I’ve been thinking about The Artifacts of Your Company Culture

Several weeks ago, I went up to North Carolina to teach a class in company culture at High Point University. I spent the day visiting with the faculty of The Master of Arts in Communication and Business Leadership in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication. That evening, I taught a class in the Company Culture course led by Dr. Andrea Hunt.

After a full day on campus, and two hours on my feet interacting with students, I was exhausted and hungry. On my way back to the hotel, I came to a friendly fast service restaurant and decided to pull in for a chicken sandwich.

As I was enjoying my Original Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and a Diet Coke, I noticed a Story Board on the wall of the restaurant. This board tells the story of Chick-Fil-A and helps us understand a bit of the culture of this iconic company.

Five Elements of the Story of Chick-Fil-A

One of the elements in recognizing a company’s culture is the “Artifacts” … those physical objects that tell the story of the culture. Here I was, sitting in a small restaurant in North Carolina looking at an artifact that reflects the early culture of this amazing company.

The Chick-Fil-A Story board had five pictures and captions:

• The Beginning – in 1946, S. Truett Cathy and his brother opened the Dwarf Grill in south Atlanta
• The Inspiration – Truett and his wife Jeanette invented the Original Chicken Sandwich
• The Generations – When they were young, the Cathy’s children – Bubba, Trudy, and Dan – greeted and entertained customers.
• The Growth – In 1967, Truett pioneered in-mall dining with the first Chick-Fil-A in Atlanta’s Greenbrier Mall. The first free-standing Chick-Fil-A opened in 1986.
• The Classics – Along the way, Chick-Fil-A introduced the Original Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and Icedream.

I was intrigued by this board, so later I went online to learn more about the Company Culture at Chick-Fil-A.

My wife and business partner, Elizabeth Jeffries, RN, CSP, CPAE is an award winning professional speaker, author, and executive leadership coach. She has spoken several times for the leaders at Chick – Fil A, and has had conversations with Dan Cathy, the Chairman of the Board.

This company has a truly amazing culture, and there is much we can learn from studying them.

Company Culture at High Point University

My day at HPU was an intriguing adventure for three reasons:

1. Experiencing the Culture of the University. Dr. Nido Qubein, the President has crafted an amazing culture at The Premier Life Skills University
2. Teaching the Company Culture Class. Dr. Andrea Hunt has a wonderful group of students in this course. Dr. Tim Koba, the Director of the Master of Arts in Communication and Business Leadership, and his team of faculty are crafting a wonderful curriculum.
3. Seeing the Chick-Fil-A story board brought my thoughts about company culture together with a strong visual artifact.

Based on my wonderful experience that day, I’m exploring other opportunities to continue working with the students and faculty in the MA CBL program at HPU.

What are the Artifacts of Your Company Culture?

What about your Home Care company?

• How would you describe your company culture?
• How has the leadership style of your CEO shaped the culture?
• What are the core values that guide decisions and actions?
• What are the behaviors you expect when living those values?
• What are the consequences when someone’s behavior is not in alignment with the values?
• What are the artifacts around your company that help tell the story of your culture?