Rodney Bullard
Chick-Fil-A Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility shares a leader’s need for grace and forgiveness
Corporate Competitor Podcast Episode 45
Search Episodes
Rodney Bullard leads community engagement, philanthropic, and sustainability strategy as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Chick-fil-A. Before coming to Chick-fil-A, Rodney served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting complex criminal cases. For his service, the United States Attorney General presented him with the Department of Justice Director’s Award. Prior to this role, Rodney was selected as a White House Fellow, the nation’s most prestigious public service Fellowship. As a White House Fellow, Rodney was placed at NASA working directly for the NASA Administrator. Rodney also previously served at the Pentagon as a Congressional Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.
In this episode, we dive into the lessons he learned in athletics. Rodney made the decision to go to the United States Air Force Academy because they had a solid football program. He set a goal to become an All-American, and when a knee injury ended his pursuit of playing on the gridiron, he went on to achieve All-American status in something else—mock trial.
Listeners will take away a big bag full of useful business nuggets such as:
- Championing authenticity to unleash the special talents of each individual.
- Using your competitive juices to push yourself while competing fairly and with discipline.
- Cultivating the virtues of grace and forgiveness to deal with the ups and downs of leading others.
- Laying a groundwork of trust to build confidence and comfort in your team.
“To me, building a great team starts with trust,” Rodney said. “Many teams fail to develop that. They go towards activity and action without recognizing that beneath any action there is a person who has to achieve the action.”
You will learn:
- 8:00 How to develop team members.
- 16:00 The power of grace and forgiveness.
- 18:00 How to introduce competition in an appropriate and fair way.
- 22:00 What Rodney has learned from Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy.
- 25:00 Rodney’s future aspirations.
- 25:00 The key to creating confidence and comfort on your team.
- 25:00 How to build trust in a corporate setting.
You will learn:
- 6:00 How easy it is to cut corners in practice and why you’ll suffer as a result.
- 8:00 How to emphasize the power or “we” on your team.
- 11:00 How living and working in Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster taught Lane that caring was the universal language of respected leaders.
- 15:00 The level of employee interaction required to achieve success.
- 18:30 The difference between being accountable and responsible.
- 27:00 How to identify a meaningful friend or mentor.
Resources:
- Heroes Wanted: Why the World Needs You to Live Your Heart Out By Rodney Bullard
- Learn more about the Chick-fil-A foundation.
- Connect with Rodney on LinkedIn
Never Miss An Episode
You will receive a FREE chapter from Don’s best-selling book on GREAT TEAMS when you subscribe.
Bonus Resource
Search episodes
Share Episode
Recommended For You
Never Miss An Episode
Love This Podcast?
We would be so grateful if you left us a rating and review!
Greg Brenneman
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
John C. Maxwell
“I am a subscriber because you are one of the greatest teachers, one of the best storytellers I have ever met, and I know you will maximize the people you have on the podcast. I’m telling everyone because when you find gold you point everyone to it.”
Simon Sinek
“Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
Beth Brooke
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
Rick Hendrick
“We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
Bill George
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
Savannah Gallagher
Jon Rousseau
Francisco Nunez
Brett Rutherford
Special thanks to Dave Moore, Lauren Hafner, Samantha Clark, and the Florida State University Internship Program for consistently supporting our research team.
Join the Greatness Community
Download Don’s fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create powerful, positive change in your organization.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Step 1: Open the Apple Podcasts App.
Step 2: Search Corporate Competitor Podcast and click the episode art.
Step 3: Scroll to the bottom of the page and leave a rating and review.
BONUS Screenshot your review, and send to corporate.competitor@greatnessinc.com for a free gift!