Written by: Ashwini Jagtap, MBA 2018
MBA Class of 2012 alumna Amy Rich has held several positions at Chick-fil-A during her 12 years with the organization, and learned valuable lessons about how to develop her career. “Very few people can predict the jobs they will be in in five-ten years; the best thing they can do is to be prepared when the right opportunity arises.”
Completing the Evening MBA program at Scheller College was part of Amy’s preparation. Upon graduation, she moved from leading the Quality group to taking on a role as Director of Strategic Planning for Chick-fil-A’s Field Operations function. Now the Team Director for the Southeast Region Field Operations in Georgia, her team serves as the bridge between the corporate Support Center in Atlanta and the restaurants, helping the Franchise Operators grow their businesses and overcome operational challenges related to technology systems, new menu item rollouts, and supply chain. “It’s an honor to be in Atlanta; it is Chick-fil-A’s oldest and largest market, so it presents unique challenges and opportunities as we continue to grow as a company.”
Like many business leaders, Amy finds that it is sometimes challenging to balance the business of day-to-day operations with the discipline of making time to strategically think and learn. “It’s tough to have the discipline to read and grow like I did when I was an MBA student as life and work is increasingly busy, but it’s so important for leaders to remain committed to life-long learning and self-development.”
Amy recently completed the Duke University Strategic Leadership Program with other leaders from Chick-fil-A. “It’s a great refresher on some principles I learned during my MBA as well as exposure to some new theories and leadership practices.” She uses this drive for life-long learning to stay abreast in her industry. “I read various journals, but what I find most valuable is Google alerts and reading all relevant articles on the QSR industry daily. It only takes ten to fifteen minutes each day, but it keeps me on track with the pulse.”
Amy knows that to continue to be an effective leader in her organization, she must understand what is happening at the store-level. “I try to spend as much time as I can in our restaurants to stay grounded to the franchisees’ realities and customers’ changing needs.”
In addition to keeping up with her industry and her organization, Amy believes it is important to deeply know yourself to advance in your career. “Know your strengths and weaknesses, and do everything you can to be the best possible version of yourself. Be focused on developing yourself to add the most possible value in your current role while staying true to your values and principles.”
For Amy, the importance of finding purpose goes beyond her career. She is involved in her church and spends several hours every month mentoring younger business women. She also serves as an MBA Alumni Ambassador, speaking with prospective and current students about her experience as Scheller College MBA student. “I find a lot of joy and fulfillment in being able to ‘pay it forward’ as so many people have mentored me.”