TORONTO — Despite continued growth and financial success, fast food chain Chick-Fil-A has received a word of warning from an unexpected source, as psychologist/professor/author/philosopher/speaker/chicken sandwich eater Dr. Jordan B. Peterson cautioned an employee of the restaurant chain about expressing excessive agreeableness.
"You've got to be very careful here," Peterson said to the employee while leaning out of his car window. "You're a very agreeable person, and that's a valid approach for the work you do, but you have to also be aware that some customers will take advantage of that and come away with far too many sauce packets. It's like, no! You have to decide whether you're going to make something of yourself or just be a doormat your whole life, bucko!"
Peterson had just finished giving his order, to which the well-trained employee customarily replied, "My pleasure," setting off the impromptu life lesson. "It may well be your pleasure, certainly," Peterson continued, "but my request for an additional large order of waffle fries with my combo may not be something you feel pleasure complying with. Pushing back against aggressive customers, while painful in the short term, will pay off in the long term."
The employee, Yobani Gomez, was quick to accept the critique. "I was just following my training and not really thinking about the long-term consequences of agreeing with everything every customer says," Gomez said, as though a veil had been lifted from her eyes. "This changes everything."
At publishing time, Peterson had finished his meal and was believed to be on his way to Dairy Queen to enlighten another young employee and ask if they had any all-meat Blizzards.
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