routine they should find out their resting heart rate. This is important because they do not want to over work themselves. A person can find the optimal heart rate for a cardio routine by subtracting their age from 200. Running is one of the most popular cardio routines and in my opinion it is the best. Some people who are more reluctant to run can always ride bikes or do other miscellaneous cardio activities such as rowing and the stair master. Cardio should be done in the morning after breakfast for the best results. It is not necessary to do cardio every day, but it should be done at least 3 times a week for 20 minute sessions. In conclusion getting in shape is not a very complicated process but it does take a lot time and determination. If a person is serious about getting in shape, he or she needs to make it a lifestyle not just a quick fix. In the long run getting in shape needs to be on everyone’s agenda. If something is not done soon, our nation’s health is in serious trouble.