What is your ideal working environment or conditions?

A beautiful view?

Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm?

No holidays. No weekends.

So far, so good?

Let’s add an amazingly reliable staff—talented, punctual, never sick, never late.

Sounds perfect, right?

~~~~~~~~~~

I know I am often guilty of believing that if I could arrange and maintain the perfect work conditions for myself, I’d always have a great attitude. How about you?

Would you consider working in a mall… in a food court… on Saturday, on Valentine’s Day night… with a missing manager to be ideal working conditions?

Yeah—me either.

For Valentine’s Day 2026, being the romantics that we are, Leslie and I walked to our local Chick-fil-A in the Auburn Mall for dinner.

People watching in a mall has always been enjoyable for me. I love seeing the energy, excitement, and uniqueness of people, especially on or around holidays. Christmas is my favorite.

On this particular visit, one person stood out.

As Leslie and I ate our delicious chicken, we noticed an energetic man working at Chick-fil-A who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his job.

Brandon Powell smiled with great enthusiasm throughout the entire time we were in the food court. He joyfully worked the cash register, energetically shuttled food to eager customers, handed out sauces and drinks like they were door prizes, and wiped the counters as if preparing for surgery.

Every time Brandon said Chick-fil-A’s signature phrase, “My Pleasure,” you could tell he really meant it.

As Leslie and I watched Brandon disappear from sight at one point as he scoured the mall to return a lost credit card to a customer, we knew he would be great to feature as a Sharper Leader. It was not until I introduced myself that I realized he was the owner and operator of that Chick-fil-A. After further discussion, Brandon confirmed that the only reason he was working at the time was because his night manager was unable to make it to work.

After meeting and talking with Brandon, it further confirmed our desire to publicly recognize and thank him for demonstrating his role as a Sharper Leader.

In spite of having to unexpectedly work and leave his wife and kids at home on the weekend—on Valentine’s Day—Brandon demonstrated a phenomenal attitude. The “service with a smile” attitude is really put to the test when covering for someone under normal circumstances, but, all things considered, Brandon was the perfect role model for his team, serving not only his customers but also those working with him. It seemed obvious to Leslie and me that Brandon not only loves his customers but that he and his team really enjoy working together.