So first thing I want to make clear. I am going to be talking about Wendy’s, but nobody asked me to talk about Wendy’s. This blog post is not sponsored by Wendy’s, and I am not getting anything in return. I just had an unexpectedly great experience at Wendy’s this past weekend and wanted to share it.

So here’s another fact to know. I don’t like Wendy’s. I enjoy fast food, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Even though my husband and daughter make it clear through their verbals and nonverbal that fast-food is not a healthy option for the family, I enjoy it anyway. But Wendy’s is my least favorite chain. There’s just nothing that stands out on the menu to me. I’m not a huge fan of ice cream so a Frosty is never calling my name. If I want chicken nuggets, I’ll go to Chick-Fil-A. The salad options don’t appeal to me because I rarely (translation NEVER) go to a fast food restaurant to eat salad.

The fact that we stopped at Wendy’s this past weekend reveals more about how much I love my husband than it does my love of Wendy’s. As we walked in, I saw a sign on the wall with employment applications, and the sign read something like this: “Do you want a job that makes you smile?” My cynical mind thought, “Really? That’s your pitch to applicants? That working at Wendy’s will bring joy to your life and make you smile? Are there really people who work here and smile because they love what they do? Because my experience has been that employees at fast-food chains look like they’d rather be anywhere other than taking or filling my order.”

I was rescued from that jaded train of thought by a bright, happy voice welcoming us to Wendy’s. The greeting immediately made me feel as though I were being welcomed into a home by one of my friends or family members. It made me smile. Then I got to meet Kat. Kat, who was beaming from ear to ear. Kat, who took our order as though it were the single most important task on her to-do list. Kat, who spent precious minutes trying to convince my husband to get another drink instead of water because she didn’t want him to “lose” the drink that came with his combo. Kat, who recently received $100 tip from a customer and promptly shared it with her fellow staff. (Who tips a $100 at Wendy’s???)

I spent almost a decade in the food industry. The goal of every place I worked was customer service, but the message was always “upsell” if you can. Customer service is important, but we’re also in the business of making money. That was why I used to suggest the most expensive brands of alcohol to non-drinkers. They didn’t know enough about the brands to order the “house” or “well” drink. And I was rewarded for those “upsells.”

Kat, though, stuck to her integrity. Customer service first. Yes, she could have rung up the combo at full price and just given my husband water and Wendy’s would have pocketed a profit. But she didn’t do that. I watched her as she jovially ran through all the different types of drinks my husband could have ordered with the combo in addition to the water she was already going to give him.

I loved it. As a learning and development professional, I facilitate classes and conversations around the characteristics and best practices of highly effective leaders. Many supervisors and managers are looking for the “take-aways” of what they can “do” to be better leaders. I always caution that it’s not about what an individual does. It’s about who they are. Start with character. Work on integrity. Become a trust-worthy individual. The rest are just tactics and tricks to appear more effective than you really are.

I could tell Kat wasn’t the manager, but she embodied everything I know about authenticity and leadership and showing care for others. I was so impressed that I wrote a lengthy email to Wendy’s corporate office to share this great experience and to let them know how one individual was making a difference. Her manager responded by saying that while the store has many friendly staff, Kat “goes above and beyond what she is trained to do.”

That brought a smile to my face.

In my email to Wendy’s, I thought about telling them that Wendy’s wasn’t my favorite, but then reconsidered. I think I need to take a class from Kat on integrity.

Who do you know that embodies a servant leader but doesn’t have a title or position of leadership?