Page 42 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

The system had no room for those who abused Ray’s found-
ing principles—and incidents were rare. Paper distributor Ted
Perlman noted that “some of the people that misused the trust
were for the most part good people at all levels who might have
been misguided but meant well. There were four or five more
senior people that misused the trust, but those were exceptions
not the rule.”
Incidents of corruption are so rare at McDonald’s that when
I did encounter it, it took me several moments to recognize it at
face value. Back when I was a director of operations for the com-
pany, I was approached by a contractor who, after completing
the construction of several new restaurants, was eager for more
business. And because we were always building and refurbishing
units, we were on the constant lookout for quality contractors
who could get the job done. No single source could handle it all.
Out in the parking lot, this particular contractor said there would
12
be cash for me for each site going forward. I looked at him, puz-
zled, so he repeated his offer. I was dumbfounded that he could
be so stupid (and that I could be so unsuspecting). I told him we
don’t do business like that, and he never built another unit for
us. I have to believe that scene has been played out many times
over the years with McDonald’s management.
It might seem naïve to believe that everyone at McDonald’s
shared my ethics, but I’m not the only one with this perspective.
“I think the degree to which integrity permeates the relation-
ship, it’s almost as if you don’t have that, you can’t survive,”
Peter Grimm added, noting with little wonder that the few who
played shenanigans were quickly pushed out of the system.
“Rotten eggs stink, and it doesn’t take long, in a place where
there were very few of them, [for them to] stand out like a sore
thumb.”
Tom Dentice shared that view. “I could probably count the
number of people . . . really weren’t honest and didn’t have