Page 164 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

A Safe Place to Take Risks
Claire Babrowski, a former executive vice president, recalled a deci-
sion she made as regional manager when serving in Raleigh, North
Carolina. “We needed to compete in our marketplace, and fresh-
made biscuits, I knew, I could do better locally,” she said. So she
went on to push for a local supplier, even though the corporation
was working on its version. She did it on her own. She pushed and
went ahead and introduced them to the stores, and the biscuits
became a staple on the menu and proved to be very successful. She
demonstrated what Ed Rensi liked to say, as president of the com-
pany: “Ask for forgiveness, not permission.” Breaking out of the
box of convention, she did what she felt was right for her region,
and it worked. She didn’t need to ask for forgiveness. Risk,
courage—these traits were supported at McDonald’s.
So, too, going to bat for someone was supported, if you had
trust in that person’s judgment. This worked to my advantage
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as a regional vice president, when, during an austerity budget, I
wanted to hire an individual who I knew would be a great fit
for us. But I also knew that we definitely didn’t have the budget
to add another employee. Still, zone manager Rob Doran, my
boss at the time, said, “Do it,” much to my surprise. He trusted
my instincts and knew that I would not go to him with such a
request unless it was very important. Because he trusted in me,
he was willing to take the heat from his boss, at the time the
president of the company, knowing in the long run that hiring
this person was the right thing to do. That hire proved to be
valuable well beyond my expectations.
Yet not everyone was necessarily eager to be the first to take
an issue and run with it. Many sat back. As Willis Smart pointed
out to me, “Many solidified their way to success by staying
underneath the radar and finding ways to accommodate, and
not make waves. The fact was that taking on the tough issues