Page 234 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

Recognizing a Legacy
Recognition, as it became apparent in my conversations with so
many individuals associated with the McDonald’s system, was
a huge building block in the company’s success. Even Fred
Turner succumbed to the personal satisfaction he gained from
recognition. “I had the great honor of being told there was a
Fred L. Turner Training Center,” he told me. “I loved being hon-
ored in that way. It came from Jim Cantalupo [the CEO who
tragically passed away the night before the annual operator con-
vention]. So, what a generous, thoughtful thing he did. I love it.
I’m proud of it.” And then, in his usual humble manner he con-
tinued, “But, thank God, nobody calls it that. It doesn’t bother
me a bit. It’s Hamburger University.”

A Final Thought
204
Did McDonald’s succeed in inspiring each and every employee
with its larger-than-life recognition platform? Of course not.
Some never received rewards. Some never got the new stores,
the next promotion they sought, or, in the case of suppliers, the
new territory that was available. These were the people who,
for whatever reason, perhaps did not share the same value sets
that were expected. The system was designed to weed out these
individuals who ultimately realized, in the words of From Good
to Great author Jim Collins, that it was time to “get off the
bus.” This, I’m sure, was tough on these individuals, and it was
not easy either for their superiors who had the responsibility to
hold onto the standards of the brand (see Chapter 5).

In Summary
The McDonald’s system seems to have a built-in mechanism to
recognize those who really deliver results. As a rule, the com-
pany stays on its toes to retain the best talent at the corporate,