Page 121 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Lead by Example

Ray’s graciousness and the extent he went to to make me feel spe-
cial. Here he was, a man who I heard so much about, but that
night he made one of his thousands of employees feel valued. I
walked away with a fresh perspective on the culture of the com-
pany I was now a part of, and with an understanding of how
simply extending courtesies to someone can be so inspiring. In
conversation, it was clear to me that Ray was not just motivated
by money. He was motivated by a passion for his business and
seeing it grow. He understood the value of having a great team
and getting them to understand his vision and his principles. This
was definitely something to emulate.
Did Ray have an idea of his profound impact on me, such a
young executive at the time? I would argue yes. His conduct and
his business principles spoke volumes. Leading by example—
that was a trait that grew organically within the organization,
ultimately becoming one of the clear “roots” of the company. I
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believe the practice came naturally to him, and that it grew
within the organization.
But he developed a lead-by-example culture that continues to
touch everyone. Peter Grimm, a longtime supplier with McDon-
ald’s, described something he saw in 2006, at the last operator
convention in Orlando. It was the end of an evening at Universal
Studios and everyone was leaving. “There I see Fred on his golf
cart picking up trash. There were cups, and he was going around
picking them up and putting them in the garbage. I saw it with my
own eyes.” That’s what the McDonald’s culture is all about.

Setting the Tone
Ray led by example from the very beginning. When he ran his
own store in Des Plaines, Illinois, he moonlighted on weekends
as the maintenance man, scrubbing the restaurant clean, and
picking up the grounds. It’s an era Fred Turner hasn’t forgotten.