Cracker Who?

I’ve been watching the story unfold at Cracker Barrel.
A company built on comfort and tradition.
A place where you knew what to expect: chicken and dumplings, rocking chairs on the porch, and most important, a sense of familiarity.

But lately, change has been the headline.
Not thoughtful adaptation. Not careful improvement.

Change for the sake of change.
It seems they want to be modern, which misses the point of their whole concept.

Their CEO stood on stage recently,
celebrating initiatives their customers categorically despise.
Meanwhile, the stock price tells the real story: sinking fast.

Whether fair or foul, the messaging has gotten away from them.
Because they forgot something simple.

Change isn’t the same thing as progress.

Yes, leaders must innovate.
Yes, times shift and cultures move.
But when change becomes detached from your core, you lose the very people who trusted you in the first place.

It’s a leadership trap.
We see an issue, and assume the answer must be “different.”
But different isn’t always better.
Sometimes, different is just straying.

Foundations matter.
Core identity matters.
What got you here still has value, even as you look to what’s next.

So before I lead change in my own life, or in the organizations I’m entrusted with,
I have to ask:
Is this truly an improvement?
Or is it just a desire to look progressive and forward-thinking?

Because the fastest way to become unrecognizable…
is to forget what made you who you are.

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