The “My Pleasure” Mentality

When you hear someone say, “My pleasure,” most people immediately think of Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is known for its delicious chicken, especially in the South, but something many people don’t know about is the work they do in the community.

 

Hartfield Academy is one of 45 schools across the U.S. participating in a pilot program for the Chick-fil-A Middle School Leader Academy. This program is designed to help students build foundational leadership principles through the GIVES framework:

• Gratitude – What am I thankful for?

• Integrity – How do my choices impact who I become?

• Vision – Who do I want to be when I’m older?

• Empathy – Am I aware of the people around me?

• Service – How can I use my strengths to serve?

 

This year, the program is divided into 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade groups. Each grade meets separately to go through a video session and activity focused on that month’s trait. Later, all groups come together when local Chick-fil-A team members visit the school to dive deeper into the lesson.

 

This month’s focus is Vision—having a clear plan to achieve goals while becoming a better leader in the process. To illustrate this concept, the Chick-fil-A team placed a puzzle in front of each group with no instructions and gave them only eight minutes to complete it.

 

After time was up, the leadership staff asked students for feedback:

• How did it feel to be given a task with no instructions or clear picture of the end goal?

• How did they handle confusion among team members?

• What would have helped them be more prepared?

• How does this experience relate to their everyday lives?

 

Through this exercise, students gained a deeper understanding of the importance of having a vision—not only for solving a puzzle but for leading with purpose in their own lives.